Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football to play at Missouri in 2012
04/01/2009 | 12:00:00 | Football
April 1, 2009
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois will play at Missouri in football on Sept. 8, 2012, Saluki Athletics announced Wednesday. It will mark the first meeting between the two schools from neighboring states.
Both programs are classified as Division I by the NCAA, however, the Salukis are members of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), while the Tigers are part of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). SIU has played one FBS program each year for the past five seasons. It will play Marshall in 2009, Illinois in 2010 and Mississippi in 2011.
"Anytime you can play an FBS opponent, I think that is good for the program and creates a lot of excitement with the players," said SIU's second-year head coach Dale Lennon, who is coming off a 9-3 campaign and a trip to the FCS playoffs. "When you can schedule somebody that is in in your own backyard, that really adds to the excitement level. It is an opportunity to go out there and be on a big stage and, who knows, maybe perform well enough to surprise some people."
Missouri is coming off a 10-4 season in which it beat Northwestern in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Tigers have made five bowl appearance this decade.
Since joining the FCS level in 1982, Southern is 3-21 against FBS opponents, with wins over Northern Illinois (2007), Indiana (2006) and New Mexico State (1983). The victory over the Hoosiers marked the first time a Missouri Valley Football Conference team defeated a Big Ten squad.
The Salukis are 0-5 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference. The last Big 12 meeting was a 56-12 loss at Baylor in 2001.
