Southeast releases its football schedule

Southeast Missouri State's 2010 football schedule, officially released by the university Wednesday, has the Redhawks playing six of their 11 games on the road.

The Redhawks open the season Sept. 2 at Division I-A Ball State in their annual "money game" to generate revenue for the athletic department. Ball State will pay Southeast $275,000.

Ball State, a member of the Mid-American Conference, went 2-10 last season. This year marks the first meeting between the teams.

Southeast's other nonconference opponents are Division I-AA powerhouse Southern Illinois and Division II Southwest Baptist.

The Redhawks will be the second team to play in SIU's new state-of-the-art stadium when they travel to Carbondale on Sept. 18.

Southeast and SIU will meet as part of a three-year series between the regional rivals that had the Salukis visiting Cape Girardeau last season and again in 2011.

SIU, which at one time was ranked No. 1 in the nation last year, went 11-2 and won the Missouri Valley Football Conference title.

Southwest Baptist visits Houck Stadium on Nov. 6 for Southeast's final home game of the season.

Southeast, which plays its first three games on the road, opens its eight-game Ohio Valley Conference slate Sept. 11 at Murray State in the season's second contest.

The Redhawks' home opener is Sept. 25 against Tennessee Tech on Family Weekend. Homecoming is Oct. 30 against Tennessee-Martin.

Other home dates are Oct. 9 against Tennessee State and Oct. 23 against Eastern Kentucky.

The rest of the road schedule is Oct. 2 at Eastern Illinois, Oct. 16 at Austin Peay and Nov. 13 at Jacksonville State in the season finale.

"This year's schedule offers some unique challenges," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said in a release.

Samuel's fourth Southeast squad went 2-9 overall and 1-7 in the OVC last year. The Redhawks held their first of 15 spring practice sessions Wednesday morning.

Southeast has 69 players participating in spring drills, including 16 returning starters.

The annual spring intrasquad game is set for April 24 at noon.