Southeast players to watch

When Jeromy McDowell suffered a season-ending knee injury during last year's opener against Arkansas-Monticello, Southeast football fans must have thought "here we go again" and figured the Indians were headed for their eighth consecutive losing record.

But in stepped Jack Tomco, a junior-college transfer who set nine school passing records on his way to earning second-team all-Ohio Valley Conference honors, including single-season marks of 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns, and single-game standards of 429 yards and five touchdowns.

For the season, Tomco completed 65 percent of his passes and ranked eighth nationally in passing efficiency among NCAA Division I-AA players while earning second-team all-Ohio Valley Conference honors.

Tomco is expected to pick up right where he left off. The preseason all-OVC quarterback, Tomco was picked by several publications as the preseason OVC Offensive Player of the Year.

Eugene Amano, a powerful 6-3, 315-pounder regarded as perhaps the strongest player on the team, is a big reason Southeast's offensive line should be one of the OVC's best units for the second straight season.

One of the early recruits for head coach Tim Billings when he took over the program in 2000, Amano broke into the starting lineup midway through his true freshman season and has been a fixture every since.

Amano made second-team all-OVC at guard as a sophomore. He was shifted to center last year and again was second-team all-conference, along with offensive line mates Dan Connolly and Dan Bieg.

Amano helped lead a line that expertly protected Tomco and opened holes for the running game.

With all five starters returning, the line again is expected to be one of the OVC's best. Amano is a preseason all-league pick and could make a bid for All-American honors.

Ricky Farmer might not fit the prototypical middle linebacker mold, at a less than imposing 6-feet and 225 pounds and without overwhelming speed. But all Farmer does is make plays.

Another of Billings' first recruits, Farmer broke into the starting lineup early in his true freshman season in 2000 and had 55 tackles in just four games before missing the rest of the year with a knee injury.

Fully recovered as a sophomore, Farmer was second on the team with 110 tackles, including 10 for loss and three quarterback sacks.

Last season, Farmer led the Indians and ranked third in the OVC with 120 tackles, including nine for loss and three sacks. He helped lead a Southeast defense that improved significantly and contributed to the program's breakthrough season.

Farmer, honorable-mention on the preseason all-OVC team, is regarded among the league's premier linebackers.

Corey Kinsey is officially listed as 5-9 and 185 pounds. While that weight is close to accurate, the junior admits he really stands about 5-7.

But the diminutive stature didn't hamper Kinsey's production on the field during his sophomore season as he rushed for 1,067 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry to make the all-OVC second team.

Using his speed, quickness and impressive moves, Kinsey became just the fourth player in school history to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing in one season and his total ranks third on Southeast's single-season list.

A native of Miami who was considered too small to play for one of the major Florida colleges, Kinsey saw limited action as a freshman before bursting on to the scene last year.

Like Tomco, Kinsey is expected to shine this year. OVC coaches selected him to the league's preseason all-star team.