INDIANS SEEK BIG FINALE

A talented but inconsistent Tennessee State football team stands in the way of Southeast Missouri State University's Indians ending the season with a two-game winning streak.

The squads will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Houck Stadium in the final contest of the season for each.

TSU is 3-7 overall but the Tigers are 3-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play and still have a chance to finish as high as fourth in the eight-team league.

Southeast is 4-6 overall and 1-5 in the OVC. The best the Indians can finish in the league is a tie for sixth while a loss would relegate them to seventh place.

"Tennessee State is an extremely talented football team," said Southeast head coach John Mumford during his weekly media conference Monday. "It's going to be a big challenge for us to end the season."

In a season that has not gone the way Mumford had envisioned, the Indians had a major bright spot this past Saturday as they rallied from a 17-0 second-half deficit to beat regional rival Southern Illinois 28-17.

"I got asked after the game how big that win was," said Mumford. "When you're 3-6, they're all big.

"Down 17-0, earlier in the season we probably had a tendency not to come back. That speaks a lot for the improvement we've made."

Mumford had high praise for his defense and an offensive line that helped churn out 300 yards rushing and 490 yards of total offense.

"Our line really stepped up, especially in the second half," he said. "I think our line has made constant improvement all season long."

Now the goal for the Indians will be to close out the season on a positive note and wind up just one game under .500.

"We want to finish the season strong to give us some momentum heading into the offseason," Mumford said.

* Saturday's game will mark the final appearance in a Southeast uniform for 13 seniors, several of whom have been among the program's top players the last few years.

Heading up the list are defensive tackle Angel Rubio and safety Ronnie Smith.

Rubio will go down as one of the best defensive linemen ever to play at Southeast. He's lived up to his preseason All-American billing this year by leading the squad with 105 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss. He has been looked at by a number of NFL scouts and should either be drafted or attend an NFL camp as a free agent.

Likewise, Smith will go down as one of the better secondary players the Indians have had. A four-year starter, he's scored four defensive touchdowns in his Southeast career, including three this year on two interception returns and a fumble recovery.

"Those two guys have been special, but all our seniors have been important," Mumford said. "It would be great to send them out with a win."

The other seniors: Dan Clauss, Mike Cunniff, Willie Davis, Damon Hendrick, Andrew Joyce, Aaron Layne, Steve Ledbetter, Justin Martini, Michael Reece, Justin Terrill and Eric Warren.

Terrill is the OVC's top punter this year and ranks sixth nationally; Martini is in his second season as the Indians' starting quarterback; Warren has been Southeast's regular kicker the last two years; Hendrick, a defensive end, is second in the OVC with three fumble recoveries;

Layne has been the starting tailback since midway through the season; Davis and Reece have been starters in the secondary much of the year; Joyce has been the team's top kickoff return man; Clauss has started some in the offensive line; Ledbetter has been a key reserve and part-time starter at linebacker; and Cunniff has played mainly on special teams.

Warren (Perryville) and Ledbetter (Charleston) are both local products.

* Mumford singled out several players for their play in the SIU game, including John Smith, a former Jackson High all-stater who has moved into the starting lineup at free safety.

Smith was noted as a vicious hitter during his prep days at Jackson and he had one of the hits of the season when he drilled an SIU receiver near the sideline.

"John really brought the wood," Mumford said. "If that hit on the sidelines doesn't make somebody's highlight film..."

* Mumford said he hasn't yet decided who will start against Tennessee State but that Jeff Shaw and Justin Martini will both continue to play a lot at quarterback.

Martini has been the starter most of the season but Shaw got the nod against SIU. Shaw directed two third-quarter touchdown drives while Martini led the go-ahead march in the final period.