Struggling preseason favorite pays visit today

~ Perennial power Eastern Kentucky brings in a 1-3 conference record after being picked to win the OVC.

Sure, Eastern Kentucky has been by far the Ohio Valley Conference's most disappointing team.

But Southeast Missouri State coach Tony Samuel accurately points out that the Colonels are still the talent-filled squad that was the preseason choice to win the OVC championship.

So Samuel expects his Redhawks (3-3, 1-2) to have their hands full today when EKU (2-5, 1-3) visits Houck Stadium at 1 p.m. for Southeast's homecoming game.

"They're a very good football team, one of the class teams in the league," Samuel said. "They're not a team that's going to back down and give up."

EKU lost just one league game last year and finished second. With many of the key players from that team returning -- led by OVC offensive player of the year Josh Greco at quarterback -- the Colonels were picked first in the preseason by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

But the Colonels have already lost three OVC games, putting them seventh in the nine-team conference and basically eliminating them from title contention halfway through the league schedule.

"We started off with great expectations and great potential," EKU coach Danny Hope acknowledged. "We went through some tough times through the course of the season ... but we don't have the time to wallow in self pity or to feel sorry for ourselves."

With an OVC championship no longer a realistic possibility, the tradition-rich Colonels need to win their final four games to avoid their first losing season in more than 30 years.

EKU has posted 28 consecutive winning seasons and has not had a losing record since 1972.

"That's always a motivating factor. It's a pride thing," said Hope, a former EKU player. "I'm very proud of the tradition here at Eastern Kentucky. It's one of the strongest in Division I-AA football.

"It's something worth playing for. We still have everything in the world to play for."

Perhaps the two biggest reasons for EKU's problems this year have been a struggling offense and turnovers.

Last season, the Colonels led the OVC in total offense and scoring, averaging 412.3 yards and 31.5 points per game.

This year, the Colonels rank last in the conference in scoring with 15.6 points per game, and they are averaging 327.1 yards per game.

But, said Hope, "I felt we picked up some offensively the last two games {a 31-12 win at Samford on Oct. 7 and a 28-21 loss to Eastern Illinois last week, in which the Colonels trailed 28-0 in the first quarter}. Hopefully that will continue.

As for the turnovers, last year EKU ranked fourth in the OVC in turnover margin with plus two on the season.

This year, the Colonels are last at minus 11, having committed 17 turnovers while gaining only six. They rank 111th out of 116 Division I-AA teams nationally.

"The bottom line for us is cutting down on turnovers. We've turned over the football in the games we've lost," Hope said. "In order to be successful, we have to a better job of securing the football."

Greco has also struggled some. Last year, as a sophomore, he threw for 2,861 yards and 25 touchdowns, with 19 interceptions. He has thrown for 1,376 yards this year, completing 58.4 percent, but he has 11 interceptions compared to eight touchdowns.

EKU has one of the OVC's top running backs in Mark Dunn (527 yards, 4.7 per carry) and two of the better receivers in Kyle Barber (32 catches) and Patrick Bugg (25 catches). The Colonels also possess a fleet of all-star defenders.

"They're very talented," Samuel said.

Southeast almost upset EKU in Richmond, Ky., last year, but Bugg caught a 23-yard touchdown pass with 1.4 seconds remaining to stun the Redhawks 33-32.

That also marked the breakout game of Southeast tailback Tim Holloman, who as a true freshman rushed for 155 yards on 31 carries and scored four touchdowns against the Colonels.

Holloman has missed most of the last three games with an ankle injury but should play today.

"He's a great player and he had a great game against us," Hope said.

Like EKU, Southeast has struggled offensively, ranking last in the OVC with an average of 229.7 yards per game -- that is 111th nationally -- although the Redhawks are fifth in scoring at 19.2 points per contest.

"Hopefully we can get back to being a more balanced offense, like were early in the season," Samuel said.

Southeast has been just the opposite of EKU in the turnover department. The Redhawks are plus eight to lead the OVC and rank fourth nationally.

EKU leads the all-time series with Southeast 14-2, and the Colonels have never lost at Houck Stadium in seven meetings.

But Samuel knows today affords the Redhawks an opportunity to begin the second half of their season on a positive note as they try to climb the OVC standings.

Southeast, which has five games remaining -- all against conference opponents -- is in sixth place.

"The next five games will really help shape where we are," Samuel said. "They won't be easy, but these are teams we can compete with."