THE LATEST LINE: SE FOOTBALL WILL HAVE ITS WORK CUT OUT

Southeast Missouri State University's football team wrapped up spring drills Saturday with a controlled scrimmage at Houck Stadium.

By all accounts, head coach John Mumford has been relatively pleased with the way things went during the spring's 15 practice sessions allowed by the NCAA, although Saturday's performance certainly left a lot to be desired.

Mumford, a positive person by nature, seems to be looking forward to the 1999 season. All of his assistants and players surely are as well. Any competitive person would be.

But in the back of his mind, Mumford must cringe at the thought of the schedule that awaits the Indians when they start workouts again in August.

Without a doubt, SEMO's '99 grid slate is the toughest in school history. Except for a game against Ohio Valley Conference doormat Tennessee-Martin, there is not one pushover on the schedule. Not even among the non-league portion of the slate, where many teams generally take the opportunity to fatten their record.

The six other OVC foes are all extremely formidable and the conference has been toughened with the addition of Western Kentucky, which joins the league for football only.

As for the non-league opponents, all four of them are from the Gateway Conference, which many people regard as the toughest overall Division I-AA loop in the nation.

SEMO's administration has not tried to hide the fact that it is extremely important for Mumford -- in the final year of his contract -- to put a seriously improved team on the field this season, one that is quite a bit superior to last year's 3-8 unit.

As a guy who really likes Mumford and his staff -- they're a class act -- I seriously hope he can get the job done.

But as a guy who knows how difficult the schedule is -- and as a guy who understands that SEMO's overall talent level leaves plenty to be desired for the I-AA level -- I realize just what kind of tall task the Indians will be facing in '99.

* It doesn't matter what level you compete on -- if you can play, the scouts will find you.

Never was that point hammered home more than during the recent NFL draft.

The OVC -- a mid-level I-AA league -- had four players selected, including Eastern Illinois defensive back Chris Watson in the third round.

Meanwhile, a major college like Missouri -- which won a bowl game -- had only one player selected and he was taken in the fifth round.

Like I said, if you can play -- and if you have the skills teams are looking for -- you will get a chance.

* Former SEMO basketball standout Bud Eley is currently in Oakland as part of a college all-star team that is playing a three-game series against the legendary Harlem Globetrotters.

The first game of the series will be today, with the other contests set for May 1 in Detroit and May 2 in Cincinnati.

* A couple of more players will still be signed in the next several days, but all indications are that SEMO's Indians are having a big-time recruiting season.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian