THE LATEST LINE: SIU GAME A MUST FOR SE FOOTBALL

Southeast Missouri State University's opening football game Thursday night -- against Southern Illinois at Houck Stadium -- represents less than 10 percent of the Indians' season.

But there is little doubt that, if the Indians have any hopes at all of improving substantially on last year's 3-8 record, then winning Thursday's contest is a virtual must.

Now, opening with a victory certainly won't guarantee the Indians of a breakthrough season. But opening with a defeat would certainly be a huge blow for a squad whose schedule is only going to get tougher and tougher after Thursday.

Not to disrespect SIU -- after all, the Salukis pounded the Indians 34-7 last season -- but the visitors from Carbondale will certainly not be one of the better teams SEMO faces this year, especially since their top two running backs (including standout Karlton Carpenter) don't figure to play.

In fact, it could be argued that maybe only a couple of teams on SEMO's schedule -- Tennessee-Martin is the only one for certain -- won't be better than SIU.

Of course, what I've written above could also be used to describe how vital the opener is for SIU's hopes of having an improved year.

Coming off a 3-8 season of their own, and facing a schedule that is even more brutal than SEMO's, a loss Thursday would certainly not bode well for the Salukis.

Not to dis SEMO, but on paper, the Indians will definitely be the weakest team the Salukis face this year. Only two other squads on the Salukis' schedule had losing records last season and both of them -- Indiana State and Southwest Missouri, which each beat SEMO in 1998 -- went 5-6.

The bottom line of it all is that Thursday's winner will walk off the field feeling pretty good about itself, knowing that it has started the season off on a high note, although the most difficult tests are still to come.

And as for Thursday's loser? Well, that team definitely will be singing the blues, knowing it has started off a hoped-for turnaround season in the worst way possible -- by losing to one of the more lightly-regarded foes on its schedule.

It should definitely be an interesting night at Houck Stadium.

* SEMO's outstanding volleyball program will open its season Wednesday night with a match against Arkansas State at the Show Me Center.

The Otahkians have won six of the past eight Ohio Valley Conference titles and are favored to make it seven out of nine this year.

* SEMO's home basketball game with Murray State on Feb. 12 will be televised by ESPN2.

The national TV audience will be in for a treat if the contest turns out to be anything like two of the three matchups between the teams last season.

* The area high school football season gets going Friday night and there are some intriguing opening matchups.

Among the local squads in action are Cape Central (at Columbia Hickman), Jackson (at Sikeston), Scott City (at Malden), Chaffee (hosting Grandview), Perryville (at Farmington) and St. Vincent (at Carlyle, Ill.).

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian