Southeast Missouri State's offense sputtered a good part of last season before surging toward the end.

The Redhawks hope to click from the outset this year, which would help the squad improve on a 2-9 record.

"We kept the defense on the field way too much last year," said junior quarterback Matt Scheible, noting Southeast's average time of possession of 27 minutes, 6 seconds, which ranked last in the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference. "I definitely think our offense can click from the start this year. We just have to execute the plays."

Southeast returns seven offensive starters from a unit that averaged 36.5 points and 418.5 yards over the final two games, a 49-13 rout of OVC rival Murray State and a competitive 42-24 loss to Southern Illinois, at the time ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA.

Before the Murray contest, which accounted for Southeast's lone OVC win, the Redhawks averaged less than 14 points in their first seven conference games.

Scheible is the OVC's No. 2 returning passer, while senior tailback Henry Harris is the league's No. 2 returning rusher.

A position-by-position look at Southeast's offense:

Quarterback

Scheible, the all-OVC preseason signal caller, finished as Southeast's second-leading rusher last year with 487 yards while scoring four touchdowns. He completed 49.6 percent of his passes for 1,596 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Scheible rushed for 103 yards while completing 53.3 percent of his passes for 343 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the last two games.

True freshman Tyler Peoples, along with redshirt freshmen Zach Levy and Derek Gibson, are battling for backup positions behind Scheible.

Running back

Harris led the Redhawks with 720 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He added 13 receptions, fourth on the team.

Senior Mike Jones is listed at fullback, but he also will be used plenty at tailback. The 240-pound banger was Southeast's third-leading rusher last year with 463 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns.

Sophomore tailback Renard Celestin gained 84 yards on 10 attempts.

Senior Nathan Grass, who primarily has played on special teams the past three years, should get plenty of time at fullback this season.

Wide receiver

Two of last year's top three receivers return.

Junior Chantae Ahamefule, Southeast's tallest receiver at 6 foot 6, was No. 2 on the Redhawks with 28 receptions for 365 yards (13.0 average) and three touchdowns.

Senior Miles Edwards was No. 3, catching 26 passes for 368 yards (14.2 average) and four touchdowns. He is tied for third at Southeast with 14 career receiving touchdowns.

Junior Cedric Cox averaged 17.4 yards on seven receptions, one for a touchdown.

Junior Aaron King caught two passes for 15 yards.

Among other receivers battling for playing time are sophomore Ola Alli and redshirt freshmen D.J. Foster and D.T. Lesane.

Tight end

Southeast's tight ends primarily were used as blockers last year.

Senior Bradley Brown is the only returning tight end who had a reception in 2009 as he caught three passes for 84 yards (28.0 average) during an injury-plagued season.

Redshirt freshman Art Mueller also figures to receive plenty of playing time.

Line

Three full-time starters return from a unit that helped Southeast rank 16th nationally in rushing offense while tying for second in the OVC in sacks allowed with 14 last year.

Senior left guard Frank Knights, senior center Sean Middleton and sophomore left tackle Evan Conrad anchor the line. Conrad stepped in as a true freshman last year.

Southeast has holes to fill on the right side of the line. Penciled in as the starters on the most recent depth chart are senior tackle Brandon Harris and senior guard Bryan Curry, who both have considerable experience.

Other linemen with experience are junior Armin Blagajcevic and sophomores Dominic Maldonado and Matt Shannon.