McDowell says he'll be healthy, ready for opener

Although he has been limited in his throwing during the first few days of practice -- and sat out Saturday's first scrimmage of the preseason entirely -- Southeast Missouri State University quarterback Jeromy McDowell doesn't appear concerned.

McDowell, whose right shoulder is still not at full strength following surgery in January that forced him to miss spring drills, said he's confident he'll be 100 percent well in advance of the Indians' season opener Aug. 29 against Arkansas-Monticello.

"It's more of a cautionary thing," McDowell said following Saturday's scrimmage in which he helped run the chains while dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. "I threw the first few days of practice and it's just a little sore right now. I don't have any pain, just soreness. I just need to get the strength totally back.

"I don't want it to get any worse. I want to be ready for the season. I'm confident I will be."

Southeast coach Tim Billings also seemed confident, but issued a subtle warning.

"Until he's full go, you're always a little concerned," Billings said. "But it's more of a cautionary thing. Structurally, he's fine, it's just that the muscles in the shoulder are fatigued. He just needs to build the strength back up."

McDowell, who also had knee surgery in early January, said he never felt his throwing shoulder was quite right last year.

Still, that didn't prevent McDowell from having a record-setting season as a redshirt freshman. The former three-time all-stater at North County High School in Bonne Terre, Mo., completed 155 of 288 passes for 2,051 yards -- the most ever by a Southeast freshman quarterback. He had 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

"Jeromy had a great season for a freshman, but he was pretty much hurt all year," Billings said. "Once he gets all the strength in his shoulder back, he should be fine. Being healthy should make a big difference for him."

While Billings plans on having McDowell ready to start the season, he also has plenty of confidence in his other two quarterbacks.

Jack Tomco is a strong-armed junior-college transfer who threw for 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College last season. Jeff East, who redshirted last year, is a nifty scrambler who figures to give the Indians' offense something of a change of pace at times even if McDowell is healthy.

"I feel like we've got three really good quarterbacks," Billings said. "Jeromy is our starter, but I wouldn't hesitate to use the other two."

With McDowell out, Tomco and East split time for most of Saturday's two-hour scrimmage. Both had their moments, Tomco throwing two touchdown passes and East scrambling for plenty of yardage.

"They both did some good things and some bad things," Billings said. "But they're going to keep getting better."