Season over for Collins

What Southeast Missouri State football coach Tim Billings had originally feared was confirmed over the weekend.

Austen Collins, a junior college transfer who Billings had hailed as perhaps the most talented running back at Southeast since he took over the program in 2000, will miss the rest of the season.

Collins suffered a knee injury on the second play from scrimmage during Thursday's 58-23 season-opening loss to Southern Illinois. It was thought at the time that he would likely not play again this year -- and that is the case. He is expected to undergo surgery later this week.

"I felt he could be a special player for us," Billings said Tuesday. "It's just a sad thing. He was not only a good football player, but such a quality kid.

"When I went to see him in the hospital [after the SIU game], the first thing he wanted to know was how Tim [Holloman] did, and how the other running backs did. That's the kind of person he is."

Billings said there is hope that Collins will be able to redshirt and preserve this year of eligibility, which would give him two more seasons at Southeast.

In the meantime, Billings said he still feels good about the Redhawks' running back situation. Holloman, a true freshman from Florida, rushed for a team-high 43 yards on seven carries against SIU.

"We think he's going to be a good player for us," Billings said. "Obviously we didn't expect to play him this much this early."

Also in the backfield mix are junior Elton Peterson, who saw limited action during his first two seasons at Southeast, and junior college transfer John Radney, who suffered a shoulder injury against SIU but is probable for Saturday's game at Division I-A Kent State.

"I still think we'll be in pretty good shape at running back," Billings said. "I still feel our stable of running backs is better than last year."

Another MAC opponent

Southeast is 0-6 vs. teams from the Division I-A Mid-American Conference since Billings took over the program in 2000, with all the contests being on the road.

The Redhawks nearly won two of those games, losing late leads against Eastern Michigan twice, falling 16-12 in 2001 and 35-32 in 2002.

Kent State, like Southeast, is off to an 0-1 start after being blasted at Michigan State 49-14. The Golden Flashes were gashed defensively for 685 yards, while gaining 315 yards. Kent State was 5-6 last year, but won its last four games. The Golden Flashes were 4-4 in the MAC.

Last year, Southeast played two MAC squads, falling 49-10 at Bowling Green and 44-27 at Central Michigan.

Noteworthy

• Southeast team members have elected four captains for the season. Offensive captains are senior quarterback Mike Haley and senior wide receiver T.J. Milcic, while defensive captains are senior safety Mike Miller and junior defensive end Edgar Jones.