Ready for season No. 2

Tony Samuel's first Southeast Missouri State football team last year had plenty of experience but could not end the program's pattern of futility on the Division I-AA level.

Entering Samuel's second season as head coach of what he hopes will be a successful rebuilding project, Southeast's roster is filled with youth and inexperience.

But Samuel believes an infusion of talent -- albeit raw -- will give the 2007 Redhawks a fighting chance to break through.

"We have a lot of work to do, but I think we have a good chance if we continue to jell," Samuel said. "I know we'll be a much improved team, with better depth. We're a much more athletic team. I think we have a lot of talent.

"Are they ready to play and execute? That's the question we have to get answered."

Southeast Missouri State coach Tony Samuel instructed his players during a practice this fall. The former Nebraska and Purdue assistant and New Mexico State head coach heads into his second season with 58 of his 89 players as freshmen and sophomores. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

The answers will begin to come soon, as the Redhawks kick off the season tonight at Division I-A Cincinnati, followed by the Sept. 8 home opener against Division II Southwest Baptist.

After that, it will be nothing but fellow Division I-AA opponents for the Redhawks, including their seven-game Ohio Valley Conference schedule.

With 25 seniors last year -- many of them key players -- the Redhawks went 4-7 overall, including a 2-6 OVC mark that tied them for seventh place.

Now that the large group of seniors has moved on, Southeast's roster primarily consists of players recruited by the current coaching staff, although there are still a decent number who were on board when Samuel took over the program.

"I think our staff has done a great job of recruiting," Samuel said. "I think this year, having had a full year to recruit, our class is really good.

Fullback Clint Jones is one of Southeast Missouri State's returning skill players from last season. (Southeast Missourian file)

"I think we have been able to bring in quite a bit of talent. I feel good about our personnel. But we are very young. We have a lot of people who are inexperienced at this level."

Southeast's roster lists 89 players -- 59 of them having never played at a level above junior college. The Redhawks have only nine seniors, while there are a combined 58 freshmen and sophomores.

The Redhawks will begin the season with three full-time returning offensive starters in the lineup, along with three full-time returning defensive regulars, although several other players received significant action in 2006.

On offense, whoever plays quarterback will have not taken a snap at a level higher than junior college, while none of the wide receivers has caught a pass for Southeast.

But that unit does return its leading rusher the past two seasons (tailback Tim Holloman) and its top pass catcher from last year (fullback Clint Jones).

Defensively, the Redhawks lost seven of their top nine tacklers, including players who accounted for 21 of the unit's 23 sacks.

But the defense does return its top tackler (linebacker Adam Casper, who ranked second in the OVC in tackles per game) and No. 3 tackler (safety Kendall Magana).

"On both sides of the ball, we have some guys back, but we have a lot of new guys," Samuel said.

That blend of returnees and newcomers will attempt to post the program's third winning record since the university moved up from Division II in 1991.

During the ensuing 16 seasons, Southeast football has compiled an overall 62-117 mark, including 43-76 in OVC play.

Southeast's only winning Division I-AA seasons came in 2002 (8-4) and 1994 (7-5). There have been only two other years where Southeast won as many as five games, most recently in 2003.

The Redhawks have gone 14-31 the past four years, with last season's four victories the program's most since 2003.

But there does appear to be an opportunity for the 2007 Redhawks -- picked to finish eighth in the 10-team OVC as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors -- to claim their share of wins.

Six of Southeast's 11 opponents went a combined 11-55 last season, with none posting more than three victories.

That group consists of Southwest Baptist (1-10), Indiana State (1-10), Murray State (1-10), Missouri State (2-9), Austin Peay (3-8) and Samford (3-8).

And the Redhawks get four of those squads at home, playing only Missouri State and Samford away from Houck Stadium.

Southeast's other five opponents went 37-23 in 2006. That group features Cincinnati (8-5) -- which is paying the Redhawks $250,000 -- defending OVC co-champions Tennessee-Martin (9-3) and Eastern Illinois (8-5), along with Eastern Kentucky (6-5) and Jacksonville State (6-5).

The Redhawks play only Eastern Illinois and Jacksonville State at home.

Without analyzing specific opponents, Samuel said he likes the Redhawks' schedule, particularly since it features six home dates.

"I think it's a very friendly schedule," Samuel said.

Whether it's friendly enough to allow for a breakthrough season remains to be seen.