Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football Opens Gateway Conference Play At Indiana State Saturday
10/01/2003 | 12:00:00 | Football
Oct. 1, 2003
By Seth Whitehead
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE - Southern Illinois University head coach Jerry Kill and senior tailback Muhammad Abdulqaadir have both referred to the Gateway Conference as the SEC of Division I-AA football.
Teams like the Indiana State Sycamores -- SIU's opponent Saturday in its 1 p.m. conference-opener at Memorial Stadium -- make that comparison valid.
Although the Sycamores were picked to finish eighth in the Gateway in the preseason they have looked nothing like a last-place squad through their first five games.
ISU stands at a solid 3-2 -- a deceiving record considering its two losses came to I-A foes Ball State and Indiana.
The Sycamores' latest victory came against perennial Ohio Valley Conference power Eastern Illinois, preceded by a tough road victory over Murray State.
In short: They aren't Western Kentucky or Western Illinois, but they are anything but a push-over. Especially on their home field.
The Scyamores also have history on their side going into Saturday's game-- they've beaten SIU nine straight times.
That's why the 11th-ranked Salukis (4-0) head into this contest with an underdog mentality despite being first in the nation offensively and defensively.
"I don't care who's been picked where," Kill said. "If you're an odds-maker you've got to go with Indiana State. They've beaten us nine years in a row.
"We understand we've got our hands full.We're going up against a team that's had our number and we've got to go to their place, where we haven't played very well. This is a big game for us to see if we can handle it or not."
The two teams have a lot in common.
Both squads have gotten off to their best starts in recent memory. SIU is 4-0 for the first time since 1991, while the Sycamores are over the .500 mark for the first time since 1996.
Both teams have outstanding tailbacks. ISU's Jake Shields is leading the nation in rushing, while Muhammad Abdulqaadir and Tom Koutsos have teamed up to give SIU the fourth-best rushing offense in the country.
Both teams proved they could throw the ball when needed last week. Joel Sambursky completed 16-of-19 passes for 218 yards against St. Joseph's, while ISU redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Schiff threw for 235 yards against Eastern Illinois. Fellow redshirt freshman Sam Logan was on the receiving end of most of Schiff's passes, finishing with 104 yards receiving, earning Offensive Player of the Week honors in the Gateway.
And the Scyamores, like the Salukis, have also been solid defensively, holding their three I-AA opponents to an average of just nine points per game.
"I think they're probably one of the better defenses in our conference," Kill said. "Ofcourse we've got a lot of good teams on defense in our conference. But they've always been good on defense. (ISU head coach) Tim McGuire's nature is on the defensive side of the ball. And they've never given up a lot of points. They've got a tough defensive scheme and we'll have to play well to be able to move the ball.
SIU has been slightly better defensively, giving up just seven points a game against its two I-AA foes.
All these factors point to a game that will be nip-and-tuck, probably coming down to which team takes better care of the football.
"The game might be over in an hour and a half because we both like running the football," Kill said. "I think they're going to want to control the ball and take it right at us. Hopefully we can stop them."
The most intriguing matchup will be likely be in the trenches. Shields, a downhill runner much like Koutsos, has already accumulated 700-plus yards behind a good offensive line. SIU has been great at stopping the run, however, giving up just 64.2 yards per game thus far, good for third-best in the nation.
"We've stopped the run pretty good so far," Kill said. "But we haven't been in the Gateway Conference yet so we'll just have to wait and see."
ISU hasn't been terrible at stopping the run (124.8 ypg), but has yet to face a backfield as formidable as SIU's.
The Sycamores topped SIU 21-14 last year, but both Koutsos and Abdulqaadir missed that game due to injuries. A healthy Abdulqaadir is primed to get revenge.
"We know that Indiana State is going to be tough, probably tougher than they've been in the past," Abdulqaadir said. "That's a game I thought we should have won. Which I still think we should win this one too."
The Salukis have all the reason in the world to be proud of their accomplishments so far. But they know the real test begins Saturday afternoon.
"We need to get that monkey off our back," Kill said. "We're going to have to be ready to play. I told our kids that tonight if they're not, they're not very smart because we've beaten for nine straight years. We ought to have all the motivation in the world to go on the road and win this game."
"This is where the real football has got to be played," Abdulqaadir said. "Three teams from this conference will probably make the national playoffs. That says a lot about this conference.
"From where our program was when I came in to where it is now, I feel good about it and I'm looking forward to the Gateway Conference," Kill said. " It's a tremendous challenge.
"From here on out it is going to be who can stay healthy and who can get on a roll. You just never know what's going to happen from week to week."
Notable: SIU will be looking to break its fourth losing streak against annual opponents in the last calendar year. The Salukis broke an 18-game losing streak to Western Illinois last year and broke three-game skids to Murray State and Southeast Missouri State this season.
