Southern Illinois University
2-1-0
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Western Michigan
1-2-0
Football falls to Western Michigan, 34-28
09/17/2005 | 12:00:00 | Football
Sept. 17, 2005
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
KALAMAZOO, Mich.-Southern Illinois quarterback Joel Sambursky felt confident victory was at hand when the Salukis took possession of the ball with 1:51 left on the clock, trailing Western Michigan, 34-28.
A gutsy, fifth-year senior, Sambursky has made a career of leading his team to dramatic last-minute victories. Tonight would be no different, he thought.
"I had a big smile on my face and was telling everybody, `this is why we play the game,'" a disheartened Sambursky said afterward. "There wasn't doubt in our minds."
Sambursky was dejected because Broncos' linebacker Dustin Duclo intercepted his pass with 1:14 remaining to snuff out a promising Southern Illinois drive and preserve a Western Michigan victory.
The Salukis (2-1) appeared headed for the game-winning score as Sambursky deftly maneuvered his team from its own 26 yardline to the Broncos' 45. The Payton Award candidate connected three times on the drive with sideline passes to a wide open Brent Little.
Then he tried to hit tight end Micah Turner over the middle. The pass was high, and Duclo picked it off and took a knee at the Western 33.
Game over.
"I'm not going to blame Joel for that," Saluki head coach Jerry Kill said. "We should have made a better call. We should have stayed out on the edge with it, out on the perimeter."
Kill said he, too, believed victory was imminent when the Salukis took possession with the game on the line. He's seen his star quarterback do it so many times.
"I felt we were going to win the game," Kill said. "There wasn't a doubt in my mind."
The defeat was a bitter pill, because Southern had momentum going its way in the first half, only to lose it with a series of costly mistakes.
The Salukis led 21-10 in the second quarter after Sambursky threw touchdown passes of 58 yards and nine yards to Little and Turner, respectively. Western Michigan scored on a Trovon Riley five-yard run to close the gap to 21-17 with 1:27 left before halftime.
That's when the Salukis' misfortunes began.
On the ensuing kickoff, Arkee Whitlock had a beautiful 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown wiped out by a penalty. Nevertheless, Southern quickly drove the length of the field and had the ball first and goal at the WMU 2.
After an incomplete pass, SIU called its third timeout with 24 seconds remaining. Then, Sambursky was sacked at the Western 9. With the clock winding down, SIU's kicking team rushed on to the field, and Craig Coffin's hurried 27-yard attempt missed wide left as time expired in the first half.
Riley, who was suspended for the first two games of the season for Western, came through with one of the biggest plays of the game early in the third quarter. He took a delayed handoff and sprinted 49 yards to the SIU 1, setting up a Ryan Cubit touchdown pass.
The Bronco tailback rushed for 156 yards and was the difference in the game, according to Kill.
"Riley is the one who killed us," he said. "He played well. If he's not in there tonight, we win the game."
Trailing for the first time, 24-21, the Salukis compounded their woes on their next possession as a Sambursky pitch to running back Arkee Whitlock was fumbled and recovered by Western at the Saluki 19. It took Cubit just one play to find Greg Jennings open in the endzone for a score that put WMU ahead, 31-21.
Despite the miscues, the Salukis closed the gap to 31-28 on a one-yard touchdown run by Craig Turner early in the fourth quarter. After the Broncos kicked a field goal with 1:51 left to make it 34-28, SIU seemed poised for a memorable finish.
"I just made a mistake and threw to the wrong guy," Sambursky said. "I can't make that play. I'll own up to it."
The loss overshadowed a pair of brilliant offensive performances for SIU. Whitlock had a banner day, rushing for 115 yards on 20 carries. Little had his second-straight 100+ yard receiving game with 152 yards on seven catches.
The Saluki defense held its own against the pass happy Broncos, who aired it out 45 times. Brad Brachear intercepted two passes for Southern and ran one of them back 79 yards for a touchdown.
"A loss is always a loss," Brachear said. "We came out here tonight, and we made a lot of mistakes, but we are going to learn from the mistakes and get better."
The defeat extended the Salukis' frustration against Division I-A opponents. The Salukis have lost three heartbreakers in a row to Western Michigan, Northern Illinois (in 2004) and Eastern Michigan (2002).
"We're going to hurt for a couple of days, because it's a game we think we could've won," Kill said. "All the problems that we had presented to us tonight can be corrected. That's the good thing."
Team Stats
SIU 7, WMU 0
SIU - Brachear,Brad 79 yd interception (Coffin,Craig kick)
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SIU 7, WMU 3
WMU - MEYER, NATE 20 yd field goal 8 plays, 43 yards, TOP 2:23
SIU 7, WMU 10
WMU - JENNINGS, Greg 8 yd pass from CUBIT, Ryan (MEYER, NATE kick) 11 plays, 56 yards, TOP 5:28
SIU 14, WMU 10
SIU - Little,Brent 58 yd pass from Sambursky,Joel (Coffin,Craig kick) 7 plays, 92 yards, TOP 2:34
SIU 21, WMU 10
SIU - Turner,Micah 9 yd pass from Sambursky,Joel (Coffin,Craig kick) 9 plays, 82 yards, TOP 3:04
SIU 21, WMU 17
WMU - RILEY, Trovon 5 yd run (MEYER, NATE kick), 10 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:23
SIU 21, WMU 24
WMU - SCHEFFLER, T. 1 yd pass from CUBIT, Ryan (MEYER, NATE kick) 6 plays, 78 yards, TOP 1:42
SIU 21, WMU 31
WMU - JENNINGS, Greg 19 yd pass from CUBIT, Ryan (MEYER, NATE kick) 1 plays, 19 yards, TOP 0:02
SIU 28, WMU 31
SIU - Turner,Craig 1 yd run (Coffin,Craig kick), 10 plays, 92 yards, TOP 4:29
SIU 28, WMU 34
WMU - MEYER, NATE 27 yd field goal 9 plays, 40 yards, TOP 3:21