Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football Set To Host St. Joseph's Saturday
09/23/2003 | 12:00:00 | Football
Sept. 23, 2003
By Seth Whitehead
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE - A bye week is usually welcomed with open arms.
It's a chance for a football team to heal up, put in an extra week of preparation for its next opponent and work out anything that's gone wrong during the season.
Generally speaking, bye weeks are good things.
Unless your team hasn't done much wrong.
In that case - the current situation for the surging Southern Illinois University football team - byes are bad.
The 13th-ranked Salukis have rolled out to a 3-0 start and outscored your first three foes 124-28. They are a speeding locomotive of a team that was forced to hit the brakes and coast for a while due to last Saturday's open date.
That's got head coach Jerry Kill a little bit worried heading into Saturday's 6 p.m. match-up with St. Joseph's College at McAndrew Stadium.
"I think we were on a roll and playing pretty good," Kill said. "I wish we could have scheduled somebody (last Saturday), but we couldn't get that done. It didn't work out."
And the result of the open date has been predictable.
"The timing is not there right now in practice," Kill said. "And I talked to our kids about that. We've got to get that zip back. I'm concerned about that going into this game on Saturday.
"Anytime you haven't had a game and then your playing at full speed action on Saturday you lose a little timing. We just need to get out and play again."
That rustiness considered, SIU seems to have lucked out with Saturday's opponent.
St. Joseph's, a private college located 90 minutes south of Chicago in Rensselaer, Ind., has an enrollment of less than 1,000 students.
The Pumas are a Division II opponent with an unimposing 1-2 record. Their one victory came against an NAIA school, St. Francis, and their two losses were blowout setbacks to I-AA Dayton and Division II Indianapolis by a combined 93 points.
The Pumas also fell to Quincy University in a close game last year - the same team the Salukis opened the 2003 campaign with a 50-point blowout.
Considering these facts - and the fact that the Salukis are enjoying their best start since 1999 and highest national-ranking since 1986 - it would appear we have a mismatch on our hands.
But, it's that popular assumption that worries Kill.
Will the Salukis be as well-prepared as they were for their first three games?
Will they be focused for a game that has the makings of a letdown?
Those questions have yet to be answered.
"I'm just hoping we can prepare for this fourth one," Kill said. "But after this practice tonight (Tuesday), we've got to pick the pace up a little bit.
"I'm more concerned about us than any opponents we have the rest of the year. If we can stay in control, keep our kids focused, stay healthy and keep them on the same road, we'll be all right. That's what my concern is."
On paper, it looks like SIU will match up ideally against the Pumas, who run an option-based offense. That should feed directly into the teeth of a Saluki defense that is 10th-best in the nation at stopping the run.
Tailback Tony Rogers and quarterback Nate Durant have done the majority of the damage for the Pumas. Rogers leads the team with an average of 74.7 yards rushing per game, while Durant has added 58.4 yards on the ground and 75 yards passing.
St. Joseph's defense, in turn, has had trouble stopping the run, which is bad news going up against an SIU offense that is fourth in the country in that category.
Still, Kill remains cautious.
"They're an option football team, and that's always tough because it makes your defense have to play assignment football," Kill said. "And if you don't play assignment football they can light the scoreboard up on you. It's a different, unique offense -- one that is very hard to prepare for.
"And then they're an eight-man, 4-3 defense -- very solid -- and they are very well coached."
Saluki wide receiver Courtney Abbott is aware his team will need to take this opponent seriously to set the tone for an always brutal Gateway Conference schedule.
"You can't overlook any team, that's for sure," Abbott said. "We're ready to get back into a routine and definitely get another win."
"I think we ought to match up well against them though."
Notes: The Salukis'1983 National Championship team will hold it's 20th reunion on Saturday and will be honored at halftime.
The extra week off has allowed more time for Tom Koutsos' injured knee to mend. Cornerback Yemi Akisanya is expected to play as well, wearing a cast for a broken finger.
"They both played the other night," Kill said. "And I think they're progressing. Right now they haven't had any setbacks in practice or anything. Yemi is playing with a cast on his hand. That's not easy to do, but he's doing the best he can right now."
Koutsos sat out the fourth quarter against Murray State for precautionary reasons.
"He's practiced hard," Kill said. "He played in the game against Murray and played pretty solid. I anticipate him being ready to go on Saturday."
