Sept. 5, 2005

Southeast Missouri State at Kent State

Date: Sept. 10, 2005

Time: 3:00 p.m. (CDT)

Location: Dix Stadium, Kent, Ohio (29,287)

Affiliations: Kent State, I-A, Mid American Conference

Southeast Missouri, I-AA, Ohio Valley Conference

2004 Records: Kent State 5-6, Southeast Missouri 3-8

2005 Records: Kent State 0-1, Southeast Missouri 0-1

The Coaches: Tim Billings is 23-35 in his sixth season at Southeast Missouri

Doug Martin is 5-7 in his second season at KSU

Radio: Southeast Radio Network anchored by K-103 FM in Cape Girardeau. Other network stations include KSIM in Sikeston and KWOC in Poplar Bluff. Erik Sean will do play-by-play with Ron Hines as the color analyst.

Internet: Southeast Radio Network broadcast can be heard over the internet at www.k103fm.com.

www.GoSoutheast.com

THE TEAMS: Both teams are 0-1 with Southeast Missouri losing at home to nationally ranked Southern Illinois, 58-23 while Kent State lost at Michigan State, 49-14. Southeast was 3-8 last season while KSU was 5-6.

THE COACHES: Tim Billings, a former assistant at Marshall, Missouri and Oklahoma, is 23-35 in his sixth season at Southeast. He was the 2002 OVC Coach of the Year and the 2002 AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year.

Doug Martin is 5-7 in his second season at Kent State.

THE SERIES: First Meeting

SOUTHEAST 0-MAC: Southeast is 0-6 vs. Mid American Conference teams since 2000. The Redhawks have played at Marshall, at Eastern Michigan twice, at Ohio, at Bowling Green and at Central Michigan without winning. Lambuth @ Tenn. Tech

INJURIES: Starting running back Austen Collins was injured on the second play of the opener and is out for the season. He is expected to undergo knee surgery later this week.

TEAM ELECTS CAPTAINS: The team has elected four captains. The offensive captains are quarterback Mike Haley and wide receiver T.J. Milcic. Defensive captains are defensive end Edgar Jones and defensive safety Mike Miller.

HALEY IS THE QB: Senior Mike Haley will be the starting quarterback at Kent State. He started the opener and was 19-35 for 223 yards and one TD with two interceptions. Junior Kevin Ballatore also saw action completing 8-16 passes for 61 yards and one TD.

BIG TARGETS: Southeast quarterbacks have a pair of tall targets. Tight end Joseph Tuineau (6-8, 280) had four catches for 43 yards in the opener while T.J. Milcic (6-5, 200) had three catches for 86 yards including a 71 yard touchdown reception.

HOLLOMAN IMPRESSIVE: True freshman running back Tim Holloman was pressed into duty when Austen Collins was injured on the second play of the game. Holloman, who rushed for 1,673 yards and 16 TD's last season at Edgewater High School in Orlando, Fla., had seven carries for 43 yards with a long of 20 yards. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

HICKS PICKS: Redshirt freshman Monroe Hicks had one interception returned 47 yards for a touchdown in the SIU game. He also broke up a pass and recorded two tackles.

TAYLOR TOP TACKLER: Junior college transfer D'Eldrick Taylor was the top tackler in the season opener. He had five solo tackles and three assist for a team-high total of eight.

SIMONHOFF IS CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICAN: Junior punter David Simonhoff is a consensus first team preseason All-American. He was a second team All-America pick last season when he ranked second nationally in punting with a Southeast and OVC record of 46 yards per punt.

Simonhoff had two punts blocked in the season opener vs. SIU and averaged just 38.2 yards per punt. He had six punts with a long of 58 with one inside the 20.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ON ACTIVE DUTY IN IRAQ: Damon Bradford, football defensive coordinator at Southeast Missouri State University, is on active duty with the Tennessee National Guard serving in Baghdad, Iraq.

Bradford, who joined the Southeast staff prior to the start of spring drills in 2004, previously served as linebacker coach at Tennessee Tech.

A veteran of 16 years in the Army and National Guard, Bradford reported for active duty on June 20, 2004 and has spent his entire deployment in Baghdad.

He is a First Lieutenant and Executive Officer of the 278 Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Bradford's position at Southeast will be kept vacant until his tour of duty is completed

NEW COACHES: Southeast has five new coaches. Joe Dan Rogers (defensive backs), Rip Flippo (quarterbacks) and C.L. Miller III (defensive ends) joined the staff prior to spring practice while Derek Hill (defensive tackles) and Steve Canter (tight ends) joined the staff prior to the start of fall drills.

The only holdovers from last year's staff are assistant head coach Kip Shaw (running backs), Mike Chavez (offensive line), and Rob Likens (offensive coordinator).

REDHAWKS PICKED EIGHTH IN OVC: Southeast has been picked to finish eighth in the OVC in a preseason poll of league head coaches and sports information directors. Jacksonville State is picked to win the OVC with Eastern Kentucky second and Murray State third.

THREE REDHAWKS IN THE NFL: Three former Southeast players are on NFL rosters.

Willie Ponder, a consensus All-American wide receiver at Southeast, is with the New York Giants after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft. Last season he led the NFL in kickoff returns.

Eugene Amano, the 2003 Rimington Award winner as the top center in I-AA football, is with the Tennessee Titans after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2003 draft. He is a backup at both guard positions for the Titans.

Offensive lineman Dan Connolly signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars immediately after the 2004 draft. He is listed as a backup guard with the Jaguars.

TELEVISION GAME: The Redhawks game at Samford on Thursday, Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m., will be televised live nationally on ESPNU.

BILLINGS ON TELEVISION: Southeast Missouri Football with Tim Billings is televised weekly on UPN-The Beat. Todd Richards hosts the show that airs at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday.

Tim Billings RADIO SHOW: Tim Billings has a one-hour radio show each Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The show is broadcast live from Port Cape Girardeau on ESPN Radio, 1220 AM. Erik Sean is host for the show that also includes call-ins and audience participation.

NEXT WEEK: Southeast will play rival Missouri State in Springfield. The kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The next home game is the OVC opener against Jacksonville State on Sept. 24, 6 p.m.