Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football Picked To Finish Sixth In Gateway Preseason Poll
07/31/2003 | 12:00:00 | Football
July 31, 2003
By Seth Whitehead
SIUSalukis.com
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - For the 2003 Southern Illinois University football team, respect in the Gateway Conference is only going to come one way -- by winning.
With two preseason All-Americans and four preseason all-conference picks in the fold, it's clear that SIU is heading in the right direction going into head coach Jerry Kill's third season at the helm.
But after being picked sixth out of eight teams Thursday in the Gateway Conference preseason poll, it's also evident that the voters believe the Salukis still have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to contend for a league title.
Western Illinois (247) was picked to win the conference crown, followed by Western Kentucky (218), Youngstown State (171), Northern Iowa (139), Illinois State (131), SIU (130), Southwest Missouri State (74) and Indiana State (42).
"This league is a very difficult one,'' Salukis head coach Jerry Kill said Thursday at the conference's annual media day. "There are a lot of of good players sitting in that room."
The voters see SIU pretty much standing pat after finishing in a sixth-place tie last season with an injury-riddled team.
"I guess I can see that being where we'd be ranked because we do play some pretty tough teams in this conference,'' senior running back Muhammad Abdulqaadir said. "Pretty much everybody has a lot of people coming back.''
But, Abdulqaadir added after first hearing the news: "That actually is a motivation builder.''
"You have to win to get that respect,'' Kill said. "We still haven't won enough yet.''
Despite coming off a 4-8 season, it's tough to dismiss the potential of the 2003 Salukis.
And word has gotten out.
Save preseason league favorite Western Illinois and defending Division I-AA national champion Western Kentucky, SIU was one of the most talked about teams of the day Thursday.
Everyone knows that the Salukis can score. SIU's backfield features preseason all-conference picks Muhammad Abdulqaadir and Tom Koutsos -- enough said.
Koutsos is the Salukis' all-time leading rusher, while Abdulqaadir racked up a ridiculous 1,300-plus yards in just six full games a year ago. Both missed major time due to injuries and are now 100 percent. Along with all-conference honorable mention fullback Brandon Robinson, the Salukis backfield is the envy of the league.
Gateway Newcomer of the Year Joel Sambursky returns for his sophomore season at quarterback, along with preseason all-conference receiver Courtney Abbott.
"I think we have the skill players to match up with people in our conference,'' Kill said.
The Salukis should be plenty entertaining. But the difference between a team that is fun to watch and a team that challenges for a league title begins in the trenches.
"Our whole key is how we play up front,'' Kill said. "I think the biggest step that we learned in our last game against Western Kentucky is that you can win championships up front.''
Another key is the defense. Led by preseason All-American safety Alexis Moreland, SIU returns eight starters on that side of the ball. Linebacker Royal Whitaker was the only other Salukis defender to receive preseason recognition -- being named honorable mention all-conference -- but Moreland sees last year's team weakness becoming a strength.
"I think we're going to have a turnaround from worst to first,'' Moreland said. Although not a favorite to contend, it is safe to qualify SIU as a darkhorse in the Gateway.
The Salukis can look back at a 2001 UNI team picked to finish fifth in the conference for inspiration. The Panthers went on to win the league title outright that year. Western Illinois did the same a year before.
"It doesn't really matter,'' said Moreland of the preseason poll. "They could pick us last. Everybody knows that the Gateway is a battle week in, week out.''
"We should have enough talent to play with everybody in the conference,'' Abdulqaadir said.
"We're probably going to be one of those scary teams out there,'' Kill said. "Nobody is going to be sure of how it's all going to come together.''
