YOUNG QBs DISPLAY THEIR ELUSIVE TALENTS

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- In a duel of impressive quarterbacks Thursday night, Marshall's Byron Leftwich made a dazzling debut while Southeast Missouri State University's Rashad West picked up right where he left off last season.

Leftwich, a redshirt sophomore making his first career start, might never make Thundering Herd fans forget Chad Pennington, who led Marshall to a 13-0 record last year and was a first-round NFL draft pick as well as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

But Leftwich, who had attempted just 24 passes previously at Marshall, did a pretty good Pennington imitation, completing 13 of 20 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder also broke off an early 32-yard run that led to the Thundering Herd's first score during their 63-7 romp.

"Leftwich proved to be one heck of a quarterback," said Southeast coach Tim Billings. "We couldn't tackle him and he made good decisions."

Leftwich wasn't quite as impressed with his performance, saying, "I think I could have done a lot better. I think I missed some guys (receivers) I should have hit."

West, meanwhile, displayed the quick feet and elusive scrambling ability that befuddled opposing defenses late last season and led the Indians to their only three victories after he was finally inserted into the lineup.

The 5-11, 220-pound junior rushed for a game-high 82 yards on 17 carries and he completed 10 of 20 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. He also drew rave reviews from Marshall coach Bob Pruett.

"He's a great player and he made some great plays," said Pruett of West. "He can play in any league."

West, while disappointed that the game turned into a complete blowout even though the Indians hung tough for much of the first half, said Southeast can still benefit from the contest.

"They wore us down with their depth, but I think we can build on some of the positives in the first half," he said.

Adding to the impressive numbers of both quarterbacks is the fact they did their damage in a little more than one half of play. To avoid potential injury, Leftwich and West were replaced by backups midway through the third quarter after Marshall had gone ahead 35-7.

"Those were two very impressive quarterbacks," said Billings as he sat next to West during the post-game press conference. "This one here did a heck of a job. He's going to help us win some games.:

* Among running backs, Iven Brown was Southeast's leader, gaining 33 yards on five carries. Byron White added 21 yards on eight attempts.

Corey Chester led the Indians in receptions with four, for 39 yards. Leslie Weaver, who scored Southeast's touchdown, and Tarik Simpson both caught two passes.

Defensively, according to unofficial pressbox statistics after the game, end Charlie Sorter led the Indians in tackles with 10 while defensive back Demar Winston had nine and linebacker Sturg Cumberford eight.

Linebacker Corey Mathis was credited with Southeast's lone quarterback sack while he and Cumberford were each credited with two tackles for losses.

* Southeast suffered three injuries of note Thursday, punter Jason Witczak and offensive lineman Mike Green banging up knees and linebacker Asim Thomas dislocating an elbow.

Witczak was actually hurt in pre-game warmups. He punted during the first half but was obviously hobbled and did not play in the second half.

The severity of the three injuries were not immediately known following the contest.

* Mark Blissett, a Sikeston High School product who had been listed as the Indians' starting running back, missed the game with an injured ankle that had been bothering him for the past couple of weeks.

Also out were last year's leading rusher K.D. Koleosho, who has been slow to recover from offseason knee surgery; defensive tackle James Jennette, who has a broken hand; and defensive tackle Chad Gwilliam, who is out for the year with disc herniation in the cervical spine.

* The Indians recently learned that two players are academically ineligible and will miss the season.

Ineligible are tight end Kollie Moore and defensive back Ed McCray, both juniors. Moore, a junior-college transfer who fell just short of qualifying, was being counted on to help bolster a position that lacks depth.

* While the Marshall University Stadium crowd of 30,225 was virtually all pro-Thundering Herd, Southeast did have approximately 100 supporters on hand, most of them relatives of players.

The Indians also had the support of the school's marching band, cheerleaders and sundancers spirit group, who all made the nearly 500-mile trip to Huntington.