INDIANS READY TO TEST PROGRESS THURSDAY

From a technical standpoint, Tim Billings isn't sure if his Southeast Missouri State University football team is ready for a game.

But Southeast's first-year head coach knows that the Indians are ready to test their progress against some outside competition -- even if the opponent happens to be mighty Marshall, owner of the nation's longest winning streak.

"I don't know if we're ready as far as us knowing everything we need to know, but we're ready to play," said Billings during his weekly media conference Monday. "We're excited as a coaching staff to see where we are. We feel like we've come a long way since the spring."

Southeast and Marshall will kick off the 2000 season at 6 p.m. Thursday in Huntington, W.Va. The game will be televised live on WDKA-TV in Cape Girardeau and on the Thundering Herd ISP Sports Network that covers parts of four states.

The game is expected to attract the largest crowd in Marshall football history. Marshall University Stadium has been expanded this year to seat 40,000 and school officials are expecting Thursday's attendance to surpass the previous high of 33,204 for a game vs. Miami of Ohio in 1998.

"I think it's going to be a great experience for our football program, and it's going to be great exposure for not only our program but the entire university," Billings said. "Playing a game in front of 40,000 people, and on television, you can't pay for that type of exposure."

Billings knows just what type of situation his first Southeast team is getting into because he was an assistant coach at Marshall the past 10 years and he was the Thundering Herd's defensive coordinator last season, when they went 13-0 and wound up ranked 10th nationally among NCAA Division I-A teams.

Marshall enters this season with the nation's longest winning streak at 17 games and the Thundering Herd also have the nation's longest home winning streak at 31 games.

"They'll have great athletes at every position," said Billings.

Billings realizes that most people will be expecting the Indians -- a Division I-AA team that went 3-8 last year -- to suffer a lopsided loss against Marshall. But Billings is not about to concede anything.

"We're going to Marshall for one thing. To win the football game," he said. "Whether that's realistic, I don't know. But the thing I keep telling my players is we have control over the things we do. We can't control what they do.

"The No. 1 thing, I don't want to beat ourselves. We have to be sound and make them beat us. We've talked about that all fall, not just for this game but for the entire season. If we can play error-free and don't give up big plays on defense, then we'll look at the scoreboard and see where we're at the end of the game."

* Billings won't be the only member of the Southeast squad to have a Marshall homecoming this week.

Secondary coach Shannon Morrison was a four-year letterman at Marshall and served as a graduate assistant at the school in 1995 and 1997.

Offensive backfield coach Kip Shaw was a graduate assistant at Marshall the past two seasons.

And four Southeast players -- defensive tackle Jermaine Motley, running back Byron White, wide receiver Tarik Simpson and punter Jason Witczak -- were all on the Marshall roster last year before transferring after Billings was hired to coach the Indians.

* Southeast's defensive line, already lacking depth to begin with, has suffered a severe blow as it was recently learned that senior tackle Chad Gwilliam will be lost for the season after a practice injury resulted in a disc herniation in the cervical spine.

Tackle James Jennette, the leading returning tackler among linemen, remains out with a broken hand and will miss the Marshall game, although he could return for the Southern Illinois game Sept. 9.

With the Indians shorthanded at defensive tackle for the opener, true freshman Travis Bucher will move into a starting spot. Cape Central product Tatum Kitchen has been moved over from end to add depth at tackle as a backup.

On the positive side regarding injuries, Simpson, who suffered a partially separated shoulder early in fall drills, has recovered well and will play against Marshall.

* Southeast will make the Marshall trip by bus. Travel plans are to leave Cape Girardeau following practice today, spend the night in Louisville, Ky., and then arrive in Huntington early Wednesday. The squad will return to Cape Girardeau immediately following the game Thursday.

* While the crowd Thursday will be decidedly pro-Marshall, the Indians will have their share of support because Southeast's Golden Eagles Marching Band, cheerleaders and Sundancers spirit group are all making the trip.