SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY: IT'S TIME TO PLAY

Tim Billings has no doubt that his second Indians' team will be better -- and more talented -- than his first squad that went 3-8 last year.

But the Southeast Missouri State University coach realizes the Indians will be young and inexperienced, with only a handful of senior starters and a host of freshmen likely to either start or see considerable action.

That's why Billings has no idea if the Indians' 2001 record will reflect the improvement he thinks the team will show.

"I don't have a clue. I wish I could say we'll win six games, but I don't know if we'll win two," he said. "I just know we're a better football team. I feel like we're better at every position than we were last year. We'll take it one game at a time, coach our rear ends off and let the chips fall where they may."

Billings knows Southeast football fans are hungry for a winning season that has eluded the program since 1994. He knows those supporters long for better than the 3-8 record the Indians have produced each of the last three years.

"Since I've been here, there is no question we have better football players and a better football program," he said. "Now we just have to keep going. How long it's going to take to get there, I don't know."

Billings hopes that since the Indians are stronger -- although still not as strong as he would like -- will help reverse last year's trend that saw Southeast wilt greatly in the fourth quarter of many games.

"In six of our eight losses last season we were in the game with a chance to win going into the fourth quarter. Our lack of overall size and strength really showed up in the fourth quarter and we didn't get the job done," Billings said. "We're a lot more athletic this year, with a lot more playmakers than we had last year. We're not as strong as we need to be, but we're a lot stronger than we were last year. Hopefully all of that will help us finish games better than we did last year."

12 seniors on the team

Of the approximately 80 players on the roster, 12 are seniors and just three of those are likely to hold down starting positions. Seven freshmen are listed as probable starters, with other rookies in line for serious playing time.

"They're young, but those are our best players," said Billings. "We've got some really talented young kids."

Those youngsters -- along with a handful of key junior-college transfers and quite a few returning starters -- will be counted on to help shore up both sides of the football, which struggled almost equally a year ago.

Southeast generated just 296 yards a game from its wide-open, one-back offense and allowed 444 yards a contest defensively to rank among the Ohio Valley Conference's worst in both areas.

"There's no question we have to improve on both sides of the ball," Billings said. "But I feel like we've got a lot more play makers on offense and I think our defense is going to be a lot better."

The Indians' schedule is formidable and features a Division I-A opponent to start the season as Southeast visits Eastern Michigan Saturday night.

Eastern Michigan -- a solid favorite over Southeast -- does not loom nearly as daunting as last year's opening foe, which was I-A power Marshall. The Thundering Herd routed the Indians 63-7.

Like Southeast, Eastern Michigan has struggled in recent years. The Eagles went 3-8 last season and they enter the 2001 campaign ranked No. 111 out of 117 Division I-A teams by Sports Illustrated.

"It's always a big challenge to play a I-A team, but we feel like we can play with them," said Billings. "Our goal is to go up there and win the football game. Maybe we're just young enough that we don't know any better."

Familiar opponents

Southeast's other non-conference opponents are Southern Illinois, Southwest Missouri, Illinois State and Division II Quincy. The OVC foes are Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech.

Eastern Illinois, ranked nationally in Division I-AA, is favored to capture the OVC title, with Tennessee Tech, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State also expected to be serious contenders.

The Indians are not expected to be factors in the league race as they were picked sixth out of seven teams in the OVC's preseason poll based on voting by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.

Billings doesn't argue with that prediction because the Indians haven't proven anything in quite some time. But he's hoping that changes before too long.

"Just because we're young, doesn't mean we can't win football games," he said.

FAN FARE

TICKETS

P Season tickets: $66 (reserved chairback seats) or $54 (reserved bleachers) for six home games. Call the ticket office at 573-651-2113.

P Single-game tickets: $10 (reserved), $7 (general admission) or $3 (ages 7-18). Game tickets are available at the ticket office in front of the stadium on the day of the game.

ON GAME DAY

P THE STADIUM: Houck Stadium, at Houck Place just off Broadway in Cape Girardeau, averaged a stadium record 8,056 fans a game last season. It has been the home of Southeast football for 71 years.

P GETTING THERE: Go east on the Route K exit (Exit 95) off I-55 to Kingshighway. Turn north on Kingshighway, then east on Broadway. The stadium is ahead on the left, just past the Henderson Ave. intersection.

P WHERE TO PARK: Parking near the stadium is sparse, but is available street-side along Houck Place, Henderson Avenue, Bellevue Street, Pacific Street and North Street.

ON THE AIR

P GAMES: Home and road games are broadcast live on the Southeast Football Network, which includes KEZS-FM 102.9 in Cape Girardeau; KWOC-AM 930 in Poplar Bluff; and KSIM-AM 1400 in Sikeston.

P THE INTERNET: Information on Southeast athletics is available at www.gosoutheast.com. The radio broadcast of all Southeast games as well as video clips of Coach Tim Billings' weekly news conference are available on the Web site.

THE SCHEDULE

September

1 at Eastern Michigan, 5 p.m.

8 Southern Illinois, 6 p.m.

15 Southwest Missouri, 6 p.m.

22 at Illinois State, 1:30 p.m.

29 at Tenn. State, 1:30 p.m.

October

6 Tennessee-Martin, 6 p.m.

13 at Eastern Illinois, 1:30 p.m.

20 Murray State, 1 p.m.

27 at Tenn. Tech, 2 p.m.

NOVEMBER

3 Eastern Kentucky, 6 p.m.

10 Quincy, 6 p.m.

LAST SEASON (3-8)

at Marshall L 63-7

at Southern Illinois W 34-33

llinois State W 28-25

Western Kentucky L 38-13

at Eastern Kentucky L 48-24

at Tennessee Tech L 31-6

Murray State L 38-28

Tennessee-Martin W 34-14

at Eastern Illinois L 38-9

at Southwest Missouri L 24-7

at Tennessee State L 51-33

THE STAFF

P HEAD COACH: Tim Billings,

3-8 at Southeast and in career.

P ASSISTANT COACHES: Assistant Kip Shaw, defensive coordinator Shannon Morrison, offensive coordinator Russ Martin, tight ends coach Rory Segrest, offensive line coach Mike Chavez, special teams/running backs coach Tony Joe White, defensive ends coach Cody Vardeman, linebackers coach Matt Webb, graduate assistant coaches Bob Vaught and Andy McGill.