SUMMER MOVES FAST FOR BILLINGS

Asked earlier this week how his summer has been going, new Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings broke out in a big grin.

"It's going well. Everybody loves me. I'm undefeated," he said with a laugh.

On a bit more serious note, Billings -- a former assistant at Division I-A power Marshall who was hired in December to turn around the Indians' struggling I-AA program -- said he has been received well throughout the community as people seem to be genuinely excited about Southeast football.

"I sense the community is excited," he said. "I've had a lot of people tell me they can't wait for the season to start. That's what happens when you're starting new."

Fans won't have to wait all that long for the season to start, and Billings and his staff certainly won't have to wait very long to start preparing for the 2000 campaign.

Approximately 30 newcomers -- freshmen and transfers -- will report Thursday while the rest of the team -- about 60 players -- will come in Aug. 7. Full-squad, two-a-day workouts are scheduled to begin Aug. 9, with the season opener set for Aug. 31 at Marshall.

"The summer has flown by. It's gone," said Billings. "We're ready to get started. The players are excited and I know the coaches are excited."

Billings said he has been particularly encouraged by this summer's offseason conditioning program. While Billings would like to see more participation in the future, he said what has been taking place over the past couple of months is a nice start.

"Around 40 stayed in town. I'd like to have around 60, but it's a big increase from years past," he said. "I'm real excited about the kids that stayed. Our strength coach (Tom Kelso) is real excited about the way they're running and the strength they've gained.

"The kids have worked really hard. They've done everything we've asked."

Billings said he and his staff have spent much of the summer scouting the Indians' early-season opponents.

"We've already scouted our first four opponents," he said. "We've broken down film and made game plans. There will be some adjustments, but this gives us a good start.

"The (assistant) coaches have done a great job of working hard. Now we just get ready for the players to come in."

When the newcomers report Thursday, they'll have three days of practices among themselves.

"I'm excited about seeing our newcomers, seeing what we recruited," Billings said. "We feel like some of those guys will help us quite a bit."

When full-squad workouts begin Aug. 9, the first three days of practice will be without full padding, as per NCAA regulations. Two-a-days will run until school starts Aug. 21.

Because of Houck Stadium's new Field Turf, an artificial surface that resembles grass, Billings said the Indians will be able to hold daily practices at Houck, which was impossible in the past.

"It's really going to help us, to be able to practice over there," he said. "The new turf has been a great thing for us already. We've had a team camp on it and it's just tremendous. It's everything and more we thought it would be. It's by far the best turf I've been on."

The Indians' schedule is daunting, beginning with that rugged opener at Marshall, which went undefeated last season and will be ranked among the nation's elite I-A squads again this year.

There are also tough non-conference games against Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Southwest Missouri, along with the Ohio Valley Conference schedule. Southeast has just four home games.

"It's really a tough schedule," said Billings. "But I'm excited about going to Marshall, to see where we're at. We'll be playing on TV, in front of 45,000 people. Three years ago they were I-AA and now they're a top 10 team in the country."

* Former Jackson High School all-state running back Devree Flint, who saw limited action as a redshirt freshman in 1999 and participated in spring drills, has left the Southeast program.

Billings said he did not know if Flint is planning to try and continue his college football career at another school.

Flint rushed for 95 yards on 22 carries for Southeast last season.

* Southeast's depth chart prior to preseason practice lists Sikeston product Mark Blissett as the No. 1 running back in the Indians' new one-back offense, although things could change at many spots once workouts begin.

"A lot of positions will be wide open," Billings said.

One other Southeast Missouri product is listed as a starter prior to preseason practice, linebacker Tyson Gooch of Kennett.

Other local products on the current depth chart are wide receiver Andy Dunaway (Cape Central), quarterbacks Bobby Brune (Cape Central) and Mike Gross (Jackson), defensive ends Tatum Kitchen (Cape Central) and Kent Langston (Jackson) and offensive tackle Adam Kineman (Sikeston).

* The OVC Media Day will be held Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.

Each of the eight OVC head coaches will speak, and the league's preseason order of finish and preseason all-conference teams will be announced.

Southeast has been picked to finish seventh in the OVC for the past few years and Billings figures that probably won't change much this time around.

"The old saying goes, and it's been true forever: It doesn't matter where you start, but where you finish," he said with a smile. "There's no reason to pick us high. I kind of like to be the underdog."

Southeast's Media Day activities will take place Aug. 8.

* Southeast's coaching staff will hold a Ladies Football Clinic Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Show Me Center banquet room. The clinic is for all area women.

There will be three rotating classes: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced. Southeast coaches will instruct participants on the general principles of football. There will also be a question and answer period with Billings.

Food and beverages will be provided at 6 p.m. and the football sessions will kick off at 7 p.m. The event, which is free of charge, is being sponsored by Kohlfeld Distributing.

"This is something we did at Marshall and it went over real well," Billings said. "It should be a nice event."