SPRING SCRIMMAGE LEAVES INDIAN STAFF OPTIMISTIC

Spring football doesn't draw a whole lot of hype, but Southeast Missouri State University coach John Mumford hopes a successful spring practice session will be the jump-start needed for a rebound season in 1997.

The Indians concluded spring drills Saturday with a public scrimmage at Houck Stadium. That was the last of 15 practice sessions -- 10 of them full contact -- allowable under NCAA guidelines.

"I'm very pleased with the way things have gone this spring," said Mumford, whose squad went 3-8 in 1996. "Everybody has worked hard and they've really seemed to get tough, which I like."

Several injuries -- particularly at linebacker -- hindered the defense this spring, but Mumford said, "Our kids fly around on defense. We just need to continue that. We'll have some more jucos and freshmen coming in this fall that will have to help us."

Offensively, Mumford said, "As far as learning the new system and understanding it, our kids have done well. Today was probably better than I expected."

Corey Williams, sidelined last season with a knee injury, showed he has bounced back well by rushing for 125 yards on 13 carries during Saturday's scrimmage. Williams, who scored one of the day's two touchdowns on a short run, popped off a long run of 62 yards.

"Corey was tentative early in camp, which is understandable," Mumford said. "But the last two weeks he's run real well. It looks like he's bounced back 100 percent."

Tony McDonald added 39 yards on six carries while Broderick Benson had 25 yards on seven attempts.

No. 1 quarterback Justin Martini completed eight of 10 passes for 124 yards while backup David Edgerton completed three of five for 31 yards. Edgerton scored the other touchdown on a short run.

Junior-college transfer Marcus McKinley led the receivers with three catches for 40 yards. Dante Bryant, Britt Mirgaux and Jeff Shaw all caught two passes.

Eric Warren booted a 40-yard field goal to round out the day's scoring.

Now the Indians will concentrate on finishing up their classroom work and hitting the weights before fall workouts begin in August.

Mumford said he's looking at approximately Aug. 7 as the starting date for fall practice. The Indians are tentatively scheduled to open the '97 season on Aug. 30 at home against Lambuth, an NAIA team out of Jackson, Tenn.

"They've got the contract in their hands and they've verbally committed to the game," said Mumford. "It's just a matter of getting the signed contract back."

That Aug. 30 contest will be the first of seven home games in an 11-game schedule for the Indians.

"All those home games look good," Mumford said. "Now we've just got to finish up strong in the classroom, keep hitting the weights and try to be ready for August."

Said Mumford of the early start to the season, "It allows us to get our players in early, which is good, particularly with the jucos coming in. We've got that first game to let us know where we are, then we have a week off before our next game, which is good."

In addition to some more junior-college transfers coming in for the fall, Mumford is still counting on several Division I-A transfers who are expected to join the Indians for the '97 season.

Foremost among the I-A transfers being counted on to bolster the squad is quarterback Heath Graham, who was a starter for much of his career at Southern Mississippi. Graham has one year of eligibility remaining.