Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU Football Game Notes for Southeast Missouri State
03/19/2001 | 12:00:00 | Football
September 4, 2000
Disappointing, but hardly disastrous . . . was the mood around Southern Illinois University Carbondale's football operation after the Salukis dropped a 42-20 decision to Murray State in their opener last Thursday night (Aug. 31).
While there were few similarities to the . . . powerful offensive showing the Salukis had against Murray State a year ago when they won 58-51 in a shootout, there were some likenesses to their 1999 opener at Southeast Missouri State when quarterback Sherard Poteete completed 9 of 18 passes for 146 yards and had 1 interception. In this year's opener at Murray, the senior sharpshooter connected on just 15 of 36 for 181 yards and had 5 snatches. The completion percentages: .500 to .416.
Obviously the most costly disparity was . . . in the four additional interceptions. Sherard's five interceptions was one-half his 1999 total of 10 while throwing 348 times. Backup quarterback Kevin Kobe had one picked off while completing two in his five-attempt appearance. The six giveaways compared to a season's total of 10 in 1999.
SIU's defense was responsible for positive . . . happenings, however, as it gave up only one Murray State score in the second half and that came when the Racers gained possession at their own 39 when the Salukis failed to make a first down on a fourth-and-two situation. The 61-yard drive was Murray State's only success in the second half.
SIU's kicking specialist Scott Everhart . . . also passed his initial test of the season in handling the Salukis' punting chores for the first time. The Florida sophomore averaged 46.0 on four attempts, one going 72 yards and was the fourth longest in SIU's history. He also had one attempt blocked as a result of a high center snap. Such a play is NOT charged against the punter.
In taking on SEMO this week, the Salukis . . . will need a win to avoid going 0-2 for the first time since 1994 when they opened with back-to-back losses to Tennessee-Martin and Ole Miss. They since have been 2-0 twice and 1-1 on the other three occasions.
SIU's eight turnovers, which . . . included two lost fumbles and the six interceptions, were the most for the Salukis since who knows when. A check of the 1990s -- 111 games -- revealed the Salukis had only five turnovers -- never as many as even six -- six times. All resulted in losses as did the only two games SIU had as many as four turnovers. How about 3? The Salukis have had three 22 times in the 1990s and was able to survive in only five of those outings (vs. Northern Iowa in 1991, SEMO and Central Arkansas in 1996 and vs. Eastern Illinois and Murray State last season).
It's been six years -- 1994 -- since . . . the Salukis dropped their first two games of the season and, in all probability, the last thing SEMO's first-year head coach Tim Billings wanted to hear last week was that SIU had lost its opener to Murray State.
For the record, the Salukis . . . have been 1-1 four times since 1994 and twice have opened with 2-0 marks (in 1996 and 1999).
SEMO's Billings was also . . . shocked last Thursday night when his new club -- the Indians -- were treated so rudely at Marshall. First-year head coach Billings had spent all of the 1990s on Marshall's staff as an assistant coach and may have been expecting nicer treatment than received in SEMO's 63-7 pasting.
The SIU-Southeast Missouri State . . . series is one of the oldest in the books for the Salukis. The two teams first met in 1927 and the series has been off-and-on several times since. The Indians hold a 33-27-8 edge in the series although the Salukis have won six of the last 10 games played since 1986.
The big difference in last year's . . . game, won by the Salukis (43-25) at Cape Girardeau, was SIU's defense against SEMO's running game. The Indians were successful in gaining only 22 net yards on the ground while being forced to rely on their passing game for 183 yards.
SIU's offense, meanwhile, was . . . well balanced as the Salukis rushed for 271 yards behind Tom Koutsos' (#24) superb 194-yard effort (19 carries) in his freshman debut. At the same time, Sherard Poteete (#10) was connecting on 9 of 18 passing attempts for 146 yards.
Two Salukis had "first-time" . . . thrills at Murray State last week despite SIU's 42-20 loss. Strong safety Rod Graddy (#47) intercepted a MSU pass on the fourth play of the game and returned it for a touchdown. And, in the fourth quarter, kicking specialist Scott Everhart (#20) who was doing SIU's punting for the first time in his career, got off a 72-yarder. It was the fourth longest.
