SOUTHEAST'S HIGH HOPES WITHER INTO 2-5 RECORD

What started out as a season full of optimism and hope has turned into a fight for survival to simply reach even a moderate level of respectability.

That's the situation Southeast Missouri State University's football team finds itself in with four games remaining to the 1997 campaign.

Standing at 2-5 overall and 1-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play after Saturday's 55-6 loss at Middle Tennessee State, the Indians can no longer have the type of season head coach John Mumford thought was possible way back in August when fall drills began.

Even a simple winning record of 6-5 rates as a longshot right now since the Indians would have to win their last four games -- including beating powerful Eastern Kentucky in two weeks.

Mumford, speaking at his weekly media conference Monday, acknowledged that he expected a much better year. He also emphasized that everybody associated with the program must continue to work hard in order to try and salvage something out of the season.

"It's not the season we wanted or thought we would have by any means," said Mumford. "But the next four games are critical. They are all winnable, but we're not a team that can play bad and win.

"Every week we just have to take it one game at a time. The coaches and players all have to keep their heads up. I know the coaches are still working hard."

Saturday's game at winless Austin Peay will be the Indians' final road contest of the season. Southeast will close out the campaign with three straight home games, against Eastern Kentucky, Southern Illinois and Tennessee State.

In assessing the chances of closing the season strong, Eastern Kentucky is probably the only team left on the schedule that should rate as a solid favorite against the Indians.

Southeast will be heavily favored to beat Austin Peay, which has downgraded its program to the non-scholarship level, while the SIU and Tennessee State games should at worst be rated tossups.

So Mumford is close to right when he says the last four games are winnable; three certainly are while beating Eastern Kentucky would definitely rate as a big upset.

Of course, just about everybody thought the Middle Tennessee game was also a very winnable one since the Raiders are experiencing one of their worst seasons in years. Instead, it turned out to be one of the Indians' worst defeats since they moved up to Division I-AA in 1991.

"We were very flat emotionally. Why we were so mentally flat is beyond me," Mumford said of the 55-6 loss that marked the most points Southeast has given up on the Division I-AA level.

Mumford said that the Indians' main order of business this week is to straighten out their own problems.

"Even more than worrying about Austin Peay, we have to take care of ourselves first," he said. "We need to get our problems straightened out."

* Wide receiver and punt returner Marcus McKinley, who along with linebacker Zuri Buchanan was suspended prior to the Middle Tennessee game for violation of team policy, has been reinstated for this week's game.

Buchanan remains suspended indefinitely. Mumford has not said whether there is a chance Buchanan will be reinstated at some point but all indications are that the sophomore transfer is through for the season and there is a strong possibility he won't ever play for the Indians again.

Mumford will not say what team policy the players violated. He said after the Middle Tennessee game: "It's something that had to be done. I'm not going to get specific, but they violated team rules."

* Southeast's previously sturdy defense took a major hit by allowing 539 yards against Middle Tennessee.

Prior to that contest, the Indians' defense ranked 16th nationally against the rush and 18th nationally in total defense. Now Southeast is ranked 37th in rush defense and 43rd in total defense.

* Austin Peay, which no longer competes in OVC football but has remained in the league for all other sports, is 0-7 after losing to Eastern Illinois 42-14.

The Governors rank near the bottom of the national I-AA statistics in total offense (230 yards per game) and total defense (484 yards per game). They've been outscored 314-83, including 240-27 the last five games.