SOUTHEAST LOOKS FOR BETTER START OUT OF THE BLOCKS

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Last Saturday, Southeast Missouri State University's football team played its first road game of the season -- and very nearly pulled out an upset victory over Eastern Illinois.

Today, the Indians will be looking to finish the job on the road as they take on Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Tech in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Tucker Stadium.

"It's going to be another tough road game for us," said Southeast head coach John Mumford. "But I think it's a great opportunity for us is we can come out awake at the kickoff and play a complete game."

That latest comment was in reference to last Saturday's 35-33 loss to nationally-ranked Eastern Illinois. The Indians fell behind 22-0 in the first quarter, later trailed 29-3 and were still behind 32-13 early in the fourth quarter.

But redshirt freshman quarterback Bobby Brune led a remarkable comeback over the final 10 minutes that produced a 33-32 Southeast lead in the late going. The Panthers, however, kicked a field goal in the closing seconds to win 35-33.

"We just have to make sure we start the game a lot better than we did last week," Mumford said. "I don't know why we came out like we did, but we can't afford to do that again."

Southeast (2-3 overall, 1-2 OVC) and Tech (1-3, 0-2) are both sorely in need of a victory if either team has any hope of finishing in the top part of the conference standings.

The Indians have already lost to conference powerhouses Murray State and Eastern Illinois. The Golden Eagles have already lost to Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee, which slipped past Tech 19-16 last Saturday in Cookeville.

"Tech is coming off some of the same frustrations we are," said Mumford. "They're kind of in the same situation we are. Every game is important."

The Eagles feature the league's top defense statistically, allowing an average of just 254 yards per game. Tech is also first in OVC rushing defense (114 yards per game) and scoring defense (17.5 points per game).

Leading the Tech defense are end Jerry Turner (three quarterback sacks, nine tackles for loss), tackle Eddie Arnell (three sacks), end Brannon Vaughn (two sacks), linebacker Gabe Villarreal (five tackles for loss) and rover Josha Symonette (35 tackles).

"They're an excellent football team with a very active, athletic defense," said Mumford. "They have held everybody down in scoring and their defensive fronts is one of the best in the OVC. We've had two straight games with well over 400 yards of offense, so something will have to give."

The Eagles are not quite as impressive offensively, ranking sixth in the OVC with 270 yards per game. The Eagles are third in passing (180 yards per game) but last in rushing (91 yards per game).

Still, the Eagles have plenty of offensive weapons. Quarterback Michael Peeples has completed 57 percent of his passes (49 of 86) for 514 yards. Walter Hill averages 13 yards on his 15 receptions and tailback Jerome Tillman has gained 259 yards.

Like Tech, Southeast has sported a stout defense so far, ranking second in total defense by allowing an average of 299 yards per game.

The Indians have been more proficient than the Eagles offensively so far, gaining 349 yards a game to rank third in the OVC. And over the last two weeks, Southeast has piled up more than 950 yards of offense.

"They're probably very confident in their offense right now," said Tech coach Mike Hennigan. "They have big-play capabilities."

Hennigan said he came away impressed with the Indians' big comeback against Eastern Illinois.

"It tells us they're going to fight for 60 minutes and they never feel like they're out of the game," he said.

Brune, the Indians' young quarterback, had a remarkable second-half performance last week, passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 80 yards as he led Southeast's comeback.

Junior Kevin Seto has started the last three games at quarterback, with Brune also seeing action. In an effort to keep Tech off balance as much as possible, Mumford said he will wait until game day to name his starter.

But there appears to be a strong possibility that Brune will get the nod against the Eagles.

SEMO at Tennessee Tech

When: Today, 1 p.m.

Where: Tucker Stadium, Cookeville, Tenn.

Records: SEMO 2-3, 1-2 OVC; TT 1-3, 0-2 OVC

1997 records: SEMO 4-7; TT 6-5

Last Week: SEMO lost to Eastern Illinois 35-33; TT lost to Middle Tennessee 19-16

Coaches: John Mumford (SEMO) 36-57, 9th year; Mike Hennigan (TT) 12-14, 3rd year

Series record: TT leads 4-3

Last meeting: TT won 17-14 in 1997

Radio: K103-FM

SEMO at Tennessee Tech

Probable Starters

SEMO Offense

TE - Mitch Fryer 6-2 240 Sr.

LT - Ian Walters 6-3 280 Jr.

LG - James Williams 6-2 275 Sr.

C - Chris Kiefer 6-3 270 Jr.

RG - Jessie Eaton 6-3 320 Sr.

RT - Carlos DeJesus 6-3 300 Sr.

WR - Corey Chester 5-11 175 So.

WR - Dante Bryant 6-1 190 Sr.

QB - Kevin Seto 6-4 210 Jr.

(or) Bobby Brune 6-4 205 Fr.

FB - Broderick Benson 5-10 215 Jr.

TB - K.D. Koleosho 5-10 195 Jr.

PK - Nick Reggio 5-10 175 Jr.

SEMO Defense

DL - Troy Baglio 6-1 280 Sr.

DL - Marcus McClellan 6-3 250 Sr.

DL - Jason DeWolf 6-3 250 Fr.

DL - Brad Richardson 6-2 255 Jr.

LB - Gabe Jenkins 6-0 230 Sr.

LB - David Bowling 6-0 210 Jr.

LB - Kevin Meachem 6-2 215 Sr.

CB - Fred Hambrick 5-10 185 Sr.

CB - Brian Hinton 5-10 180 Jr.

FS - Isaac Powell 6-1 180 So.

SS - John Smith 6-1 190 Jr.

P - Justin Keen 6-5 180 Fr.

TT Defense

DL - Jerry Turner 6-2 245 Jr.

DL - Eddie Arnell 6-5 280 Sr.

DL - Josh Harris 6-1 247 Sr.

DL - Branon Vaughn 6-1 229 Jr.

LB - Jordan Holbrook 6-3 210 Fr.

LB - Gabe Vilarreal 6-2 229 Jr.

LB - Jeff Hunnicutt 6-0 217 Jr.

CB - Virgil Kirkland 5-11 160 Sr.

CB - Reggie Knighten 5-10 170 Jr.

FS - Corey Chamblin 5-11 189 Sr.

SS - Joshua Symonette 6-0 210 Jr.

P - Andy Dorsey 5-11 200 So.

TT Offense

TE - Brad Taylor 6-3 222 Sr.

LT - Andrew McGraw 6-5 296 So.

LG - Mark Williams 6-1 274 Jr.

C - Gabe Teeple 6-0 264 Sr.

RG - Brian Wolfe 6-4 304 So.

RT - Wes Gallagher 6-2 278 Jr.

WR - Walter Hill 6-2 177 Jr.

WR - Brian Jackson 6-2 201 Jr.

QB - Michael Peeples 6-5 216 So.

FB - T.J. Christian 5-11 220 Sr.

TB - Jerome Tillman 5-7 178 So.

K - David Collett 6-1 190 Fr.