SE seeks to break Skyhawks' bone, limit their options

Tennessee-Martin won't be the best football team Southeast Missouri State University has played so far -- not even close -- but the Skyhawks will definitely be a much different type of opponent the Indians have faced, at least from an offensive standpoint.

The Skyhawks, who will bring a 1-3 record to Houck Stadium for Saturday's 6 p.m. Family Weekend contest, utilize an option attack that features a true wishbone look, with two halfbacks and a fullback lined up behind the quarterback.

"They're a different kind of team than what we've played so far, so that always concerns you," said Southeast coach Tim Billings. "We don't see that during the season so it's always a challenge to prepare for."

According to Billings, the Skyhawks' goal is to methodically chew up yardage and use up as much of the clock as possible.

"They're a four down, three yards at a time team," he said. "Their goal is to keep your offense off the field. They like to eat up the clock, then your offense has a tendency to press because you're not getting the ball very much.

"We just can't make any mistakes defensively."

Southeast, which is 2-3, has won four straight against UTM. The average score of those contests has been 38-10.

Both teams are 0-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Southeast lost to 22nd-ranked Tennessee State 20-14 last Saturday while UTM was blistered 42-10 at home by Eastern Kentucky.

Statistically speaking

Several Southeast players continue to rank high nationally on the Division I-AA level.

Wide receiver Willie Ponder is third in receiving yards, eighth in receptions, 14th in all-purpose running and 18th in scoring. Ponder has 36 receptions for 694 yards and eight touchdowns. He averages 164 all-purpose yards per game.

Tailback Curtis Cooper is fifth in all-purpose running and 17th in rushing. He has rushed for 582 yards on 108 carries and averages 208.6 all-purpose yards per game.

In OVC circles, Cooper is first in all-purpose running and second in rushing while Ponder is first in receptions and receiving yards and second in scoring.

Quarterback Jeromy McDowell, who has passed for 1,155 yards despite missing major parts of two games with a knee injury, is second in the OVC in total offense. He has thrown for the most yardage in the league.

Wide receiver Adrian Sanders, who has caught 26 passes for 431 yards, ranks second behind Ponder in receptions and receiving yards. Cooper, who has caught 25 passes, is third in receptions.

As a team, the Indians are eighth nationally in passing offense and 16th in total offense with 305.8 and 422.4 yards per game, respectively. They lead the OVC in both departments.

Defensively, the Indians feature the conference's top two tacklers in safety Prince Anderson and Ricky Farmer, who have 68 and 60 stops, respectively. Safety Leotis Belcher is fourth with 50.

Tackle James Jennette is tied for the OVC lead in both quarterback sacks with four and tackles for loss with eight.

Also, punter Kyle East's 42.4-yard average would rank eighth nationally and lead the OVC if he had enough attempts to qualify. But, because Southeast's offense has moved the ball so well, East is averaging just three punts per game, which falls short of the 3.6 minimum required by the NCAA to be ranked.

EIU starts strong

Eastern Illinois, which is the OVC's highest-ranked team nationally at No. 6, has so far lived up to its billing as the conference's heavy preseason favorite.

The Panthers (3-0, 2-0) have already knocked off two of the other squads thought to be among the league's top contenders. They won 21-17 at Eastern Kentucky and 44-33 at home against Tennessee Tech.

Eastern Illinois, however, will have to pull off a big upset Saturday in order to keep its overall record perfect. The Panthers venture outside the conference to visit I-A San Diego State.