Southeast Missouri State University's football team is just about ready to kick off year two of the Tim Billings era.
Will the 2001 season -- which begins Saturday on the road against Division I-A Eastern Michigan -- be the breakthrough campaign that success-starved Indian fans have been longing for? Or will it produce just another in a long line of dismal records for a program that has not been over the .500 mark since 1994 and has gone 3-8 for three straight years?
The answer to those questions is not all that simple. On the one hand, the Indians appear to have significantly improved their talent base since Billings and his staff took over. Credit the coaches for some strong recruiting, even though they have plenty of things working against them in relation to other Ohio Valley Conference schools.
On the other hand, the Indians are SO young and inexperienced, which in most cases provides plenty of hope for the future but doesn't inspire much confidence for the present. On SEMO's most recent depth chart, only three seniors are listed as starters while seven either redshirt or true freshmen are penciled in as regulars. And a host of other freshmen will play key roles as backups.
Billings himself has said he feels comfortable with the talent on his second SEMO squad, but the youth and inexperience worry him, although he has repeatedly emphasized that he's not about to use being young as an excuse.
After watching the Indians practice quite a bit these past few weeks, I truly believe they'll be significantly improved on both sides of the ball over last season, when they allowed more than 440 yards per game and gained less than 300 yards a contest. Both figures ranked toward the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference.
I also think the Indians definitely have the potential to improve upon last year's three-win total, but the schedule won't make that easy.
Other than Tennessee-Martin and Division II Quincy, SEMO doesn't appear to have any "locks." It does look like there are a lot of games that could go either way.
Because of so much youth, I can't say I'm predicting a very good record for this season, although I definitely hope I end up being very, very wrong.
But either way, I don't think all those hungry SEMO football fans will have to wait very much longer. Success should be in the Indians' future, if not this year then in the next season or two.
* While SEMO football kicks off Saturday, other sports at the university are also just about ready to open their seasons.
The women's soccer team will host a four-team tournament Friday and Sunday, the volleyball team will travel to Texas for the Lamar Tournament Friday and Saturday and the cross country squad will open at a meet in Memphis, Tenn., Saturday.
* The high school football season gets going Friday night.
Several area squads expect to be good again, including Cape Girardeau Central and Jackson, which should make for plenty of excitement in the immediate area.
~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian
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