SE FOOTBALL TEAM TO TAKE ON MARSHALL NEXT YEAR

When Southeast Missouri State University's football team kicks off the 2000 season, new head coach Tim Billings will be competing against his old school.

The Indians' 2000 schedule was released Wednesday and the opener will be Sept. 2 at Marshall, which was the nation's winningest college football program in the 1990s.

Billings served as a Marshall assistant coach for 10 seasons before being named Southeast's head coach in December.

With Billings on staff, the Thundering Herd went 114-25 during the 1990s. Billings was Marshall's defensive coordinator last season as the Thundering Herd went 13-0 and beat BYU in the Motor City Bowl.

The Southeast vs. Marshall game will be played at the Thundering Herd's 38,000 seat stadium in Huntington, W.V. The contest will be regionally televised in the West Virginia area and will possibly be televised in Southeast Missouri.

"The opportunity to play Marshall just came up and we were able to work out a very favorable contract that will pit us against one of the top teams in Division I-A," said Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman.

In order to play Marshall, Kaverman said Southeast had to drop its previously scheduled home game with Truman State, meaning the Indians will have only four home games as opposed to seven road contests in 2000.

"We are committed to having at least five home games every year in the future and we are committed to playing at least one I-A opponent per year," Kaverman said.

Kaverman said that, in hopes of improving attendance, all Southeast home games will start at 6 p.m. except for the homecoming contest that will begin at 1 p.m.

After facing Marshall, which finished last season ranked 10th nationally, Southeast will play at regional rival Southern Illinois Sept. 9 before opening the home season against defending Gateway Conference champion Illinois State Sept. 16.

Other home games for the Indians will be Sept. 23 against Western Kentucky in the annual Family Weekend contest; Oct. 21 against Murray State; and Oct. 28 against Tennessee-Martin in the homecoming game.

In addition to Marshall, SIU and Illinois State, Southeast's other non-Ohio Valley Conference game will be Nov. 11 at Southwest Missouri.

SEMO Football 2000 Schedule

(Home games in capital letters)

Sept. 2 -- at Marshall, TBA

Sept. 9 -- at Southern Illinois, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 -- ILLINOIS STATE, 6 p.m.

Sept. 23 -- WESTERN KENTUCKY, 6 p.m.

Sept. 30 -- at Eastern Kentucky, TBA

Oct. 7 -- at Tennessee Tech, TBA

Oct. 21 -- MURRAY STATE, 6 p.m.

Oct. 28 -- TENNESSEE-MARTIN, 1 p.m.

Nov. 4 -- at Eastern Illinois, TBA

Nov. 11 -- at Southwest Missouri, 1 p.m.

Nov. 18 -- at Tennessee State, TBA