INDIANS TAKE A FRESH APPROACH; SOUTHEST NAS NEW HEAD COACH, ATTITUDE

There is a virtually brand-new coaching staff, directed by head man Tim Billings, who was a part of the nation's winningest college football program of the 1990s at Marshall.

There is a brand-new FieldTurf artificial playing surface at Houck Stadium.

There is also apparently a brand-new attitude.

But will there be a new and improved record for Southeast Missouri State University's Indians in 2000?

That remains to be seen, and Billings isn't about to predict it. But he certainly expects to put a competitive squad on the field as he attempts to turn around Southeast's struggling fortunes on the gridiron.

Billings' first Southeast team will receive a baptism under fire today when the Indians visit his former squad, Marshall. The Thundering Herd are coming off a 13-0 season that ended with them being ranked as the nation's 10th-best NCAA Division I-A squad. Marshall's current 17-game winning streak is the nation's longest.

That rugged opener is just the start of a difficult schedule for the Indians, who visit national I-AA power Illinois State the following week and also face Southern Illinois and Southwest Missouri State in addition to the seven-game Ohio Valley Conference slate.

Will the Indians, who went 3-8 last season and are just 13-31 over the past four years, be up to the challenge? Only time will tell, but Billings is anxious to find out.

"We're ready to go," he said. "We know not very many people are expecting us to do well this year. But I feel like we have the opportunity to be very competitive, and our players feel that way.

"The big thing is, we have to teach our players how to win and how not to lose. We gave a lot of games away last year because of mistakes: interceptions, fumbles, blocked punts. We have to cut down on those mistakes in order to give us a chance to win."

Southeast has had roughly three weeks of full-squad practices leading up to the season opener -- including about two weeks of grueling two-a-days -- and Billings believes the Indians have come a long way since spring drills.

"I feel like we have really improved as a football team and everybody has done what we've asked them to do. The attitude has been great," he said. "We still have a long way to go to get where we want to be, but I feel like we're where we should be right now."

Offensively, the Indians will unveil a one-back, no-huddle offense that is being referred to as "basketball on grass" and is designed to spread out the defense and dictate the tempo of the game. At times Southeast will send five wide receivers out, at other times only one. But at all times, the Indians should be unpredictable.

Last year, Southeast scored just 108 points in the first seven games. Then the exciting Rashad West took over at quarterback and the Indians exploded for 137 points in the final four games, three of them victories.

West, a junior, returns to lead an offensive unit that retains six starters and appears to be relatively deep and talented at running back and receiver, with the line being a major question mark in Billings' mind. Last year's top two rushers and four of the five leading receivers return.

"I feel we have the chance to be a good football team offensively, if we can develop our offensive line," Billings said. "Rashad West is an exceptional player. He can run and throw. And we've got two good quarterbacks behind him. I feel like we're good and solid at running back and wide receiver. Our offensive line is young and has to get bigger and stronger. I feel like we've gotten better there and the guys are working hard, but we still have a ways to go."

Defensively, only four starters return, and seven of last year's top eight tacklers are gone. In an effort to get as much speed on the field as possible, quite a few players have changed positions. The linebackers are completely new, but fast, and there isn't much depth up front. The secondary returns by far the most experience on that side of the ball.

"We've tried to put more speed on the field. I think by moving some players around, we've improved ourselves, and our new players have improved us," said Billings of his defense. "Linebackers are a question, but I feel good about them. We'll be exceptionally fast there. I'm worried about our depth up front. We should be good and solid in the secondary."

Special teams -- both kicking and punting -- were a major weakness for the Indians last year, but Billings believes that area has been significantly upgraded.

"We're greatly improved in the kicking game," he said. "That was a concern originally, but I feel like we've really gotten better there."

Billings knows the Indians will have to be improved in virtually every area from last season in order to compete against such a rugged schedule.

In addition to I-A power Marshall, three opponents are ranked in the top 25 of The Sports Network preseason I-AA poll: No. 6 Illinois State, No. 19 Tennessee State and No. 20 Eastern Kentucky. In addition, Murray State, Western Kentucky and Eastern Illinois all received votes in the I-AA poll.

"Our schedule is really, really tough," Billings said. "We'll be playing a very good opponent just about every week."

The Indians have been picked to finish seventh in the eight-team OVC according to a poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. That doesn't surprise Billings, but he also doesn't have to like it.

"I expected it. We're picked there for a reason. We went 3-8 last year and I couldn't see them picking us any place else," he said. "Our goal is to prove that we're better than everybody thinks we are."

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE INDIANS

FOUNDED: 1873

ENROLLMENT: 8,863

LOCATED: Cape Girardeau, Mo.

COACH: Tim Billings, first year (0-0 overall and at SEMO)

1999 RECORD: 3-8 (2-5 in Ohio Valley Conference, tied for sixth)

STADIUM: Houck Stadium (10,000)

RETURNING STARTERS: 6 offensive, 4 defensive, kicker

KEY RETURNERS: QB Rashad West, jr; WR/KR Leslie Weaver, sr; WR/KR Corey Chester, sr; DT James Jennette, so; DB Isaac Powell, sr.

KEY RECRUITS: OL Mike Green, jr; WR Tarik Simpson, so; DT Jermaine Motley, so; LB Corey Mathis, jr; K/P Jason Witczak, jr.

KEY DEPARTURES: TE John Borne, LB Jeremy Atwell, LB Donovan LaViness, DB Brian Hinton.

COACHSPEAK: "We know not very many people are expecting us to do well this year. But I feel like we have the opportunity to be very competitive, and our players feel that way...The big thing is, we have to teach our players how to win and how not to lose. We gave a lot of games away last year because of mistakes: interceptions, fumbles, blocked punts. We have to cut down on those mistakes in order to give us a chance to win."