Misery, frustration - Indians look for better emotion

Southeast has more experience than last year's 4-7 team

By Marty Mishow

Southeast Missourian

Tim Billings said he was miserable during the 2000 season, his first as Southeast Missouri State University's head football coach. The outmanned Indians faltered in most games and limped to a 3-8 record.

Last year, in Billings' second season at Southeast, he said he was frustrated. The Indians lost several close games --they were within an eyelash of a 6-0 start -- and went 4-7.

As Billings prepares for his third season in charge of trying to turn around a struggling program, the questions beg to be asked. Will the former Marshall assistant finally feel elation? Or will there be more frustration?

Billings is confident fans will see a much improved team in virtually every area.

"I don't know what anybody else in the OVC has. I can't control what anybody else we play has," Billings said. "I just know what our football team has, and I know we're a hell of a lot better football team than we've been the last two years.

"The first year I was miserable. Last year I was frustrated. This year I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. I just hope it's not another train coming at me."

Still young but experienced

Southeast is still a young team, with only 11 seniors and six senior starters.

But Billings says the Indians are no longer glaringly inexperienced, which was the case during his first two years when Southeast was forced to start a host of true freshmen.

Seventeen starters return, and, although 10 of those are sophomores, Billings hopes the experience they gained last year will pay dividends this season.

"We're still young, but we've got a lot more experience than we've had," he said. "Last year we started a bunch of true freshmen. They were forced to grow up in a hurry. We don't have to throw a lot of freshmen on the field right away any more."

Offensively, the Indians appear to have quite a few playmakers, led by All-American receiver Willie Ponder and quarterback Jeromy McDowell, although they must replace 1,000-yard rusher Curtis Cooper. The line, which featured several true freshmen starters last year, matured quickly, and Billings now regards that unit as the strength of the team.

Still, Billings said Southeast has to be able to convert on more of its scoring opportunities. Even though the Indians set a school record for total offense last year with nearly 405 yards per game, their 279 points for the season didn't reflect the way they were able to move the ball.

"We have to capitalize and execute better in the red zone," Billings said.

Defensively, the Indians improved last season, but Billings knows they still have a long way to go. Southeast allowed 393 yards per game a year ago, still a high total but down from the 444 yards per game allowed in Billings' first season. And the Indians slashed their total points allowed from 403 two years ago to 281 last season.

"Our defense got better last year, but we've still got a lot of improvement to make," he said. "I was encouraged by what I saw in practices and scrimmages. I think our defense is going to be a lot better."

Again picked to finish low

Southeast has again been picked to finish sixth in the seven-team Ohio Valley Conference, but that should come as no surprise. The Indians have wound up next to last in the conference every year since 1996. They have not had a winning season since 1994 and have not won more than four games in a season since 1995.

In addition to a tough conference schedule, the Indians play two I-A opponents in Middle Tennessee and Eastern Michigan, along with an improving Southwest Missouri team and a Samford squad that showed up in one preseason poll. Southeast's other non-conference game is against Southern Illinois.

So, can the Indians finally end their drought and break through with a successful season?

"I just know we're a lot better football team this year," he said. "I can't say how many wins that's going to get us, but I think we're going to put a good product on the field."

mmishow@semissourian.com

(573) 335-6611, extension 132