Southeast football failed to win the close ones

The Southeast Missouri State football team finished with a 3-8 record, including a 2-6 Ohio Valley Conference mark, after Saturday's 35-34 home loss to Murray State.

It obviously wasn't the type of season Southeast fans hoped for after last year's historic campaign, but it wasn't really all that surprising considering the Redhawks lost so much talent from 2010.

Southeast, which started only a handful of seniors most of the season, was blown out a few times but also lost four OVC contests by eight points or fewer, including consecutive one-point defeats to end the year.

Winning the close games generally defines a season, separating the squads that finish with good records from the clubs that don't. The Redhawks won most of those nailbiters in 2010, but not this year.

If the Redhawks can find a capable replacement for sensational senior quarterback Matt Scheible -- no easy task -- then I can see them rebounding with a solid season in 2012.

I'd say Sikeston, Mo., product Trey Lewis probably has the early leg up on the job. Lewis was Scheible's backup and saw sporadic action late in some games as a true freshman this season.

That's a preliminary assessment.

Southeast coaches plan to sign at least two quarterbacks to compete for the position, and you can't count out redshirt freshman Tyler Peoples, who has not yet played a college game and missed the latter part of this season with a knee injury.

The quarterback competition will be interesting to follow. The competition will begin in spring practice and could determine what type of season the Redhawks ultimately will have in 2012 -- along with how they fare in close games.

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The Southeast men's basketball team is off to a 1-3 start, not surprising considering three of the first four contests were the program's "guarantee" games to generate money for the athletic department.

But the Redhawks can't help but think they should be 2-2 because they had every opportunity to win at Bradley.

Bradley squeezed out a 66-65 victory Wednesday night thanks to a conventional three-point play with 4.6 seconds left.

I didn't go to the game but I saw a replay of the foul called on Southeast sophomore forward Michael Porter after Bradley scored the tying basket. It looked like there was hardly any contact, if there was any at all.

But the Redhawks really have nobody to blame but themselves after making just 7 of 17 free throws.

The Redhawks played well in their first three games before being crushed 86-61 Sunday at Oregon.

I like the potential of the Redhawks despite that blowout. I think their front line will be as good as any in the OVC, and better than most. I'm not sure about the backcourt. Southeast needs to improve its defense, and its free-throw shooting must be better than last year.

Southeast, which has also lost 83-68 at Missouri while routing NAIA Harris-Stowe 95-60, has a chance to get to .500 this week at home.

It won't be easy.

After what should be a romp past NAIA Hannibal-LaGrange on Wednesday, the Redhawks host a solid Miami (Ohio) squad from the Mid-American Conference on Saturday. Miami's conference is one of the nation's better mid-major leagues.

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An exciting OVC football race ended with Tennessee Tech earning the conference's automatic FCS playoff berth Saturday.

Tech, Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky wound up sharing the title with 6-2 records. The Eagles earned the tie-breaker because they beat the Gamecocks and Colonels.

EKU also made the playoffs, receiving an at-large berth.

Both OVC squads will host first-round games Saturday -- Tech against Central Arkansas and EKU against James Madison.

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Van Hitt, who was dismissed last week as the Jackson High School football coach, has nothing to hang his head about.

The Indians struggled the past three seasons primarily because they haven't had much to work with.

It's not a coincidence that Jackson had no first-team all-region selections this year and hasn't had a player sign with even a small college for several years.

Hitt has been a class act on and off the field throughout his long association with Jackson football. The same goes for longtime assistant Bob Sink, who like Hitt will no longer be involved with the program.

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Notre Dame Regional High School graduate Jane Morrill is off to a big start for the Arkansas State women's basketball team.

Morrill, a sophomore forward, poured in a career-high 31 points Sunday as the Red Wolves (1-1) beat Texas A&M Corpus Christi 84-71. She hit 13 of 24 field goals.

Morrill scored 10 points in ASU's season-opening loss at Charlotte. She has started both games.

Morrill had a solid rookie season at ASU last year, averaging 6.1 points off the bench.

Local fans will get to see Morrill when the Red Wolves play at Southeast on Nov. 29.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.