Southeast, SIU football teams get ready to rumble at Busch Stadium

The Southeast Missouri State football team features 26 players from the greater metropolitan St. Louis area.

They're all licking their chops for the rare opportunity to play a game in their home town.

Southeast (0-2) and longtime rival SIU Carbondale (1-2) will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday in what has been billed the College Classic -- the first-ever football game at the eight-year-old Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

"It's going to be an exciting experience," said junior cornerback Tim Hamm-Bey, a graduate of Lindbergh High School. "A bus load of people [family and friends] are going to be there."

Like Hamm-Bey, junior wide receiver Spencer Davis and sophomore wide receiver Paul McRoberts both attended high school in St. Louis.

"I've been thinking about this game before the season," said McRoberts, a Soldan graduate. "A lot of my people are coming."

Davis, like Hamm-Bey and McRoberts, has been at the new Busch Stadium for Cardinals games. He never thought he'd get to play a college football game in that venue.

"It would have never came across my mind. It's a real blessing," said Davis, a Hazelwood Central product. "It's going to be real fun, real exciting. I can't wait. A lot of my family and friends are going to be there."

Southeast coach Tony Samuel realizes his players, especially the ones from the St. Louis area, will be extra fired up for the unique opportunity that he welcomes with open arms.

And, as an added bonus, Samuel said the Redhawks will use the Cardinals' locker room.

Samuel, throughout all the hoopla, will try to make sure the Redhawks remain as grounded as possible.

"The kids are very excited. We've got a lot of kids from St. Louis and we're playing in a classic, classic place, a lot of history," Samuel said. "They're going to be dressing in the locker room of all these guys they idolized. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of starry-eyed kids.

"We've got to get some of that novelty out of it. That's one of the reasons we're going up there Friday [today]."

SIU coach Dale Lennon also welcomes the chance to play in Busch. And, like Samuel, Lennon wants to make sure the Salukis' emotions are kept somewhat in check.

"This is going to be one of those games where it's fun to be a part of it, but as a coach, there are a lot of distractions going along with it too," Lennon said. "We need to be sure that the focus is on the normal preparation."

As for the game itelf, Southeast will shoot for an upset against a team Samuel believes is primed for a big year after three subpar campaigns, at least by the Salukis' standards.

SIU, which compiled 70 wins from 2003 through 2009 -- an average of 10 victories per season -- is just 15-18 over the past three years. The Salukis went 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the rugged Missouri Valley Conference last season.

"They're a very good football team with a little more experience [than last year]," Samuel said. "Very aggressive on defense, very physical on offense."

Potentially complicating matters for SIU is that senior quarterback Kory Faulkner is doubtful for Saturday with a shoulder injury suffered during last week's 31-10 win over Division II Charleston (W.Va.).

Faulkner, a Ste. Genevieve High School graduate, was off to a strong start. He has completed 63 of 104 (60.6 percent) for 749 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

If Faulkner can't go, then redshirt freshman Ryan West -- who saw his first collegiate action last week after Faulkner went down -- will get the nod.

West completed 5 of 10 passes for 66 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in relief of Faulkner.

"It looks like he's got a good arm, some mobility," Samuel said. "He's a redshirt freshman so he's been around. I would think they'd be able to do well with him."

The Salukis have plenty of offensive weapons, led by junior MyCole Pruitt, one of the nation's premier tight ends who caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown against Southeast last year as SIU outgained the Redhawks 565 yards to 186.

SIU also has a solid running game, led Oregon State transfer Malcolm Agnew and junior college transfer Tay Willis. They have 152 and 146 yards, respectively, while averaging 6.6 and 5.6 yards per carry.

Defensively, Samuel said: "They're very aggressive. If you look at last year's film, they got after us pretty good."

Southeast has lost six of the last seven meetings against SIU -- all by at least 21 points -- and is 1-3 in the series under Samuel.

But Lennon remembers all too well Southeast's 2010 win over SIU in Carbondale, a game he believes intensified the rivalry.

"Our games since then have been very heated and physical. They play a style of football that's very aggressive and physical, kind of like that old-school style," Lennon said. "They are well-coached, and I have a lot of respect for those guys. You have to earn everything you get from them."

Noteworthy

* There will be a pre-game party for Southeast alumni and fans before the game. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kilroy's, located at 720 S. 7th Street in St. Louis.

* Southeast will play a football game in St. Louis for the fourth time. The Redhawks played three games at the old Busch Stadium when they were an NCAA Division II affiliate. They split two contests with Truman State, losing in 1985 and winning in 1986, and lost to Missouri S&T in 1988.

* Saturday marks Southeast's 250th game as an NCAA Division I football program. The 2013 campaign is the Redhawks 23rd at the FCS level. Southeast is 86-163 since its move to the FCS in 1991.