Indians go Bowling for dollars

Southeast will have big payday today in exchange for facing powerful Bowling Green.

By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian

Perhaps the only question mark for Bowling Green entering this season was at quarterback after All-American Josh Harris completed his eligibility following the Falcons' sensational 2003 campaign.

But upon seeing Omar Jacobs' strong performance during Saturday's closer-than-expected 40-24 loss at second-ranked Oklahoma, Southeast Missouri State University coach Tim Billings figures the Falcons are in fine shape behind center.

"Jacobs is really a good athlete and he played really well against Oklahoma. He showed a lot of poise," said Billings, who watched the nationally televised season opener. "Some people think he might end up being better than Josh Harris. "

That's probably not a very comforting thought for Billings as the Indians get set for today's 5 p.m. contest at Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio. A crowd of nearly 30,000 is expected for the Falcons' home opener.

Southeast also lost its season opener, getting hammered 42-3 at Southern Illinois, which is the nation's top-ranked Division I-AA team. Now the Indians must face a strong Division I-A squad that Billings rates as considerably better than the Salukis.

"There's no doubt Bowling Green is a lot better than SIU," Billings said. "Just the number of athletes, the depth and the quality of the athletes."

Jacobs, a 6-foot-4, 224-pound sophomore, completed 24 of 41 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma. He was not intercepted.

Last year, as the backup to Harris -- who threw for more than 3,800 yards and 27 touchdowns as the Falcons averaged better than 33 points and 496 yards per game -- Jacobs was 19 of 28 for 345 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 89 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per attempt.

"Omar played well. He took care of the football and he managed the offense," said Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon of the Oklahoma game.

Despite losing Harris, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens, Bowling Green returned 19 starters from a team that went 11-3, won a bowl game and finished 23rd in the national rankings.

Among the returning offensive headliners from the Falcons' wide-open attack are junior tailback P.J. Pope, who rushed for 1,005 yards and 10 touchdowns last season while also catching 48 passes; senior wide receiver Cole Magner, who caught a school-record 99 passes and scored 10 TDs; and junior wide out Charles Sharon, who had 59 receptions and 10 touchdowns.

"They've got really good athletes all over the field," Billings said. "They beat Maryland and Purdue last year, and they're probably a top 25 team again."

Brandon, after his squad was somewhat overmatched physically at Oklahoma, figures the Falcons will have a big advantage in that category today. But he still professed to have plenty of respect for the Indians.

"They've got some talented skill players, and I think their quarterback's a pretty heady guy," Brandon said. "Defensively, they're undersized, but they're quick and active, just like you would expect from a team like that.

"We have to block them. We need to go in and execute. We'll just run our offense. Against Oklahoma, we had to strategize a bit, but hopefully we won't have to do that this week."

Billings knows the odds are stacked against the Indians as far as even keeping the score respectable today. After a disappointing performance against SIU, the coach said his team's primary goal is to improve as much as possible.

"We're going to go up there and try to win the football game like always, but we're going to worry more about what we're doing," Billings said. "We're going to go up there and play harder and better. It's a big challenge for us, but we just have to become a better football team."

For playing at Bowling Green and at Division I-A Central Michigan on Sept. 18, Southeast's financially-strapped athletic department will be paid about $250,000. Billings knows that's good for the university but maybe not so good for the Indians.

"There's a reason these teams pay a lot of money to play you," Billings said. "They expect to beat you pretty good. We just have to try to hang in there and do our best, but like I said, the main thing for us is to just go up there and try to improve."