Samuel releases Southeast Missouri State football team's tentative starters for opener

Up to 10 Southeast Missouri State football players could receive their first starts as Redhawks on Saturday.

Southeast coach Tony Samuel revealed his updated depth chart Monday in advance of the 6 p.m. season opener against Southern Illinois at Houck Stadium.

While things could change between now and then, the current depth chart likely will resemble the lineup that takes the field Saturday.

"They've been practicing well and practicing hard," Samuel said. "We've got a major week in front of us."

The projected first-time starters represent a mix of returning squad members and junior college transfers.

Junior Colt McCauley will open at left tackle. He has shuffled between the offensive and defensive lines during his first two years in the program while seeing limited action.

Juco transfer Pete Niggemann is at right guard.

The other first-time offensive starters are redshirt freshman Lennies McFerren at tailback, redshirt freshman Ron Coleman at fullback and juco transfer Tyler French at tight end.

Samuel said several running backs will see action Saturday, including juniors Renard Celestin and Levi Terrell at tailback and sophomore Josh Nicks at fullback.

"In a perfect world we'd play five running backs -- three tailbacks and two fullbacks," Samuel said. "I feel like we've got three running backs from the tailback spot that have really come on."

Samuel said both Coleman and Nicks had strong camps.

Redshirt freshman Spencer Davis could receive his first start at one of the receiver positions. Senior Aaron King, who made two starts in 2009 and came off the bench last year, also is penciled in at receiver.

Davis, who was projected to handle the kickoff and punt returns in 2010 before missing the season with a knee injury, will assume that role this year.

"He's had a very good camp," Samuel said.

All-Ohio Valley Conference left tackle Evan Conrad, the lone returning starter on the line, sophomore right tackle Dominic Maldonado and junior center Matt Shannon round out the starting offensive line.

Maldonado missed last year with an injury but made four starts in 2009. Shannon missed much of the past three seasons with injury but made two starts in 2008 before going down.

All-OVC senior Matt Scheible will make his 25th consecutive start at quarterback -- he took every snap last year -- and he'll have a familiar target in senior Chantae Ahamefule, last year's leading receiver.

There will be four first-time defensive starters, including sophomore nose tackle Frankie Davis, who saw considerable action a year ago, and juco transfer Taylor Ramsey at the other tackle spot.

Senior Kweku Arkorful and sophomore Bradley Montgomery are penciled in at cornerback. Arkorful received extensive playing time in 2010 while Montgomery had to sit out as a transfer from Jackson State.

The rest of the first-unit defense features plenty of experience.

Senior Steve Hendry and junior Justin Love return at end, senior Philip Klaproth, junior Darrick Borum and junior Blake Peiffer all received starting time at linebacker last year, and junior free safety Tylor Brock is an All-American and all-OVC performer.

The strong safety is senior Bryan Blanfort, who missed all of last year with an injury but was among the Redhawks' top defensive performers in 2009.

"Now it's a matter of seeing how they get out there and perform under the lights," Samuel said. "It's the same old stuff. The size of the field doesn't change [from practices and scrimmage to games]. Emotions do."

Southeast could start as few as six seniors Saturday after starting as many as 15 seniors at times last year.

But Samuel said the Redhawks are more experienced than they might appear, especially since several players who were injured last season have been starters in the past.

Freshmen in mix

Many of Southeast's true freshmen under Samuel have redshirted, but several see action each year, particularly on special teams.

Samuel said that likely will be the case this season, although he stopped short of saying who the freshmen contributors might be.

"We'd love to redshirt all of them. We just can't," Samuel said. "We like to play a lot of people. Guys are going to have to step in and play."

Several true freshmen appear on the depth chart, including two Sikeston High School products.

Corey Porter is listed as the No. 2 right guard and No. 3 center.

"We always thought he was a great athlete," Samuel said. "He's very intelligent."

Quarterback Trey Lewis is listed as the No. 2 quarterback. He and redshirt freshman Tyler Peoples, last year's backup although he did not get in a game, have waged a tight battle during preseason practice.

"Trey's had a very good camp. He's picked up an awful lot of things," Samuel said. "We're going to go with Scheible and see how that [the backup situation] develops."

Defensively, Joey Lohmann and George Neuhaus are No. 2 at two of the linebacker positions, while Tim Hamm-Bey is No. 2 at one of the cornerback spots.