MUMFORD HOPES INDIAN OFFENSE, DEFENSE REMAIN UNITED

If Southeast Missouri State University's winless football team hopes to salvage anything out of this so-far dismal season, coach John Mumford realizes the Indians must remain united.

That's why Mumford is trying to guard against any kind of division that could potentially form between a defense that has come on strong in recent weeks and an offense that has floundered for most of the year.

Speaking at his weekly media conference Monday, Mumford said, "I'm worried about that. I hope we don't get a split in our team, because I've singled out our offense lately and I think our defense has really played well the last few weeks.

"Both units have to complement each other in order to be successful."

Southeast's offense, which gained just 178 yards in Saturday's 21-7 homecoming loss to Tennessee Tech, ranks at or near the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference in virtually every major category.

The Indians are last in the OVC in rushing offense (99.7 yards per game), next-to-last in passing offense (164.8 yards per game), last in total offense (264.5 yards per game) and next-to-last in scoring (15.8 points per game).

Defensively, Southeast has been solid the past three weeks. While overall their defense has not been overwhelming this season, the Indians do rank fourth in the eight-team OVC in total defense, allowing an average of 362.5 yards per game.

In an effort to generate more offense, Mumford said he will simplify things a bit for the rest of the season, beginning with Saturday's non-conference game at Indiana State.

"I think we just have too much (offense) in and we have to pare it down," he said. "He have to go in with a simpler package, execute better and be consistent throughout the game."

The Indians, 0-6 overall and 0-4 in OVC play, have lost 11 straight games dating back to last season. The school record for most consecutive defeats is 12, set during the 1983 and 1984 seasons.

* Indiana State is also winless, at 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the Gateway Conference.

But that record is misleading. The Sycamores began the season with lopsided losses to Division I-A teams, falling at Iowa State 33-7 and Oklahoma 49-0.

Since then, the Sycamores have lost three tight games to nationally-ranked I-AA squads, losing at Eastern Kentucky 31-24, at home against Youngstown State 31-28 and at Illinois State 20-17.

"They're a tough team, very good defensively," Mumford said. "Offensively, they run the option, a lot like Western Kentucky, but they spread the field more than Western Kentucky."

* On the injury front, placekicker Nick Reggio, who has missed the past several games with a back injury, will be out for the rest of the season.

Mumford said Reggio has a redshirt year left so there is a good chance he can return as the Indians' kicker next season.

* Southeast boasts four of the top 12 tacklers in the OVC.

Linebacker Jeremy Atwell is tied for first in the OVC with 66 tackles and he leads the league in tackles for loss with 14.

Safety Isaac Powell is fifth in tackles with 62, linebacker Donovan LaViness is tied for 10th with 52 and linebacker David Bowling is 12th with 50.

LaViness is tied for sixth in the OVC in tackles for loss with eight while Powell is tied for sixth in interceptions with two.

Other Indians who rank high in OVC statistics are Brian Hinton, third in kickoff returns with an average of 24.7 yards (he ranks 26th nationally); and Seth Carriere, third in punting with a 39.7-yard average.

* Wide receiver Leslie Weaver continues to lead the Indians in catches, with 23 for 276 yards.

Tailback Riki Smith has regained the team rushing lead with 205 yards. He's averaging 3.7 yards per carry.