SE OFFENSE SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE AGAINST OVC's TOP DEFENSE

Although it came in a losing effort, Southeast Missouri State University's much-maligned offense got its act together Saturday and -- thanks to one amazing drive -- nearly helped the Indians upend Tennessee Tech.

After struggling through a horrible performance during last week's 32-7 loss to Eastern Illinois, the Indians' offense bounced back with arguably its best performance of the season considering the quality of the opposition.

The Indians gained only 144 yards against Eastern Illinois -- and half that total came on the game's final two drives, when the contest was already a blowout.

But Saturday, facing the OVC's top-ranked defense, the Indians' offense had a solid performance with 295 total yards, including 200 in the second half. Southeast rushed for 167 yards. Tech entered the contest allowing an average of only 64 yards rushing and 229 total yards per game.

"I thought our offense came back with a strong performance," said Southeast coach John Mumford.

An 88-yard scoring drive that covered 18 plays and took 7:25 off the clock gave the Indians a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. But Tech used a late blocked punt to escape with a 17-14 victory.

Quarterback Justin Martini bounced back from a dismal performance against Eastern Illinois to have a solid game. He completed 12 of 23 passes for 128 yards and a 24-yard TD toss to Dante Bryant.

Bryant had five receptions for 76 yards while tight end Mitch Fryer added four receptions for 31 yards.

Aaron Layne led the running game that benefited from continued improved offensive line play. Layne rushed for 99 yards on 23 carries and scored on a 3-yard run.

Layne, a transfer from Virginia Tech, came to Southeast as a defensive back before being moved to tailback late during fall drills. Entering Saturday's game, he had rushed for 56 yards on just 14 carries, with a 20-yard TD run during a blowout win over Tennessee-Martin.

"Aaron had a good game," said Mumford. "We've got some good running backs. Aaron has the ability to kind of read things. He ran well."

* With Southeast's offense struggling in the second quarter, second-team quarterback Jeff Shaw played on two consecutive series and helped the Indians move the ball fairly well with his running ability.

Utilizing quite a bit of option, Shaw gained 23 yards on seven attempts. He did not attempt a pass.

Late in the game, when the Indians were trying to run some time off the clock, Shaw returned to the field and gained nine yards to pick up a key first down with under four minutes left. But the Indians could not get another first down, which led to them punting and Tech's big block.

"I liked what I saw out of Jeff," Mumford said. "He gives us a different look with his running."

* According to unofficial pressbox statistics, linebacker Zuri Buchanan led the Indians in tackles with 11. Linebacker Chris Justice followed with eight.