THE LATEST LINE: OPTIMISM ABOUNDS AT MEDIA DAY

Southeast Missouri State University's football team held its annual media day Wednesday. It's a rite of summer for virtually every college grid program -- large or small -- across the country.

As is always the case, optimism abounds at these affairs, even for teams coming off bad seasons. The primary reason for this is obvious -- right now, every squad in America is undefeated. And until the reality of some losses sets in, most teams genuinely think they're going to be good.

For SEMO's Indians, they have an extra reason for optimism. It's called change.

The Indians have a virtually brand-new coaching staff, led by head man Tim Billings, who came over from Marshall, which was the nation's winningest college football program of the 1990s.

A new season gives hope to even the most struggling teams. But a new coaching staff fuels even more of a positive outlook. The old saying goes that, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But a program that -- for various reasons -- has been as down as SEMO's over the past several years requires plenty of fixing.

Billings and his staff were brought in to do just that. A new FieldTurf playing surface was installed to help the process, as are planned renovations to Houck Stadium over the next few years.

SEMO's administration seems to have no doubt that Billings and company will be able to ultimately get the Indians' football ship steered in the right direction. But, will all this change pay off right away?

That's a question that has no definitive answer at this point. To his credit, Billings won't use the word "rebuilding" when he talks about the situation he inherited. He has implied, in so many words, that he expects a strong season right off the bat.

From talking to the Indians at media day, you can tell they expect the same thing. Whether they get it or not remains to be seen.

But that's the great thing about the preseason -- and about change. The Indians have a right to dream big, as does every other team in America.

* If you haven't seen or been on the new FieldTurf artificial playing surface at Houck Stadium yet, let me tell you, it is something else. Everybody seems to love it, which is not surprising.

Basically, the surface is fake grass. It feels like grass and it looks like grass. But it requires basically no upkeep. And, no matter how much it rains, the field reportedly always remains extremely playable.

FieldTurf is going to do nothing but be a major boost to SEMO football -- particularly in recruiting -- and to the school's overall athletic program.

* Former Jackson High School football standout J.P. Hall entered preseason practice at Missouri as the Tigers' No. 2 left guard. Hall is a sophomore.

Another local product, Sikeston's Brandon Barnes, is listed No. 2 at one of the MU wide receiver spots and the redshirt freshman is expected to play a major role in the Tigers' offense this year.

* I'm sure Erik Sean will do a fine job, but the SEMO football radio broadcasts will certainly be missing something this year without Mike Legg manning the play-by-play.

Mike's class and professionalism behind the microphone are second to none.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian