Oct. 17, 2001

Heading into this season, the Southeast coaching staff was not sure which of its three quarterbacks would be taking the majority of the snaps this season. Unlike previous seasons, the Indians were lucky enough to have three signal callers who could step in and make a contribution. A preseason knee injury to Rashad West eliminated him from contention and when the practice battle ended, redshirt freshman Jeromy McDowell ended up as number one on the depth chart.

McDowell began his career as an Indian after a standout career at North County High in Bonne Terre, Mo. He was a three-time All-Missouri selection and posted outstanding numbers throughout his career and especially during his senior campaign when he threw for 23 touchdowns and completed 63% of his passes. The 23 touchdowns in a season rank as ninth best all-time in the state of Missouri. "It was a lot of fun to play in high school and I miss it sometimes," McDowell said. "My high school coaches really prepared me well for what was to come in college."

When McDowell did get to the Southeast campus it was the help of the Indian coaches and a redshirt season that aided in his adjustment to the collegiate level. "I really appreciate what the Southeast coaches did when I first got here," McDowell said when asked about being a young quarterback. "The redshirt season was great. I got to sit back and watch Rashad and Bobby and see how they handled the offense. That really enabled me to get a grasp on things and that has definitely helped me this season."

After being named the starter, McDowell credits the trust of his teammates as an important factor in his success. "I have complete trust in the all of the guys and they have believed in me since I was named the starter," said McDowell. "They have really made it easier on me and allowed me to come along."

And come along McDowell has. Entering this weekend's game he is only 29 yards shy of breaking the all-time Southeast freshman passing record, currently held by the uncle of his backup. Lance Brune threw for 1,273 yards 31 years ago for the football Indians. McDowell currently has thrown for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns in seven games this season. Those are pretty impressive numbers considering that injuries limited his action in two of those games and torrential wind and rain hampered the Indians high-octane passing game a week ago in Charleston, Ill.

At times this season, McDowell has been in a zone. In the Southern Illinois game, McDowell threw for a school record 391 yards breaking the previous record set by Jeff Brown 16 years ago. All but 74 of those yards came in the second half. If you combine the second half of the SIU game and first half of the Southwest Missouri game a week later, McDowell completed 30-45 passes for 567 yards and six touchdowns in four quarters. "It was a great feeling to be in that zone and I strive for that every week. We just had the right people in the right situation at the right time."

McDowell also contributes a lot of his success to two key groups of individuals. "Without the offensive line and the great receiving core we have, none of this would be possible," McDowell added. "Although young, the offensive line has played great this season. They have improved every week and have given me the opportunity to stay in the pocket and make plays."

As for his receivers, the three-option attack of Curtis Cooper, Willie Ponder and Adrian Sanders is a quarterback's dream. "With Willie you just try to get him the ball any way that you can and let him do what he does best ... miss tackles and make big plays," McDowell said. "Adrian always runs great routes each and every play. I can always count on him getting downfield and making something happen. And Curtis is seemingly always open coming out of the backfield. Sometimes the defensive backs lose sight of him and he is there to get the ball to make big plays."

Having options like Cooper, Ponder and Sanders and being able to throw the ball forty times a game makes the Southeast offense a great fit for Jeromy. "It's a quarterback's dream to play here. But I think the running game is also very important. Curtis's ground attack opens up the pass and our passing opens up the run which helps make us successful"

The only thing that has limited McDowell this season is a knee injury that has limited his action in several games. The injury is the first serious injury of his playing career. "My knee is getting better every week and it should be at 100% by the end of the season. But its great to have someone like Bobby to back me up. That really takes a lot of pressure off of me. I know if something happens and he has to come in than we will be fine. The team really has confidence in both me and Bobby."

"Jeromy is done an outstanding job of leading our football team," Coach Tim Billings said. "He has posted some impressive passing statistics but they have suffered the last few weeks because of his knee injury. His knee is getting better every week and so I expect him to have some big passing numbers in the final four games of the season. The thing I like about Jeromy is his presence of the field and his ability to see the whole field. He is a natural leader."

What does the future hold for McDowell at Southeast? In Jeromy's opinion, great things are coming for Southeast football. "As a team, we have our sights set on winning the OVC Championship," McDowell said. "There is no doubt in my mind that we can achieve it and I even have higher goals than that. We want to finish this season strong and build for the bright future at Southeast."