SOUTHEAST LOOKS FOR SPEEDY TRANSITIONS

Of the many Southeast Missouri State University football players who have switched positions since Tim Billings took over as head coach this year, only one has gone from hittee to hitter.

And Sturg Cumberford, who saw limited action at fullback during his first two seasons at Southeast, couldn't be happier in his new role as the Indians' starting middle linebacker.

"I like it," said Cumberford following Saturday night's scrimmage at Houck Stadium. "I get to fly around, and it's a chance to hit instead of being hit."

And, added Cumberford with a grin, "My mom really likes it because I don't get hit."

Cumberford was moved to linebacker to take advantage of his impressive speed; he can cover 40 yards in close to 4.5 seconds. In fact, all three of Southeast's starting linebackers have been moved from other positions in an attempt to inject as much speed at that spot as possible.

And make no mistake about it, the Indians' new-look linebackers are fast, even though they might not be very big by modern college football standards.

Cumberford is 5-feet-11 and 215 pounds. Asim Thomas, who played safety last season for Southeast, is 5-11 and 220 and can also run the 40 in the 4.5 range. Corey Mathis, a standout safety at Blinn (Texas) Junior College a year ago, carries just 200 pounds on his 6-foot frame but he is a real blazer, running the 40 in 4.4.

"Our linebackers aren't just fast, they're exceptionally fast," said Billings. "They can all really run."

Said Cumberford, "Our coaches definitely want speed on the field. Our motto is speed kills. If you can't run, you're probably not going to have that much of a chance to play."

Cumberford, a junior, was a standout running back and free safety at Oak Grove High School in the Kansas City area, earning all-state honors as he rushed for more than 2,500 yards during his final two prep seasons.

After redshirting at Southeast in 1997, Cumberford saw limited action at fullback the following season, rushing for 101 yards on 21 carries and catching five passes for 44 yards.

Last year, Cumberford played quite a bit more at fullback but again did not get to run with the ball all that much, gaining 120 yards on 32 carries and catching eight passes for 51 yards.

Now that he's a fixture on defense, Cumberford's playing time will increase dramatically, which is what he's been looking for all along.

"It's going to be nice," he said. "Now I'm really getting the chance to show what I can do."

While Cumberford played defense in high school, he said he was basically able to roam wherever he wanted at free safety. Now he has specific assignments and it's been an adjustment, but he feels like he's coming along well.

"The biggest adjustment is learning the scheme of the defense," he said. "I think I'm picking it up pretty good, but I still need to come around a lot more."

Billings has been pleased with Cumberford's progress, saying, "I think Sturg is coming along real well. He can run and I think he'll be able to make a lot of plays for us."

Like all the Indians, Cumberford has high hopes that Southeast can surprise plenty of people after going 3-8 last year and 13-31 over the past four seasons.

"I really like what's going on here," he said. "I think our offense is really good. With the no huddle, it just wears the defense down. We've found that out in practice. And our offense always talks about how fast our defense is.

"I know we're not being picked to do very well, but I really think we can surprise a lot of people."