SE HEADS WEST BY SOUTHWEST

Elation and relief oozed all over the Houck Stadium field Saturday afternoon as the final horn sounded.

Southeast Missouri State University's football team had finally tasted victory again. And how sweet it was.

The Indians stunned Southwest Missouri State 28-23 in front of 3,652 fans to end a school-record-tying 12-game losing streak dating back to last season.

Southeast of the Ohio Valley Conference improved to 1-7 while the Bears of the Gateway Conference fell to 3-4.

"It's been rough, but I'm just so happy for our kids, particularly the seniors," said Southeast coach John Mumford. "I've said all along that this is a good group of kids and they never give up.

"We may not be the most talented team, but we've had the heart and the fight all year. It's just a matter of being consistent."

Brian Hinton, who put the finishing touches on the win by intercepting a SMS desperation bomb to end the game, said he was both relieved and excited.

"It feels great," said a smiling Hinton, who picked off two passes Saturday, giving him four interceptions this season. "This is a real big burden off our shoulders."

Said defensive lineman Brad Richardson, "It feels great. This team has never quit all year and we showed that today."

The Indians needed all the heart they could muster after the Bears grabbed a 9-0 lead on a field goal and touchdown in the opening moments of the second quarter.

But sparked by a big-time performance off the bench from quarterback Rashad West, the Indians were able to rally.

Trailing 16-7 in the second period, the Indians closed to within 16-14 at halftime, scored twice in the third quarter to lead 28-16 and then held off the Bears down the stretch.

"We moved the ball well and our defense really turned it on at the end," Mumford said. "Both sides complemented each other well today and that's what it takes."

West, showing exceptional scrambling ability and a strong, accurate arm, accounted for 270 yards of offense.

A sophomore, West ran for 97 yards on 20 carries. He also ran for a touchdown and completed 12 of 16 passes for 173 yards and two TDs.

"Rashad had a tremendous game," said Mumford. "He can make some plays when it looks like nothing is there."

Said West, "I was just glad to help us get the first win. It feels real good. There's no quit in anybody on this team. Coach won't let us quit."

K.D. Koleosho rushed for 71 yards on 15 carries as the Indians piled up 201 yards on the ground. Starting quarterback Bobby Brune completed five of nine passes for 54 yards as Southeast had 227 yards through the air for an impressive total offense figure of 428 yards.

"It was our most consistent game offensively," Mumford said.

Tight end John Borne led the receivers with five catches for 81 yards. Jerl Huling and Andy Dunaway each had three receptions.

Defensively, the Indians limited the Bears to just 77 yards on the ground. Quarterback Jay Rodgers threw for 256 yards but had three passes intercepted.

Trailing 9-0 early in the second quarter, West immediately got the Indians going, leading an 85-yard drive that featured his two key third-down runs that netted first downs. West then scored on a 15-yard run around the right side with 6:29 left in the half and the first of four Seth Carriere conversion kicks pulled the Indians to within 9-7.

Donte King regained the momentum for the Bears when he returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards to the Southeast 6-yard line, from where the Bears scored to go up 16-7.

But West directed an 81-yard drive that featured his unbelievable scramble on third down that netted a first and goal at the two. Koleosho scored on the next play with 2:06 left to make it 16-14.

The Indians continued to surge in the third quarter. West's 21-yard TD pass to Borne capped a 69-yard drive and put Southeast ahead for good at 21-16 less than five minutes into the period.

In the closing seconds of the third quarter, Andre Clarke intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards to the SMS 12. After a holding penalty moved the Indians back some, West hit Huling with a 22-yard TD strike on the final play of the period, making it 28-16.

SMS pulled to within 28-23 with 8:21 left and the Bears appeared ready to regain possession in good field position when the Indians faced third-and-10 from their own 20.

But West again worked his magic, going 10 yards and gaining a first down on a quarterback draw. The Indians went on to drive inside the SMS 35 and bleed more than five minutes off the clock.

After a punt, the Bears took over on their 20 with 2:45 left. Rodgers led SMS to inside the Southeast 40 but Hinton came up with a huge interception with 56 seconds left.

Southeast ran most of the time off the clock before punting, leaving the Bears with just 4.5 seconds left to travel 83 yards. Hinton then intercepted Rodgers' desperation heave to set off the Indians' victory celebration.