SIKESTON -- Heading into his second campaign with the Sikeston Bulldogs, head football coach Kent Gibbs has high hopes of returning the program to where it was in years past.

Last season the Bulldogs finished 2-8, winning their first two games of the season before dropping their final eight contests. The Bulldogs have not had a winning season since 2002 and are just 12-37 in the last five seasons.

"I honestly would be disappointed this year if we weren't better this year than we were last year," said Gibbs. "I've seen an improvement somewhat in the weight room with attendance and I've seen a spark in our kids so far in our camps and also at the beginning of practice."

Gibbs said that the toughest thing to tackle in his opinion is the mindset of players that come in not expecting bigger things.

"We think we've made some progress, but we've still got a long way to go," he said. "The hardest thing to change is the culture of losing and the bottom line is, you have to accept where you're at before you can get better, and the bottom line is, we haven't been a very good football team for at least four years, maybe five. I think we've made some progress in that area and hopefully that's going to make us a better football team."

Coming into the 2008 season, the Bulldogs will see a few familiar faces and a few faces that they would ve liked to have seen on a regular basis in 2007.

Junior Eli Jackson (6-3, 200) was a force carrying the football early last season before having to sit a majority of the season with a broken foot.

"Obviously, having Eli Jackson back and healthy, and keeping him healthy, is a key to our success," said Gibbs of his running back. "We've got Jarian Wimms at fullback and he is going to be a key. Again, when I mention key people, at the receiver position we've got Jordan Williams, Niquavious Dixon and C.J. Council that are in on that mix."

Steering the ship will be a toss-up between senior Charlie Bohannon (6-0, 175) and junior Rico Ivy (5-8, 150). "At quarterback right now, we've got Bohannon," said Gibbs. "He's a little bit ahead of the game and he's had a really good fall and some really good camps. Ivy has come back and played and he's a good talent, and we think he's also in that mix at quarterback. We also have Sam Erwin. He's a sophomore, and he's going to be a really good quarterback down the line. We feel like the quarterbacks are our strength."

Gibbs said that in all reality, every single guy that they have on the offensive line right now is considered a key player.

"Right now, up front, they're all key because we don't have any of them settled. We're playing a lot of different guys and trying to find a lot of different keys to what we can do. I know Sam Gleason has had a really good offseason. He's been to everything all summer long and he s really improved. Other than that, a lot of people are in the mix."

Sikeston will be installing a new offense this season with the addition of offensive coordinator Mark Jackson. And while Gibbs said he did see some glimpses of good with the new attack at last week s jamboree, he was more pleased with the play of his defense.

On the defensive side, the Bulldogs have a several players returning that Gibbs seemed to put high value upon. One of those players is senior defensive back Courvirseya Strickland (5-10, 160).

"Courvirseya Strickland is a key defensive player for us," Gibbs said. "We think he's got to have a good year for us and be a leader.

"Charlie (Bohannon) is going to have to turn around and play some of that defense for us, and Tyler Combs is a returning defensive end. Those are the kind of guys we're looking at to step up and we've got a couple of kids in there, like Chris Jones who's looked awfully good. He didn't play last year, but he's looked awful good in early camps."

Bohannon is a defensive back while Combs (6-1, 180) and Jones (5-10, 165) are both in their junior season. Jones is listed as a linebacker/wide receiver for the Bulldogs and Combs plays on both the offensive and defensive lines.

"Those are some of the guys we're looking at," said Gibbs. "And, we're also looking at Gratten Allen to come through as an inside backer, and again up front we ve got a lot of different combinations, and we're just looking at a lot of different people. We've just got to get those things settled over the next two weeks."

With the returning talent and finally having the depth necessary at key offensive positions Gibbs is positive about what could happen in 2008.

"We're looking forward to it," he said. "Not having that one week is kind of making us rush a little bit more. For a team like us that might be a little more difficult because we're doing some things a little bit differently. Overall, I think we're pleased and looking forward to the season and seeing what happens."