INDIANS STRIVE TO UPSET ONE OF OVC'S BEST

No matter what the preseason polls indicate, Southeast Missouri State University football coach John Mumford says he is looking for his Indians to be a factor in the Ohio Valley Conference race.

If that is to be the case, then the Indians will have to be able to handle some of the teams projected to be among the OVC's elite.

Southeast has already lost at home to league power Murray State. Today, in a 1:30 p.m. kickoff in Charleston, Ill., the Indians get another crack at a league heavyweight when they tangle with Eastern Illinois.

"It's going to be a tremendous challenge for our football team, a real test," said Mumford, whose squad will be playing its first road game of the season today. "But our players are really excited about the opportunity."

EIU, ranked 24th nationally in Division I-AA, is 3-1 overall and won its OVC opener last weekend by slipping past Tennessee Tech 13-6 in a defensive slugfest.

The Panthers finished tied for second in the OVC last season and, despite losing a host of key players -- including standout quarterback Mike Simpson -- were tabbed for second in this year's preseason conference poll.

"I think Eastern Illinois is very comparable to the past teams they've had, which means they're very good," Mumford said. "I think they're comparable to some of the other better teams in our league, like a Murray State."

So far, the Panthers have relied on a rugged defense and an opportunistic offense to win three of their first four games -- the lone loss being a 48-0 rout at the hands of Division I-A Central Florida.

EIU has not been overwhelming offensively, averaging 15.3 points and 276 yards of offense per game.

But the Panthers have been extremely stingy defensively, allowing a little less than eight points per game if you take out that contest against Central Florida. EIU is giving up an average of just 228 yards per game.

Justin Lynch, one of the OVC's top running backs, is EIU's chief offensive threat as he has rushed for 347 yards, which is third-best in the league.

The Panthers have gotten solid quarterback play from Anthony Buich and Jeb Odam, who have split time. Buich has completed 35 of 58 passes for 300 yards while Odam has completed 21 of 40 passes for 270 yards. Both players have thrown two touchdown passes and been intercepted twice.

Phillip Taylor and tight end Seth Willingham are the Panthers' top two receivers, with 14 and 12 catches, respectively.

Once again, the Panthers -- who have been noted for their dominating offensive lines over the past few years -- feature a front unit that averages about 290 pounds per man.

"They've got some weapons on offense and their line is always really strong," said Mumford. "Justin Lynch is a great running back and their quarterbacks have played well."

Defensively, linebackers Lance Lohrenz and Brian Jones have 39 and 30 tackles, respectively, while linemen Reggie Scott, Andy Lee and Mike Carlin all have two sacks. EIU's secondary, featuring the likes of Antwan Perry, Chris Watson and others, is among the OVC's best.

"They're really tough on defense and I think they're more athletic on defense than they've been in the past," Mumford said.

Southeast, picked in the preseason poll to repeat its seventh-place league finish of a year ago, is 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the OVC. The Indians are coming off a dominating 41-14 win over hapless Tennessee-Martin.

The Indians rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense and allowed only 139 yards.

"I was pleased with the way we played, but Eastern Illinois is certainly a different animal than Tennessee-Martin," said Mumford.

Southeast will likely be without its leading rusher, tailback Corey Williams. The senior, who has 340 yards and an OVC-best nine touchdowns, suffered a dislocated elbow late against UT-Martin.

SEMO at Eastern Illinois

When: Today, 1:30 p.m.

Where: O'Brien Stadium, Charleston, Ill.

Records: SEMO 2-2, 1-1 OVC; EKU 3-1, 1-0 OVC

1997 records: SEMO 4-7; EIU 8-3

Last Week: SEMO beat Tennessee-Martin 41-14; EIU beat Tennessee Tech 13-6

Coaches: John Mumford (SEMO) 36-56, 9th year; Bob Spoo (EIU) 71-57-1, 12th year

Series record: EIU leads 3-2

Last meeting: EIU won 32-7 in 1997

Radio: K103-FM

SEMO at Eastern Illinois

Probable Starters

SEMO Offense

TE - Mitch Fryer 6-2 240 Sr.

LT - Ian Walters 6-3 280 Jr.

LG - James Williams 6-2 275 Sr.

C - Chris Kiefer 6-3 270 Jr.

RG - Jessie Eaton 6-3 320 Sr.

RT - Carlos DeJesus 6-3 300 Sr.

WR - Corey Chester 5-11 175 So.

WR - Dante Bryant 6-1 190 Sr.

QB - Kevin Seto 6-4 210 Jr.

FB - Broderick Benson 5-10 215 Jr.

TB - K.D. Koleosho 5-10 195 Jr.

PK - Nick Reggio 5-10 175 Jr.

SEMO Defense

DL - Troy Baglio 6-1 280 Sr.

DL - Marcus McClellan 6-3 250 Sr.

DL - Jason DeWolf 6-3 250 Fr.

DL - Brad Richardson 6-2 255 Jr.

LB - Gabe Jenkins 6-0 230 Sr.

LB - David Bowling 6-0 210 Jr.

LB - Kevin Meachem 6-2 215 Sr.

CB - Fred Hambrick 5-10 185 Sr.

CB - Brian Hinton 5-10 180 Jr.

FS - Isaac Powell 6-1 180 So.

SS - John Smith 6-1 190 Jr.

P - Justin Keen 6-5 180 Fr.

EIU Defense

DL - Ryan Pacer 6-4 239 Jr.

DL - Reggie Scott 6-2 271 Jr.

DL - Andy Lee 6-2 231 So.

DL - Mike Carlin 6-2 233 So.

LB - Lance Lohrenz 6-1 233 Sr.

LB - Tony Magliocco 6-0 230 Jr.

LB - Brian Jones 5-11 218 So.

CB - Steffan Nicholson 6-1 182 Jr.

CB - Chris Watson 6-1 190 Sr.

FS - Jay Grodecki 6-1 189 Jr.

SS - Antwan Perry 5-9 192 Sr.

P - Bill Besenhofer 5-10 175 Fr.

EIU Offense

TE - Seth Willingham 6-4 269 Jr.

LT - Jerrell Smith 6-3 285 Jr.

LG - Steve Marinkowski 6-6 290 Jr.

C - Matt Gehrig 6-3 285 So.

RG - Ryan Shutt 6-5 305 Sr.

RT - Tim Waskow 6-5 294 Jr.

WR - Phillip Taylor 6-0 173 Jr.

WR - Frank Cutolo 5-10 175 Fr.

QB - Anthony Buich 6-1 213 So.

FB - Bob Koziel 6-0 260 Sr.

TB - Justin Lynch 6-1 205 Sr.

K - Chad Larner 5-10 209 Jr.