Southern Illinois University
10-1 , 7-0
Indiana St.
4-7 , 1-6
Football Rolls Over Indiana State In Regular Season Finale
11/13/2004 | 12:00:00 | Football
Nov. 13, 2004
By Scott Mees
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The regular season finally came to an end Saturday, and the Southern Illinois University football team rolled over another Gateway Conference opponent to finish undefeated in its conference schedule.
Brandon Jacobs rushed for 122 yards - including two touchdowns - and Joel Sambursky threw for 246 yards and four TD as the Salukis pounded Indiana State 59-10 at McAndrew Stadium.
SIU (10-1, 7-0) amassed 423 yards of total offense in the first half alone - and 588 for the game. The Salukis clinched the Gateway Conference title outright, and have won it two years in a row.
"It's a great accomplishment for these young players," said SIU head coach Jerry Kill. "What these seniors have done for this program, and where they've come from at 1-10, may be the most unbelievable thing I've seen in college football in a long time.
"It's unbelievable what they've accomplished."
SIU led 28-3 halfway through the second quarter when Phillip Doyle picked off ISU quarterback Phillip Johnson's pass at the SIU 21 and ran it to the SIU 47.
On the next Saluki possion, Jacobs ran around the right side of the line, breaking tackles down the sideline for a remarkable 50-yard TD run. SIU led 35-3 with 5:10 left in second quarter.
Senior wide receiver Brent Little enjoyed a monster performance with three catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
"I just went out there and tried to give all the effort I could," Little said. "It prevailed for me today."
The Salukis followed that drive with Sambursky hitting Little for a 50-yard pass play in which Little held on as he was thrown out of bounds. Inside the 10-yard line, Sambursky lobbed a beautiful pass over a defender and Kellen Allen caught it for a TD, that put SIU up 42-3 and pretty much sealed the game just before halftime.
The Salukis have only one loss - to Northern Illinois, a ranked I-A school, on the road - and are in a great position to get one of the top four Division I-AA playoff seeds - which means SIU would host at least the first two rounds of the tournament.
"It's better for us to think that we're going to be here at McAndrew," Sambursky said. "This indeed won't be the last home game for our seniors."
Samburky's 12-of-13 passing (92.3 percent) is the single-game best in school history. The junior QB also moved passed the 2,000-yard mark in his outstanding SIU career.
"It was just a lot of fun, and guys got open, and I was able to get them the ball," Sambursky said. "I wish I could've played the whole game."
In the opening quarter, after a 39-yard kickoff return by Jacobs, the Salukis began to roll. Jacobs ran around the left end - breaking tackles - for a 14-yard gain. Then, Sambursky hit Kellen Allen for 22 yards to the 10, but the Salukis ran into trouble momentarily.
The SIU offense could not convert for a TD for three straight plays, but Samburksy ran one yard into the end zone on fourth-and-goal for a score - putting SIU up 7-0.
On its next drive, Sambursky hit a wide-open Little for a 35-yard TD reception. Little did not have a defender within five yards of him as he trotted the last few yards for the touchdown. The Saluki lead moved to 14-0 at the 6:32 mark.
Indiana State made a key fourth-down conversion on its next possession, and it resulted in a field goal to cut the lead to 14-3.
Deep in ISU territory, Jacobs broke several tackles on his way to a 16-yard gain to the 5-yard-line. Sambursky zipped one past a diving ISU defender to hit Quorey Payne in the corner of the end zone for a TD catch, which put SIU up 21-3 early in the second quarter.
Sambursky - starting from SIU's own18 - threw a bomb to Brent Little who used his blazing speed to outrun every defender for an 82-yard TD - the fifth-longest in SIU history. The long touchdown put the Salukis up 28-3.
The Salukis amassed 423 yards of total offense at halftime - including 246 passing and 177 rushing. Jacobs rushed for 103 yards on just eight carries - with a TD - in the opening half as SIU led 42-3 at the intermission.
Sambursky, Jacobs and host of others would not see much more playing time the rest of the game.
In the third quarter -- on fourth down at the SIU 10 - Saluki cornerback Brad Brachear picked off Johnson but fumbled after running for a few yards. Safety Alexis Moreland picked up the loose ball and took it all the way to the SIU 45.
Then, Jacobs ran through traffic and dodged several Sycamore defenders for a 14-yard score with 2:54 remaining in the third quarter - SIU led 49-3.
In the final quarter, Anthony Williams picked off a pass from Johnson at the SIU 16, which eventually led to a 42-yard Craig Coffin field goal with 10 minutes left in the contest.
Saluki backup tailback Antione Jackson looked tremendous in the fourth quarter, in which he scored a five-yard touchdown. Antione Jackson finished with 10 carries for 102 yards on the ground.
Terry Jackson rushed for 95 yards on 14 carries for SIU, which totaled 333 rushing yards for the game.
Indiana State head coach Tim McGuire was disppointed but complimentary of the Salukis.
"They're truly fine champions of our league," McGuire said. "They have a great opportunity to win the championship.
"Jerry's done a great job here, and I wish him the best of luck in the tournament."
Jacobs, a transfer from Auburn, has truly started to feel like a large part of the team, and the senior has enjoyed playing at McAndrew Stadium to say the least.
"I'm glad to get the regular season over with," Jacobs said. "It'll always be good to have two or three more home games.
"I haven't been playing here for four years, but I feel a burning inside me because I know that this was our last regular season game."
Coach Kill hinted that the Salukis best games are still ahead of them.
"We're going to continue to get better," Kill said. "It was an excellent first half for Joel Sambursky."
When asked if Sambursky should be the Gateway Player of the Year, Kill had a bigger idea.
"I think our team were Gateway Players of they Year the way I look at it," Kill said.
The Salukis will have a bye week while the rest of the nation finishes their schedules. The pairings for the I-AA playoffs will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 21.
Team Stats
INS 0, SIU 7
SIU - Sambursky, Joel 1 yd run (Coffin, Craig kick), 7 plays, 56 yards, TOP 3:39
INS 0, SIU 14
SIU - Little, Brent 35 yd pass from Sambursky, Joel (Coffin, Craig kick) 6 plays, 77 yards, TOP 2:53
INS 3, SIU 14
INS - Hooper,Kyle 45 yd field goal 11 plays, 46 yards, TOP 2:45
INS 3, SIU 21
SIU - Payne, Quorey 5 yd pass from Sambursky, Joel (Coffin, Craig kick) 7 plays, 68 yards, TOP 2:40
INS 3, SIU 28
SIU - Little, Brent 82 yd pass from Sambursky, Joel (Coffin, Craig kick) 1 plays, 82 yards, TOP 0:11
INS 3, SIU 35
SIU - Jacobs, Brandon 50 yd run (Coffin, Craig kick), 2 plays, 53 yards, TOP 0:51
INS 3, SIU 42
SIU - Allen, Kellen 5 yd pass from Sambursky, Joel (Coffin, Craig kick) 6 plays, 83 yards, TOP 2:15
INS 3, SIU 49
SIU - Jacobs, Brandon 14 yd run (Coffin, Craig kick), 7 plays, 55 yards, TOP 1:57
INS 3, SIU 52
SIU - Coffin, Craig 44 yd field goal 9 plays, 54 yards, TOP 3:50
INS 10, SIU 52
INS - Berman,Carl 18 yd pass from Johnson,Philli (Hooper,Kyle kick) 11 plays, 86 yards, TOP 4:41
INS 10, SIU 59
SIU - Jackson,Antione 5 yd run (Coffin, Craig kick), 8 plays, 61 yards, TOP 4:02