SOUTHEAST TO CONDUCT ITS SPRING SCRIMMAGE

Due to a shortage of offensive linemen, Southeast Missouri State University's annual spring football game won't really be a game at all.

But the scrimmage that will mark the end of spring drills, set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Houck Stadium, will still allow fans to get a final look at the Indians before fall practice begins in August.

"We would love for everybody to come out and take an early look at next year's team," said Southeast coach Tim Billings. "The fans will get a chance to meet the players and it will be a fun time."

The Indians have only five healthy offensive linemen, which Billings said makes it virtually impossible to have an actual game. But he promises plenty of action to keep the fans satisfied.

"We'll have an offense vs. defense controlled scrimmage with about 100 plays," Billings said. "We'll have a scoring system that will enable the defense to score and give us a game-type atmosphere.

"It's going to be a fun kind of scrimmage, but it's also one last time for us (the coaching staff) to evaluate our players, especially the young ones, to see how they react in a game situation. You can do well in practice, but it all boils down to what you do on Saturdays."

As Billings has said throughout the spring, he has been pleased with the progress his second Southeast team has made.

"I feel really good about how far we've come," he said. "I feel like we're way ahead of where we were at this time last year as far as knowing what to do, knowing our offensive and defensive systems.

"Our new players and the players who were redshirted last season have been able to come in and fill a lot of the holes we had."

Although the Indians went just 3-8 in Billings' first season at Southeast last year, they were in most of those losses until the fourth quarter. Billings believes improved size and strength will afford the Indians a better chance at remaining competitive until the very end of games next season.

"I feel like we've gotten a lot stronger and a lot more athletic," Billings said. "In most of our games last year, we were in the game with a chance to win going into the fourth quarter. We just got wore down a lot. I feel like we'll be able to be a lot more competitive late in games."

Billings thinks the Indians have improved at most positions since last fall and he hopes their current problem areas of offensive line depth and the kicking game will be shored up once most of the freshmen recruits arrive in August. Southeast has no kickers or punters currently in camp.

"I feel like we'll have a good offensive line. They're doing well right now, but we just don't have enough of them," he said. "We signed the guys and some of them will have to help us right away. We signed eight (offensive linemen) and at least four will have to come in and play.

"With the kicking game, we've got no kickers or punters on campus. I feel like we'll be fine there, but until you get them in here, you never know."