Nov. 16, 2002

Box Score

Cape Girardeau, Mo. (November 16, 2002) - The Southeast Missouri State Indian football team put an exclamation point on its best campaign since 1969 as they defeated the Samford Bulldogs tonight 48-24. The win pushes the Tribe's overall record to 8-4 and makes them a solid contender for a national playoff berth.

Southeast got things started as tight end Ray Goodson took a seven-yard pass from quarterback Jack Tomco for a touchdown. The play capped off a four minute scoring drive to open the game.

The two teams traded field goals moving the score up to 10-3, before Tomco hooked up with receiver Tarik Simpson on a 55 yard bomb for a touchdown with 13 minutes left in the second quarter. The play was the only one of the drive.

Samford scored once more to make the score 17-10, but that was short lived as Tomco once again hooked up through the air and hit Jamel Oliver for an 18-yard strike moving the score to 24-10.

Sophomore running back Corey Kinsey took a handoff deep in Samford territory for his only touchdown of the game making the score 31-10. Samford got another score and kicker Derek Kutz hit his second field goal of the game to push the score to 34-17 as time expired in the half.

Neither team scored until 10:31 left in the third as senior running back Keiki Misipeka concluded a nine play, 56 yard scoring drive with a two yard dive into the end zone.

That would be the rest of the scoring for that period but as the fourth quarter opened up, back up quarterback Jeff East came into give Tomco the rest of the night off. After a few running plays, he faded back and found wide receiver Willie Ponder wide open in the end zone for a 34 yard touchdown. Samford would get another score but the game finished 48-24, Southeast.

The Indians put up 648 total yards on the Bulldogs defense that had allowed 105 points in its last two games. The mark was the most ever put up by a Southeast team. They had 27 first downs and as a team threw for 463 yards passing.

Kinsey rushed 24 times for 101 yards as he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark this season. He had a long of 20 yards. Tomco threw for three touchdowns and 368 yards on 20-28 in the air. The 368 yards put him over the 3,000 yard mark this season at 3,132.

Ponder had 11 catches for 195 yards and a touchdown and he set the Southeast record for total receptions in a season and set an Ohio Valley Conference record for touchdowns in a season.

Then Indians now play the waiting game and will continue to practice hoping to receive a call from the NCAA letting them know they have been selected to participate in the I-AA playoffs. The season, for now, concludes at 8-4 and is the most successful campaign as a Division I program, and best overall since 1969.