Loss to Samford raises a red flag on Indians' goals

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- For Southeast Missouri State University football fans who entered the season dreaming of the program's first Ohio Valley Conference title and Division I-AA playoff berth, it's now officially time to push the panic button following Saturday's dismal 41-31 loss at Samford.

And as the defeats continue piling up for the 0-5 Indians, it's got to make Southeast supporters wonder if last year's success was just an aberration and if the Indians are headed back to their recent consistently subpar seasons of three or four wins.

It's one thing to lose at Ohio and Arkansas State. Even though those squads are far from the cream of the Division I-A crop, those defeats were expected. And Southeast's athletic department got a nice chunk of money for having the Indians take their lumps.

The loss at home to Southern Illinois, even though it was surprisingly lopsided, also seems a bit easier to explain now that the Salukis look like the real deal, although time will tell.

Even the home setback to Southwest Missouri, while disturbing, maybe wasn't all that bad because the Bears are from the powerful Gateway Conference, which won all eight meetings against the putrid OVC this year.

But losing to Samford, a squad picked to finish eighth in the nine-team OVC, a club Southeast hammered 48-24 last year? A bad sign to be sure.

Not to knock the Bulldogs, who are obviously greatly improved, but if the Indians -- the OVC preseason favorites who returned 19 starters from last year's breakthrough campaign -- can't beat them, then who exactly are they going to beat? Only hapless Tennessee-Martin was considered weaker than Samford entering the season.

Before Southeast fans go into a total panic, there are still seven contests left -- all of them conference affairs. And as bad as the OVC looks this year, there aren't any games the Indians shouldn't be capable of winning.

But after Saturday's performance, there doesn't appear to be many games the Indians aren't capable of losing as well.

Southern Illinois' football team is 4-0 and ranked 13th nationally, marking the Salukis' highest-ever rating since first appearing in a Division I-AA poll in 1986.

The Salukis trounced supposed OVC heavyweights Southeast and Murray State -- the wins that have caused their surprising rise up the rankings -- and also hammered a pair of overmatched Division II squads.

But now we'll begin to see if the fast-improving Salukis are truly for real as they begin play in the unbelievably tough Gateway Conference next weekend.

The bubble finally popped for Missouri's football team Saturday when the Tigers suffered their first loss, a surprisingly lopsided 35-14 defeat at unheralded Kansas.

So much for MU's much-anticipated showdown of unbeatens against Nebraska in Columbia on Oct. 11, but if the Tigers can beat the Cornhuskers it would at least get them back in serious contention for a bowl game.

A quick update on former Southeast football stars now playing professionally:

Willie Ponder, an All-American receiver for the Indians last year, is still with the New York Giants but has not yet played in a regular-season game.

Kelvin Anderson, Southeast's all-time rushing leader, appears headed for his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard season in the Canadian Football League. In his first year with the B.C. Lions after seven with the Calgary Stampeders, Anderson has 773 yards to rank fifth in the CFL.

Keiki Misipeka, a standout running back for the Indians last year, was recently released from the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos. He had been with their practice squad.

The college basketball season is still almost two months away, but several national publications have weighed in on their opinions regarding Southeast and the OVC -- and those magazines expect the Indians to be considerably improved.

Street & Smith's picks the Indians to finish third in the 11-team conference, with defending champion Austin Peay the favorite and Morehead State second. Street & Smith's also selects guard Derek Winans as first-team all-OVC.

Lindy's picks the Indians fourth and singles out two Southeast players, rating center Brandon Griffin the league's top rebounder and guard Brett Hall its best shooter. The magazine ranks Austin Peay, Murray State and Morehead State as the top three teams.

Athlon tabs the Indians for fifth place, with Austin Peay, Murray State, Morehead State and Tennessee-Martin filling the top four spots.

For you hoop fans counting the days, official practice begins Oct. 18, and the season will be here before you know it.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.