NEW SEASON, NEW START FOR INDIANS; FRESHMEN, NEWCOMERS REPORT TODAY

According to coach John Mumford, thoughts of last season have been wiped from the memory bank as Southeast Missouri State University's football Indians prepare for the start of 1997 fall workouts.

Things will begin happening around the Southeast camp today when freshmen and other newcomers report. The veterans will come in Saturday, with full-scale, two-a-day practices set to begin Monday.

The Indians, who went 3-8 overall last year and 3-5 (tie for sixth place) in the Ohio Valley Conference, will have an earlier start than usual this year.

Last season, the opener was not until Sept. 14. This year, the opener will be Aug. 30 when NAIA foe Lambuth comes to Houck Stadium for a Saturday night game.

Mumford, who will be counting heavily on numerous Division I-A and junior-college transfers this year, likes the early opener. And he also likes the fact the Indians will have an open date after the Lambuth game before hosting Illinois State on Sept. 13.

"With all the new guys we have this year, the early practices are more important than ever. That's why I like the schedule," said Mumford, entering his eighth season as the Indians' head coach. "It's going to be good to get them in here early, play one game, then have some time off before the next game."

And, figures Mumford, the sooner the better to wipe out the memory of last season, when the Indians struggled from start to finish.

"This is a new year. We're not even acknowledging last year," said Mumford in summing up the Indians' attitude for the '97 campaign.

In order to try and engineer a dramatic turnaround from last season, Mumford and his staff have brought in five transfers from NCAA Division I-A programs as well as a number of junior-college recruits.

Put that together with 12 returning starters plus the kicker and punter and Mumford believes the Indians have significantly upgraded their talent base. That's what it will take to be competitive in the Ohio Valley Conference and against most of the fellow I-AA teams on Southeast's schedule.

"I think we're a lot more talented than we were last year," Mumford said. "I think if we can keep the right guys healthy and protect the quarterback, we can do some things we didn't do last year. We'll make some noise."

According to Mumford, it all starts with the defense, which was solid last year but simply got worn down by an ineffective offense that never once in 11 games gained more yards than the opposition.

Up front, the Indians return preseason All-American Angel Rubio and fellow preseason All-OVC pick Troy Baglio. Several other veterans are also back while 320-pound transfer Curtis Holman will be eligible after sitting out last year. Southeast's defensive line has been rated tops in the OVC by the Sporting News.

"It all starts with defense and we've got two great players in Rubio and Baglio," said Mumford.

The linebackers were the hardest hit by graduation as virtually every spot is up for grabs. But this is also where the Indians have several key newcomers, led by Florida transfer Zuri Buchanan and Oklahoma transfer Chris Justice along with several juco recruits.

Several locals figure into the linebacking mix, with Gabe Jenkins (Cape Central), Terrance Sterling (Cape Central) and Steve Ledbetter (Charleston) all pushing for playing time.

Like the line, the secondary is also a veteran group, led by Ronnie Smith, Fred Hambrick and Willie Davis. Local product John Smith (Jackson) should be among others contending for spots.

"I feel confident that our defense will be strong," Mumford said. "Our question is at linebacker, but we have some very talented people coming in."

Offensively, Southeast's fans have had their eyes on Southern Mississippi transfer Heath Graham ever since he announced he was coming to Cape Girardeau. Graham passed for more than 4,000 yards as Southern Mississippi's starter for 2 1/2 seasons.

But Mumford has said that returning quarterback Justin Martini, who struggled behind a porous offensive line last year, has looked good and won't give up his job easily. Martini completed just 44 percent of his passes for 1,225 yards last year.

Britt Mirgaux (Scott City) returns as last year's leading rusher with 661 yards, but as a whole the Indians' running game struggled. Corey Williams, a juco All-American two years ago, is now healthy after missing last year with a knee injury. And Oklahoma transfer David Koleosho should add some spark.

Heading up the receiving corps is Dante Bryant, who caught 25 passes for 357 yards in '96. Among others back are Jeff Shaw, who had 18 receptions last year, and Diandrai Webb (Cape Central). Missouri transfer Leslie Weaver should add speed to the group while juco Marcus McKinley is also a big-play threat.

At tight end, All-OVC pick Mitch Fryer is back after catching 25 passes for 324 yards last year. John Borne added 15 receptions from that position.

Up front, several large juco recruits -- including 300-pounders Jessie Eaton and Carlos DeJesus -- are being counted on to improve things considerably. A number of veterans also return, including locals Chris Kiefer (Perryville) and Justin Landers (Sikeston), who will push for starting spots.

The kicking game returns both regulars, punter Justin Terrill and place-kicker Eric Warren (Perryville). Warren was 11 of 13 on field goals last year.