Southeast hungry for first OVC win

The football seasons for Southeast Missouri State and Tennessee-Martin have been strikingly similar so far, with one notable exception.

Southeast already has an Ohio Valley Conference loss, adding to the importance of Saturday's 6 p.m. game in Martin, Tenn., that marks the Skyhawks' OVC opener.

"It's a very important game for both teams," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said. "We need to get a win, to get back in the [OVC] hunt.

"We both have high expectations. Just because they were picked higher than us [in the OVC preseason poll] doesn't mean their expectations are higher."

Southeast and UTM are both 1-2, with the wins coming in season openers against overmatched NAIA teams. The Redhawks bombed Quincy 72-3, while the Skyhawks mauled Iowa Wesleyan 56-0.

Southeast fullback Nick Grassi evades the tackle of Quincy defender Erik Wilson during the season opener at Houck Stadium. (Kit Doyle)

The Redhawks and Skyhawks both lost their next two games, to Division I-A teams and solid Division I-AA squads.

Southeast fell to Cincinnati -- ranked 14th in Division I-A -- 70-3 and OVC member Eastern Illinois 23-14. UTM was beaten 41-14 by Division I-A Memphis and 24-14 by Missouri State.

That leads to Saturday's meeting between teams picked second (UTM) and tied for last (Southeast) in the OVC.

But UTM coach Jason Simpson, whose Skyhawks went 8-4 last year and tied for second in the league at 6-2, sees a vastly improved Southeast squad.

"We're playing a very quality football team, much improved," Simpson said. "I think they are a team you better get ready to play.

"I would think [this is] the best team they've had in Tony's tenure."

Samuel, in his fourth season at Southeast, doesn't dispute that, which is why he said the Redhawks have high hopes.

In order to pick up their first OVC victory, Southeast must slow down a high-powered UTM offense that leads the league with 428 yards per game and, like Eastern Illinois' explosive unit, features several former Division I-A transfers.

Senior quarterback Cade Thompson, the reigning OVC offensive player of the year and preseason pick to repeat, leads the league with 678 yards passing. Thompson threw for 2,680 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2008.

Thompson started his college career at South Carolina, where he threw four passes in 2006.

"He's a very good quarterback," Samuel said. "He's accurate."

UTM's strong ground attack is led by senior tailback Miguel Barnes, the OVC's second-leading rusher with 303 yards. Barnes, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, spent the 2007 season at Memphis.

Brandyn Young, an all-OVC senior tailback, led the 2008 Skyhawks with 702 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns.

Young, who redshirted at South Carolina in 2005, has been slowed by an injury and has only 63 yards. He missed last week's Memphis game and his status is listed as a game-time decision for Saturday.

Senior Mike Hicks, an all-OVC wide receiver in 2008 when he caught 66 passes and scored 12 touchdowns, also missed the Memphis contest with an injury. His status also is listed as a game-time decision for Saturday.

Hicks, who has averaged 18.6 yards on seven receptions this year, played at Mississippi in 2006 and 2007.

"They've got a very good running game, but they're not bashful about throwing the long ball," Samuel said.

Defensively, Samuel said UTM will come after the Redhawks.

"They will blitz a lot, probably more than any team we play," he said.

Southeast leads the all-time series with UTM 13-11, but the Skyhawks have won the last four meetings and averaged 34.5 points in those games.

"They've been doing great things over there," Samuel said of UTM's resurgent program that claimed a share of its first OVC championship in 2006. "They're a good football team, no question about it, but we're good, too.

"I expect a very competitive game."