Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football picked to win Gateway Conference
07/26/2005 | 12:00:00 | Football
July 26, 2005
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - For the second year in a row, the Southern Illinois University football team will have a target on its back as the pre-season favorite to win the Gateway Conference.
That's what happens when you're coming off back-to-back league titles and return 14 starters, including the conference player-of-the-year in senior quarterback Joel Sambursky.
"I remember just trying to win three-straight games, and now we're trying to win three-straight championships," Sambursky said. "It tells you how much things have changed."
The Salukis were represented at the league's annual media day Tuesday by Sambursky, linebacker Royal Whitaker and defending coach-of-the-year Jerry Kill. A common theme among the three were words of confidence and humbleness, recalling the depths from which the program has come.
"It's a big challenge for us to maintain this status," said Whitaker, who along with Sambursky and five other Salukis were named to the pre-season all-conference team. "The seniors need to emphasize to the younger guys that we didn't get here easy. We worked hard and have to continue that work ethic."
Sambursky was a redshirt freshman on the 2001 team that finished 1-10. Whitaker was a true freshman on the nearly as woeful 2002 club that was 4-8, but counted two of its wins against Division II opponents.
"We have a culture now of a winning attitude, that works hard and doesn't take anything for granted," Sambursky said. "We have to develop that in the young guys. They don't know what it's like to be 1-10. They don't have a clue what it's like to be a laughingstock in southern Illinois. We have to pass down that winning attitude and that humbleness to them."
Kill dodged any and all questions about National Championship aspirations, saying the team's focus is to win the Gateway and qualify for the playoffs for the third year in a row.
The fifth-year head coach admits the program's turnaround has come about quicker than expected, though.
"It's happened much faster than we thought it would," Kill said. "It's happened because of the players - the Joel Samburskys and Royal Whitakers. They're not vocal guys. They don't talk a whole lot, but they lead by example. Their focus and leadership is the strength of our football team."
Sambursky finished eighth in the voting last year for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the nation's best player in Division I-AA. Judging by his comments Tuesday, he won't be holding anything back in 2005.
"There's no next year for me," he said. "If I could be carried off the field on a stretcher the last game, not because I got knocked out of the game, but because I couldn't give any more of my body, I'd be happy. I want Saluki football players someday to say 'I want to play as hard as he did.'"
The Salukis received 18 of 32 first-place votes in the league's poll of coaches, media and sports information directors. They tallied 237 total points in the poll and were followed closely by Western Kentucky (223 points and nine first-place votes) and Northern Iowa (206/5). Those three schools have finished 1-2-3 in the league race, in varying orders, in each of the past two years.
2005 Gateway Preseason Poll
1. Southern Illinois (18) -- 237
2. Western Kentucky (9) -- 223
3. UNI (5) -- 206
4. Western Illinois -- 124
5. Missouri State -- 119
6. Youngstown State -- 104
7. Illinois State -- 91
8. Indiana State -- 48
2005 Gateway Preseason Team
QB- Joel Sambursky, Southern Illinois, Sr.
RB- Terrance Freeney, UNI, Sr.
RB- Travis Glasford, Western Illinois, Sr.
FB- Demetrius Ison, YOungstown State, Jr.
WR- Brent Little, Southern Illinois, Sr.
WR- Justin Surrency, UNI, Sr.
TE- Chris Kupec, Southern Illinois, Sr.
OL- Perry Cox, Western Illinois, Sr.
OL- Stafford Davis, Illinois State, Sr.
OL- Erik Losey, Western Kentucky, Sr.
OL- Fred Staugh, Indiana State, Jr.
PK- Jon Scifres, Missouri State, Sr.
DL- Linton Brown, Southern Illinois, Sr.
DL- Jeff Jones, Southern Illinois, Sr.
DL- Kyle Mitchell, Indiana State, Sr.
DL- Joe Woolridge, Western Kentucky, Sr.
LB- Wyatt Green, Western Illinois, Sr.
LB- Doc Gooden, Indiana State, Sr.
LB- Brett Koebcke, UNI, Sr.
LB- B. Smith, Western Kentucky, Sr.
LB- Royal Whitaker, Southern Illinois, Sr.
DB- Darren Barnett, Missouri State, Sr.
DB- Dre Dokes, UNI, Jr.
DB- Jamarquis Jordan, Southern Illinois, Sr.
DB- Antonio Thomas, Western Kentucky, Sr.
P- Ryan Hoffman, Illinois State, Sr.
RS- Dennis Mitchell, Western Kentucky, Sr.
Honorable Mention: RB Arkee Whitlock (Southern Illinois); RB Lerron Moore (Western Kentucky); WR Sam Logan (Indiana State); OL John Schabilion (UNI); OL Tyler Rawlins (UNI); OL Mike Stegeman (Illinois State); DL Billy Beard (Southern Illinois); DL Brandon Brown (Youngstown State); DL Kevin Stensrud (UNI); LB Jeremiah Wright (Youngstown State); DB Frank Johnson (Southern Illinois); RS Reggie Gray (Western Illinois).
