Schedule begins to ease down the stretch for 1-6 Redhawks

The young and inexperienced Southeast Missouri State football team is making no excuses for its 1-6 overall record and 1-3 Ohio Valley Conference mark.

Southeast has really only been close to winning one game -- and that's the contest it did win, 37-34 in triple overtime over Murray State. The six losses have all been by at least 10 points.

But maybe the Redhawks can garner some hope from the fact that, just over halfway through their season overall and at exactly the halfway point of their OVC slate, their schedule does appear to lighten up the rest of the way.

To say the Redhawks' schedule has been a bear so far would be an understatement.

Southeast's first four OVC opponents -- second-ranked Eastern Illinois, 21st-ranked Tennessee State, Murray State and Tennessee-Martin -- have a combined conference record of 12-3.

Eastern Illinois (6-1, 3-0) and Tennessee State (7-1, 4-0) are the only OVC teams without a league loss.

Murray State (5-3, 3-1) suffered its only OVC defeat at the hands of the Redhawks two weeks ago. Tennessee-Martin (4-3, 2-2) also has an overall winning record.

"We've had a tough schedule, but our biggest challenge right now is us," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said during his weekly media conference Monday. "Making sure, one, we keep our heads about us, two, that we continue to practice and finish the way we want to practice and go into the game with a right frame of mind to win a football game."

The Redhawks also have lost to Southeastern Louisiana (5-2, 2-0 Southland Conference), FBS program Mississippi (4-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) and SIU (4-4, 2-2 Missouri Valley Conference) -- three of Southeast's toughest opponents on the schedule.

Add in the fact only two of Southeast's first seven games were at home and it made for a daunting task, although junior wide receiver Spencer Davis said that's no excuse.

"We feel like if we play our game, we can compete with anybody," Davis said after Saturday's 55-33 loss at Eastern Illinois.

Southeast finishes with three of its final five games at home, including three straight Houck Stadium dates beginning Saturday when Eastern Kentucky visits for a 1 p.m. homecoming kickoff.

"It's good right now," Samuel said of getting to play at home again. "We've been doing an awful lot of traveling. Sometimes you just want to get up in your own bed and go play a game."

Southeast's final four OVC opponents have a combined conference record of 3-10.

After facing Eastern Kentucky (4-3, 2-1), the Redhawks host Division II Urbana University from Ohio (5-2) and Tennessee Tech (3-5, 0-4) before ending the year with road dates at Austin Peay (0-7, 0-3) and Jacksonville State (5-2, 1-2).

But, while the Redhawks' schedule might start easing up, they certainly won't be getting a breather this week.

Perennial OVC power Eastern Kentucky was picked second in the league's preseason poll and is still in the running for the championship with only one conference loss.

The Colonels have owned Southeast over the years, leading the all-time series 20-3 and winning eight of the past nine meetings. They routed the Redhawks 31-7 last year at Houck Stadium and are 10-1 against Southeast in Cape Girardeau.

"They always do," Samuel said when asked if he thought the Colonels ranked with the OVC's other top squads. "I'm sure they're thinking they're still in the [OVC title] hunt, as well they should think."

Noteworthy

* Davis, who returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against Eastern Illinois, and junior Justin Elias, who returned a blocked punt 29 yards for a score, have been named the national kick returner of the week and national punt returner of the week by the College Football Performance Awards.

* Davis vaulted to the top of the OVC in kickoff return average at 23.3 yards.

* Southeast leads the league and ranks third nationally in fewest yards penalized per game (32.71).

* Saturday's matchup with Eastern Kentucky is the OVC game of the week and will be televised live by ESPN3, which is available online.