Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football Preparing For No. 3 Delaware
11/25/2003 | 12:00:00 | Football
Nov. 25, 2003
Finals week at Southern Illinois University is still a couple weeks away.
But the SIU football team is doing plenty of cramming right now.
The course: Delaware 101.
An NCAA selection committee effectively registered the Salukis in a week-long crash-course on Sunday. And at the time, the class had all the appeal of Calculus III.
But the Salukis are dealing with it, just like they've dealt with every challenge thrown at them this year. Since the pairing was announced, they've been engaged in constant study of all things Delaware.
SIU didn't get game film of its opponent until 3 a.m. Monday morning and has been diligently picking apart the Blue Hens the last two days.
"It's kind of like football finals," said Saluki quarterback Joel Sambursky. "We've just been cramming like crazy and trying to get ready for this game, but I'm sure they're doing the same thing."
The Salukis' final is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET Saturday at Delaware Stadium, where SIU will play its first playoff game in 20 years.
And based on what they've found out about their opponent, it will be a difficult test, no doubt.
The Blue Hens are the No. 2 seed in the Division I-AA playoffs and are ranked third in both national polls. They're also co-champs of the Atlantic 10 conference and are 11-1 overall. Their resume includes a win over Division I-A Navy.
"I guess the best way to sum it up, any time you beat Navy - and Navy's having a tremendous year - you've got a pretty darn good football team," SIU head coach Jerry Kill said. "There is no question they deserve their ranking and it's a tremendous challenge for our program.
Delaware has been to the NCAA playoffs 17 times in the last 31 years. The Blue Hens won a Division II national title a year before moving to I-AA in 1979. Since then they've finished second (1982) and made three semifinal appearances (1992, 1997 and 2000).
There's no sugar-coating it - Delaware is one ridiculously tough opening round opponent for a 10-1 Saluki team that is ranked fourth in the nation.
But Kill isn't bitter about SIU's playoff draw.
"I think it's a great thing," Kill said, "because we get to go up to a place that has a rich tradition in college football and it will be a good test for us.
"We're looking forward to it."
The Blue Hens also figure to have a tremendous home-field advantage - they've averaged more than 21,000 fans per game this season.
But the Salukis are accustomed to hostile environments by now. The Salukis last three road games have been against nationally-ranked Western Kentucky, Western Illinois and Northern Iowa.
SIU won two of those games, and fell in the final seconds of the other.
"We went to Western Kentucky and Western Illinois and won both of those games," fullback Brandon Robinson said. "Northern Iowa, we should have won. We just didn't pull it out. I think we play well on the road. We'll get away from some distractions here. It's just another 100-yard field."
"We've been challenged all year," Kill said. "And I think we'll accept this challenge."
The Blue Hens run a one-back, spread offense, something that SIU has not seen this year.
"It's a lot like what we did the first year I was here," Kill said. "They'll shotgun. They'll no-huddle some, and they may no-huddle the whole time. It's a unique offense and a tremendous challenge for our defense."
Led by quarterback Andy Hall, Delaware is putting up just under 34 points per game.
Hall, a transfer from Georgia Tech and top candidate for the Walter Payton Award, has completed 64 percent of his passes this year for 2,285 yards 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. Hall has added 630 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns. He was named the A-10's Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.
"They've got an outstanding quarterback, maybe one of the best quarterbacks in the country," SIU head coach Jerry Kill said. "He's very athletic and can throw the ball around."
Hall suffered a separated shoulder in the Blue Hens' regular-season finale, but is expected to play Saturday.
"He'll play," Kill assured. "We're playing in the national playoffs, so there's no question he'll play. And he'll play very well."
Hall has spread the wealth, as wideouts David Boler, Brian Ingram and Justin Hall have all caught 40 or more balls this year.
Coming off a sub par showing against Northern Iowa, SIU's defense will be presented with another tremendous challenge.
"The big part of it is - we better play up front," Kill said. "That's the bottom line. We didn't play up front a week ago. Everybody wanted to look at our secondary, but we didn't rush the passer. Anybody can throw the football if you've got 20 minutes to throw it.
"We just have to get back to that," safety Alexis Moreland said. "I think we did that real good early in the season, but the last game against Northern Iowa we didn't have maybe as good of a pass rush as we wanted. And in the secondary, we probably didn't cover as good as I think we should have. We're going to work hard this week and get that all straightened out."
Like SIU, Delaware has plenty of depth in the backfield, led by Germaine Bennett (1,135 yards, 12 Tds) and Antawn Jenkins (426 yards, five Tds).
The Blue Hens are incredibly balanced, averaging 203 yards through the air and 206 on the ground.
"They're a good football team on the offensive side of the ball, no question about that," Kill said. "Defensively, however, is what they talk about the most. They're led by one of the best defensive ends in the country."
Kill speaks of Duke transfer Shawn Johnson, who has been a monster at defensive end, recording 12 sacks. Johnson was tabbed I-AA's top newcomer in the preseason and has lived up to the hype - he was named the A-10's Defensive Player of the Year Tuesday.
Johnson has also led a Blue Hens' run defense that is giving up just 114 yards per game. Johnson dropped opposing backs 21 times behind the line of scrimmage this year. Middle linebacker Mondoe Davis leads the team with 81 tackles and was named all-A-10.
The Blue Hens are more vulnerable in their secondary, as they've surrendered 220 passing yards per game. They've given up 18.7 points per game overall.
Another potential weakness is the Blue Hens' kicking game. Kicker Brad Shushman is 13-for-19 on field goals, but has missed three times inside 30 yards.
Delaware has been far from dominant of late, as its last four wins were decided by a touchdown or less. The Blue Hens' only loss of the season was to Northeastern.
"They're a solid team," Robinson said. "They're good in their conference; I don't know how they'd fare in our conference, but they're good. We just need to prepare and we'll be alright."
Injury Report:
The Blue Hens enter the playoffs nearly 100 percent healthy. All-conference cornerback Sidney Haugabrook missed the final three quarters of the Blue Hens' regular-season final with a bruised thigh, but is expected to be back.
The Salukis are also relatively healthy after a bye week, as offensive linemenMatt Miller and Justin Rich are expected to return. Running back Muhammad Abdulqaadir is still hobbled a bit by a sore knee, but will play on Saturday. Safety Jamarquis Jordan will remain sidelined after breaking a fibula against Western Kentucky.
