Amid the milestone wins and the dramatic finishes, Southeast Missouri State University's football program looks like it's on course to win the other battle.

The battle of perception.

The perception that Southeast -- where must-see football games and big football seasons are about as regular as July snow storms -- doesn't win.

The perception that it doesn't pay to buy what this floundering program is selling.

It's an obstacle familiar to plenty of NCAA Division I-AA programs. There's no widespread television exposure; no chance for fans in team-colored body paint to jump up and down behind Lee Corso on the ESPN College Gameday set and wave a homemade sign; no influx of Internet sites designed to pay homage to a program that leaves its community no choice but to be on the bandwagon and buy into the fervor.

But give the Indians credit -- they're doing their part.

A team picked to scrape the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference barrel this season already is 2-0 in the league, 5-2 overall. They won for the first time against a Division I-A opponent -- Middle Tennessee State -- in Week 5. They beat Southern Illinois -- now No. 25 nationally -- in Week 2. They survived a double-overtime opener against Division II Arkansas-Monticello that now seems more like an aberration than a football game.

Southeast coach Tim Billings contends the Indians have turned the corner and are marching up the street toward prominence. It's a road, he argues, that should someday intersect with stadium and facility improvements. Generating excitement through an OVC-winning season could do wonders for Billings' goal of turning Houck Stadium into a field of dreams.

Truth is, Southeast hasn't had this kind of start since 1994. The Indians will be 6-2 for the first time since 1977 if they beat Eastern Illinois in Saturday's homecoming game, already being called by some the biggest football game in Southeast history. The attendance record of 11,015 set in 1999 may be in its final days.

It could be years before we see whether a 5-2 start can translate into a long-term success, whether wins over programs like Middle Tennessee and Eastern Illinois will lead to a full bandwagon of support -- something Southeast football has seen little of.

And it still could be years before Tennessee-Martin decides to not schedule Southeast for its own homecoming.

Old habits, as they say, are hard to break.

Sports people do odd things. Add this to that list: Because of an oversight, part of the story that appeared on Southeast's Derek Winans was left out of Wednesday's edition. It is being reprinted in today's edition. At last check, it's all there. This time.

To our readers, to the reporter and to Derek, I offer my apology.

On a positive note, Wednesday's anomaly could make that edition a keepsake. I have a Sharpie in my sock if you'd like it autographed.

Jamie Hall is the sports editor of the Southeast Missourian