SMITH TO END STEADY CAREER AT SOUTHEAST

Sure, he wishes the team would have done better. But all in all, Ronnie Smith has absolutely no regrets about his decision five years ago to leave sunny Florida for Cape Girardeau.

"I'm glad I came here because I've really enjoyed it," he said. "We maybe haven't won as many game as I would have liked. But I'd do it all over again in a minute."

Smith, a senior safety for Southeast Missouri State University's football team, will be playing the final game of a sensational college career when the 4-6 Indians face 3-7 Tennessee State Saturday at Houck Stadium.

Although Smith has been overshadowed a bit over the years by some of his more higher-profile teammates, he will no doubt go down as one of the finer secondary players to ever compete for the Indians.

Saturday's season-ending game will mark Smith's 45th consecutive career start for the Indians, which is a school record. Smith broke into the starting lineup during his redshirt freshman season in 1994 and has been a fixture there ever since.

"I'm proud of being able to start every game here," said Smith.

So is Southeast head coach John Mumford.

"You don't see many four-year starters. I'm sure we haven't had very many," he said. "The thing I like about Ronnie is he just loves to play the game. He's not boisterous. He just lets his play do the talking. You'd love to have a lot more like him."

And Smith, not extremely big for a safety at 5-feet-9 and 195 pounds, has not only been a constant regular for the Indians, he's also been one of their best defenders who has shown an uncanny ability to make big plays.

As a freshman, Smith was in on 63 tackles and intercepted two passes. The next year, he was the team's fourth-leading tackler with 88. Last season, Smith was the squad's third-leading tackler with 111. He also had one interception and two fumble recoveries, returning one of those fumbles a school-record 91 yards for a touchdown.

But all those previous big-play seasons pale in comparison to what the Orlando native has been able to do this year. In addition to ranking second on the team and 11th in the Ohio Valley Conference with 79 tackles, and ranking fifth in the OVC with three interceptions, Smith has been a veritable touchdown machine.

Often a defensive player goes his entire career without scoring a touchdown. Smith took care of that last season with the long fumble return. And he's added three more TDs this year, on two interceptions and a fumble return. His four career touchdowns are the most by a Southeast defensive player in a long time and maybe the most ever, although no official records are kept on that category.

"Guys like Ronnie are always in the right place at the right time," said Mumford.

Smith agreed, saying, "It's mostly being in the right place at the right time for all of them. Those touchdowns have definitely been some of the highlights for me here. In high school I played offense, like a wingback, and I didn't even score this many touchdowns."

Smith attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, which just happens to be the alma mater of two of his current Southeast teammates, his brother Riki (a sophomore running back) and Aaron Layne (a senior running back). The three are roommates.

Smith is particularly happy that Riki decided to play for the Indians.

"Having Riki here is real exciting," said Ronnie, who, although somewhat reserved, is still extremely articulate and personable.

Added Ronnie with a laugh, "We're total opposites. He talks all the time and I'm kind of quiet. It's always been that way. He takes after my dad and I take after my mom."

The Smiths come from athletic stock, their father Ronald having played football at South Carolina State. Ronnie said his father, mother and another younger brother have attended several games in his Southeast career and are planning to be at Houck Stadium Saturday.

"Their dad looks like he could still play football," said Mumford with a laugh.

While Smith has excelled on the gridiron at Southeast, he's also done quite well in the classroom. He said he's on schedule to graduate in May with a double major in manufacturing technology and industrial management and would like to attend graduate school in order to become an engineer.

In the meantime, Smith said he will likely feel a twinge of sadness Saturday when he gets ready for his final college game.

"I guess I'm kind of sad. I thought about it, but then again I try not to think about it," he said. "I'm glad it's at home. As long as we come out with a win, I'll be happy."