TURNING LEMONS INTO LEMONADE: MATHIS MAKES IT WORK

Corey Mathis had visions of playing NCAA Division I-A football, and he also apparently had the talent.

That never worked out, but Mathis claims to be more than content at Division I-AA Southeast Missouri State University.

"I was disappointed in a way," said Mathis of not being able to compete at college's highest level. "But I overcame it and I'm very happy here."

In his first season with the Indians after a stellar junior-college career, the junior linebacker has definitely made his mark as one of the Ohio Valley Conference's premier defensive players.

Mathis is tied for the OVC lead in quarterback sacks with six and he is tied for second in the league in tackles for loss with 17, which also places him 16th nationally. In total tackles, Mathis has 83 to rank ninth in the OVC and third on the Indians, behind safeties Joe Williams and Isaac Powell.

"Corey is really having a great season for us," said Southeast coach Tim Billings. "He's got tremendous speed and a real nose for the football."

About the only thing Mathis doesn't have is a whole lot of size. At 6-feet and barely 200 pounds, he is quite a bit lighter than most college linebackers.

"We want to get Corey bigger and stronger for next season," Billings said.

Mathis is all for that, saying with a laugh, "I know I'm too light. I want to put on about 15 or 20 pounds for next year."

But what Mathis lacks in size, he makes up for in speed. Clocked at a blazing 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, he is as fast as virtually everybody on the field in most games, which has allowed him to makes tackles all over the field.

"I'd say my quickness and speed are my biggest strengths, and I think I also really know the game, where things are going to be at," he said.

Mathis earned junior-college All-American honors last season at Blinn Community College in Texas, where he was technically a safety but played much the same type of position he is performing at Southeast.

"We played a 4-4 defense and I was like a rover, like a strong safety-linebacker, which is pretty much what I'm doing now," he explained.

A native of Texas who actually played his high school football in Lawton, Okla., Mathis was recruited out of junior college by the likes of Texas Tech and Mississippi State, but those schools eventually backed off because of academic questions.

"They kind of backed off, but SEMO was recruiting me and I decided I wanted to come here after visiting," he said. "I like it. The campus is nice, it's all together, so it's really easy to get around."

Even though the bigger football programs had questions about Mathis academically, the mass communications major is proud to point out that he's doing well in the classroom at Southeast.

"I'm passing all my classes and things are going very well," he said with a smile.

While Mathis is pleased with his individual play so far this season, he is naturally disappointed that the Indians' record is only 3-6. But he is encouraged that Southeast has had a chance at several more victories and believes that better days lie ahead.

"I thought we were going to do better this year. I'm disappointed, because we could have played better, but we're going to try to win these last two games," said Mathis, pointing to Saturday's game at Southwest Missouri and the Nov. 18 finale at Tennessee State. "And next year, I think we can be really good. All we need is a few more players."

Preferably the caliber of Mathis.