As young as the 1998 football season is, the Jackson Indians are feeling the urgent need to taste victory.

After winning 42 of 50 games the last four seasons, the Indians are 0-2 heading into their game against Perryville tonight. Kickoff is 7:30 at Jackson High School.

"This is not a comfortable feeling for us," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "Hell, I don't like losing a game of H.O.R.S.E. I know I've lost sleep and had upset stomachs. I haven't wanted to go out in public."

The Indians have lost to Sikeston (17-14) and Sumner (38-26) to open the season. They played poorly in the first half of the Sikeston game and lost the Sumner game in an atrocious eight-minute stretch in the third quarter.

Perryville is a beatable opponent, but one which can dish out a beating.

"What concerns me about them is that they could line up and mash us," Gross said. "They're bigger than us on the line of scrimmage.

"Perryville's much more disciplined on the line of scrimmage, but they don't have the Corvettes in the backfield like Sumner. In one case, you're getting cut with a sharp knife, and in the other case, you're getting cut by a dull knife."

The cut of the dull knife is slower and more painful.

Perryville, 1-1 with a 21-0 win over Farmington and a 27-7 loss to Ste. Genevieve, can grind the ball on the ground. Quarterback Derek Cattoor, halfbacks Joel Heuring and Matt Jenkins and fullback Andy Haertling are all averaging over four yards-per-carry in the Pirates' option offense.

"Jackson's not quite as diversified (as Ste. Genevieve) and they don't have quite as much speed," Perryville coach Jerry Tucker said. "But being 0-2, you know they're going to be fired up and ready to go."

Perryville finished 4-6 last year.

"We came into the year saying that if we could get out of the first three games 2-1, we'd have a start on a good season," Tucker said. "If we play well (tonight), it can set the tone for the rest of the season."

Jackson can play smashmouth football; Todd Wessel has run for over 350 yards this season. But the Indians' Chris Freeman (110 passing yards last week) will be called upon to throw occasionally, and Jackson will mix it up defensively.

"We're going to have to move our people," Gross said. "To line up toe-to-toe with them wouldn't be smart. Defensively, we're going to have to play well on first down and put them in second-and-long situations. They don't make their living throwing the football.

"It's going to be a 48-minute dogfight. I don't look for either team to run away from the other."