Southeast offense sputters in loss to SIU

Southern Illinois beating Southeast Missouri State University Saturday night was perhaps not all that surprising since the Salukis are considered greatly improved this year.

But the ease with which the Salukis manhandled the Indians stunned most of the record crowd of 11,100 at Houck Stadium -- not to mention Southeast's players.

With the Indians' offense continuing to sputter and with their defense gradually wearing down, SIU broke a three-game losing streak against Southeast by rolling to a 28-7 victory. The Salukis improved to 2-0, and the Indians fell to 0-2.

Had it not been for a Southeast touchdown on the game's final play, the Salukis would have had their first shutout of another Division I-AA team since 1986.

"Being down 28-0 ... I couldn't have envisioned that," defensive end Adam Jones said. "It's a shocker."

Added linebacker O.J. Turner, chosen Southeast's Copi-Rite Player of the Game after recording a team-high 11 tackles and an interception, "We practiced real well this week. We're very upset. I could have never imagined this."

Southeast coach Tim Billings didn't go so far as to say he was stunned, but he did seem shell-shocked following his first 0-2 start with the Indians. Even in Billings' first two struggling seasons at Southeast prior to last year's breakthrough 8-4 campaign, the Indians never began with two losses.

"I don't know if I'm stunned, but I'm really disappointed in the way we're playing," Billings said. "We have a lot better players than this."

Last season, Southeast had one of the nation's premier offenses while averaging 34.7 points and 447.3 yards per game. The Indians' lowest point total in 2002 was 21.

So far this year, Southeast has scored 10 points, including a 17-3 loss to Division I-A Ohio in the opener. After gaining just 300 yards against Ohio, the Indians managed only 286 yards Saturday -- and 86 of those came on one drive.

"Offensively, we have to find an identity," Billings said. "Right now, we can't run the football."

The Indians' running game struggled for the second straight outing and had a net total of just 59 yards on the ground Saturday.

Southeast passed for 227 yards -- and may be embroiled in a quarterback controversy after all.

Billings said in the week leading up to the game that Jack Tomco, last year's record-setter, would start and he had no plans to play any of his other two impressive signal callers.

Tomco did start Saturday and played most of the first half, completing 10 of 13 passes for 87 yards, with one interception. But he had trouble moving the Indians and Jeromy McDowell, who entered late in the first half and played the entire second half. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

McDowell refused to get sucked into the controversy

"I just want to win," he said. "It doesn't matter to me who the quarterback is. I guess we're all in shock right now after what happened tonight."

Billings said the quarterback position will be evaluated this week before he announces a starter for next Saturday's game at Arkansas State, but "if we went out there and played right now, it would be Jeromy. He moved the team."

SIU piled up 410 yards, 279 on the ground, led by the stellar tailback combo of Tom Koutsos and Muhammad Abdulqaadir. Koutsos gained 103 yards and Abdulqaadir 91, although he played little in the second half because of a cramp.

Abdulqaadir's 22-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter capped an 84-yard drive and staked SIU to a 7-0 lead.

Abdulqaadir's scored again on a 5-yard run with just 35 seconds left in the second quarter as the Salukis moved ahead 14-0 at halftime.

After the Indians never moved past the SIU 40 in the first half, Billings turned to McDowell and he immediately led an 86-yard drive, but it ended on downs at the SIU 3-yard line.

SIU proceeded to all but put the game away with a 97-yard drive capped by quarterback Joel Sambursky's 5-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter, making it 21-0.

Barely three minutes later, the Salukis scored again for a 28-0 lead.

"I didn't envision that," SIU coach Jerry Kill said of the lopsided score. "I envisioned a tight ballgame."

Southeast at least avoided a shutout, thanks in large part to true freshman wide receiver Antonio Scaife, who returned a punt 45 yard to the SIU 20 in the closing seconds. On the game's final play, Scaife caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from McDowell.

"I just tried to give the team a spark," Scaife said.

Corey Kinsey led Southeast's rushers with 73 yards on 21 carries.

Jamel Oliver and Chris NesSmith both caught five passes, while Anthony Gilliam and Ray Goodson had four receptions each.

mmishow@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 132