Indians have new heat guidelines as practices open today

As Southeast Missouri State University's football team prepares for its first practice today, coach Tim Billings doesn't think new NCAA guidelines regarding preseason workouts will have much affect on the Indians.

The first five days of practice have been designated "heat acclimation" days, with the first two in helmets only, the next two in helmets and shoulder pads and the fifth in full gear but with no contact. Teams can practice only once per day during those first five days.

In addition, freshmen and other newcomers can no longer come in and train before the veterans. Also, squads are prohibited from holding two-a-day workouts on consecutive days.

"They're just being more cautious, that's the biggest thing," Billings said. "But with what we do, it won't affect us at all and it won't really change much for us.

"I'm not a big believer in beating each other up in practice and doing too much physically. We've always done a lot more mental stuff than physical stuff. You don't win football games on Monday through Thursday, you win them on Saturday. We don't want to have guys beat up in practice, we want to have our best players on the field for the games."

Billings said he, his coaches and the Southeast training staff have always been on the lookout for possible heat-related problems with their players during preseason practice.

"We always make sure they get plenty of fluids and that they're eating right," Billings said. "We're always cautious to hopefully make sure nothing happens, but heat is always a concern. You just have to watch everybody real close."

Players report to camp

Billings and his staff welcomed about 90 players to camp Sunday. He's looking forward to seeing them on the practice field for the first time today.

"We're looking forward to getting things going," Billings said. "I know our coaches and players are excited about the season."

Expectations are high for the Indians, who return 19 starters from last year's 8-4 team that produced the program's most wins since 1969. Southeast is favored to win its first Ohio Valley Conference title and is ranked 16th nationally by two publications.

"The exposure is good for our program, but we have to prove it on the field," Billings said.

Even though the Indians enter the beginning of practice set at most of the starting positions, they are not without their concerns.

Wide receiver might hold the most question marks on paper as All-American Willie Ponder and Tarik Simpson, the squad's third-leading receiver last year, both completed their eligibility.

"That's a position that's open, but I feel we have some good quality players there," Billings said. "I think depth on the defensive and offensive lines are bigger concerns than wide receiver.

"We have a lot of kids back, but for us to be really successful, we have to have some younger guys, like some of the redshirt freshmen from last year, step up and give us depth."

Perhaps the biggest key to the season, Billings said, is for Southeast's defense -- which improved last year and had some big performances but still allowed an average of 387 yards per game -- to come close to matching the effectiveness of the Indians' offense, which produced nearly 450 yards a contest.

"We're good enough on offense, but the key is to mature on defense," Billings said. "If we can have a good defense, that puts less pressure on our offense. We had some really good defensive games last year and the key is to get that consistency.

"If we're going to compete for the conference championship, we need to be in the top two or three in the league defensively."

Southeast workouts are open to the public. Today through Wednesday, practices begin at 4:15 p.m. They will start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with workouts set for 10:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday as full-contact, two-a-days begin. Sunday's workout is set for 5 p.m.

After that, until school returns to session, workouts will begin at 5:30 p.m. on single-practice days and at 10:45 p.m. and 5 p.m. on two-a-days. Most of the workouts will be at Houck Stadium, with some at the Rosengarten Complex practice fields. All practice times are subject to change, depending on weather and other factors.