The way Ohio inside linebacker Spencer Tatum sees it, there's no good reason for a football fan in southeast Ohio not to be at Peden Stadium Thursday night.

Another Division I football season season is on the horizon as Tatum and his Bobcat teammates prepare to tackle Southeast Missouri (ranked #16 in recent 1-AA poll) at 7 p.m. in a refurbished Peden Stadium. While the new video scoreboard is a nice touch, it's the action on the field that's the real draw. The Cats are out to make it a good one for the home crowd, said Tatum.

"I think it's going to be a great game," the sophomore from Lafayette, La., said, selling the spectacle of college football. "I mean, you have guys flying all over the field, defense swarming, guys picking off passes, making turnovers. Our offense is going to be a hard-nosed, attacking football team that's going to smash it down your throat. If you don't get a kick out of that, I don't know what else you want. That's the way football is at its best."

With SEMO featuring a pass-happy offense directed by former Marshall assistant Tim Billings, the defense better be prepared to ensure Ohio doesn't lose its second consecutive game to a 1-AA opponent.

The Bobcat defense will be led by junior inside linebacker Dennis Chukwuemeka (5-11, 239), who had 116 tackles a year ago, leading the squad with 14 tackles for a loss. He'll be joined on the inside by the 6-1, 215 pound Tatum (41 tackles in 2002) and several others who should play a lot. Senior Hugh Grant returns to start at one outside linebacker spot, while redshirt freshman Tyler Russ (6-1, 200) replaces Rob Stover as the bandit linebacker. Coaches expect much the same from the instinctive, quick Russ as they received last year from Stover (2 INTs, four pass break-ups, three forced fumbles), now the starting strong safety.

Depth is the buzzword in the Ohio camp this year, and it's easier to list players on the two-deep who aren't being counted on rather than list those who are. Bobcat coaches expect to play up to six players on the defensive line, 10 at linebacker and seven or eight at defensive back. Among those players are copious amounts of playing experience to go with a smattering of newcomers like starting free safety Andre Bradford. Bradford beat out last year's starting safety, Rashad Butler, in camp, but Butler is expected to get snaps as well.

Ohio coach Brian Knorr said the defense has made strides in the second year under coach Tim DeRuyter's system, and there's no substitute for experience. Although fairly young (six seniors in the two-deep, four starting), the Ohio defense returns at least 13 players with starting experience.

Knorr and Tatum said the defense is learning to play together and gelling as a unit.

"It's great to have players who have played a lot of snaps in the system that we run, the 3-4," said Knorr.

Tatum said the numbers on the defense will help keep the team's energy level high and bodies fresh late in games. Ohio stumbled late at points last year, giving up 24 fourth-quarter points to Connecticut as one example.

"There's definitely competition," said Tatum. "There's competition all over the field. We've got six inside linebackers that can all play. But I think it's going to make us better as a whole. Competition always makes you better, and I think we'll find a way to get the best people on the field.

"I feel the defense as a whole has gotten a lot better, from last year to this year. I know as an inside linebacking corps, we've made tremendous strides in our game. I mean, it's incredible."