THE LATEST LINE: EXCITEMENT SHOULD MARK SE's SEASON

Two games into the 2000 season, there is absolutely no way to tell what kind of year Southeast Missouri State University's football team will have.

But if Saturday's contest at Southern Illinois is any indication, Tim Billings' first SEMO squad should provide fans with plenty of excitement.

And, if Saturday's spine-tingling 34-33 victory is any indication, Indian followers won't want to leave their seats. There's no telling what they might miss.

That was certainly the case at McAndrew Stadium, when the Indians gave their several hundred fans who made the short trip to Carbondale cause for all kinds of mixed emotions.

There was the horrendous start, when SIU piled up a 31-0 lead. The Salukis were still ahead 31-7 at halftime and they held a seemingly comfortable 33-7 advantage just moments into the third quarter.

Then there was the tremendous finish that spanned most of the second half. The Indians scored the game's final 27 points -- including the game-winning touchdown with 1:16 to play -- as they stunned the Salukis to pick up their first win of the year.

It was the kind of unbelievable game that you almost had to witness to believe. I was there, and I still can hardly believe it.

For the majority of the first half, the Indians looked so outclassed -- they were getting pushed around up front on both sides of the ball -- it appeared as if the Salukis would be able to name the final score.

That still appeared to be the case early in the second half. But then, all of a sudden, it looked like a fire had been lit under the Indians, both offensively and defensively. They started making some big plays, seized momentum and kept it going the rest of the way.

The heroes during the win were too many to single out, but wide receiver Leslie Weaver -- the game's ultimate hero who scored the winning touchdown -- put it best when he said it was a total team effort.

Not to mention an exciting team effort. And excitement is something Billings promised when he took over the Indians' struggling football program this year.

To be sure, the miraculous comeback counts for just one victory, and like I said earlier, there is still no way to tell just what lies ahead for the 2000 Indians.

But if Saturday is any indication, you'll want to be on hand to find out.

* SEMO's volleyball team will play its annual match at the Show Me Center -- and open its home schedule in the process -- Monday night when the University of Missouri pays a visit to Cape Girardeau.

The match is set for a 7 p.m. start.

* Good luck to Kevin Williams, a former Cape Central basketball standout who served as a student assistant coach at SEMO the past couple of seasons, as he takes over head coaching duties of the Caruthersville High School program.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian