Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football Seeks 400th Program Victory Saturday
09/29/2009 | 12:00:00 | Football
Click Here to View Complete Game Notes 
Sept. 29, 2009
By Jason Clay
www.SIUSalukis.com
Game Day Quick Facts
TELEVISION: Missouri Valley Football Conference Game of the Week - Live on Fox Sports Midwest (Ch. 35 in Carbondale) & FCS Central with Scott Warmann (play-by-play), Danan Hughes (color analyst) and Mick Shaffer (sideline reporter).
RADIO: Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis (play-by-play), Gene Green (color analyst) and Joel Sambursky (sideline) on WVZA-FM 105.1 in Carbondale. See Game Notes PDF for complete listing of affiliates.
FCS Radio Game of the Week: Broadcast through Clear Channel Communications' 50,000 watt all-sports station - The Homer - 1530 AM WCKY in Cincinnati with Frank Santore (play-by-play), Dan Buchanan (color analyst) and Elwin Huffmann (sideline reporter).
INTERNET AUDIO: Saluki All-Access (sign up at www.siusalukis.com).
INTERNET VIDEO: None
LIVE STATS: www.siusalukis.com
Eighth-ranked Southern Illinois (2-1, 1-0 MVFC) travels to Macomb for its first road league game of the season at Western Illinois (1-2, 0-0) on Saturday, Oct. 3 in a 6:05 p.m. kickoff at Hanson Field... The Salukis are going for their 400th victory in program history Saturday... There are a number of media streams for fans to follow the 55th meeting between the Salukis and the Leathernecks... It's the game of the week in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the league is producing the game that will air live for TV on FS-Midwest (Ch. 35 in Carbondale) and FCS Central with Scott Warmann (play-by-play), Danon Hughes (color analyst) and Mick Shaffer (sideline reporter) serving as your hosts... The Saluki Sports Network team featuring "Voice of the Salukis" Mike Reis, Gene Green and Joel Sambursky are delivering all the action to the network affiliates and on WVZA-FM 105.1 in Carbondale. Fans can listen to Mike Reis' call on the internet at www.SIUSalukis.com... The game is also the FCS Radio Game of the Week, which is available to over half of the United States and Canada through Clear Channel Communications megastation - The Homer - 1530 AM WCKY in Cincinnati. Frank Santore (play-by-play) and Dave Eddy (color analyst) are calling the FCS Game of the Week... This game matches up the Lumberjacks' 10th-ranked passing offense (282 passing yards/game) against SIU's talented secondary that sports one all-American and another all-conference player...
Saluki Headlines
• Southern Illinois is seeking its eighth-straight victory over the Leathernecks.
Going for Win No. 400
Southern Illinois has the opportunity to pick up its 400th victory of all-time Saturday. The Salukis enter the game with a 399-467-32 (.444) program record in 94 intercollegiate playing seasons. The Salukis, who have one national championship (1983 - then Division I-AA), have been one of the most successful programs since the 2003 season. SIU's 61 wins since then are the 14th most in all of Division I (see chart on P. 6).
The Western Illinois Leathernecks
Last weekend Western Illinois was idle and thus Saturday's game with SIU is its first Missouri Valley Football Conference game of the season. The Leathernecks went 1-2 in non-conference play with a win at Sam Houston State, but their losses came at Northern Illinois and against Stephen F. Austin. They enter the game having lost their last two. Head coach Don Patterson stepped down this past weekend, citing personal health concerns. Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mark Hendrickson will serve as acting head coach in the mean time. Hendrickson led the Leathernecks to a 5-2 record in 2008 serving as acting head coach while Patterson was receiving cancer treatments.
Western Illinois is led by quarterback Matt Barr, who ranks ninth nationally with 274.7 passing yards per game. His top receiver, Lito Senatus, is second in the FCS with 130.0 receiving yards per game and the two have connected 24 times for two scores. Barr has five touchdowns this season against two interceptions. WIU only averages 80.7 yards rushing per game and 73 of that comes from Dre Gibbs. The Leathernecks have turned the ball over seven times in three games.
Defensively, WIU gives up 421.7 yards of total offense a game (185.0 rushing and 236.7 passing). Opposing quarterbacks have completed 60.6 percent of their passes and they have allowed six passing scores.
Western and Southern - The Illinois Series
Saturday's game between Western Illinois and Southern Illinois is the 55th meeting between the two schools. Southeast Missouri State (74 games), Illinois State (71 games) and Eastern Illinois (64 games) are the only schools that SIU has played more games against than they have against WIU. The Salukis bring a seven-game winning streak over the Leathernecks into Saturday's game in Macomb. However, before that WIU won the previous 18 games and they lead the all-time series 33-17-4. The Dawgs are just 8-16-3 when playing at Western Illinois.
First League Road Game
Saturday's contest at Western Illinois is SIU's first MVFC road game this season. The Salukis have lost two of their last three road openers in conference play and that includes last seasons 35-27 loss at No. 6 North Dakota State. SIU's first road league game in 2005 was against Western Illinois and the then second-ranked Salukis were able to pull off a 34-24 victory behind 142 yards and three touchdown runs from Craig Turner. In the last 24 seasons in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (previously called the Gateway Football Conference), the Salukis are just 8-16 in their first league road game.
Jordan Gets 300
Senior inside linebacker Brandin Jordan became the 13th Saluki to record 300 tackles in a career, as he surpassed the clip last weekend against North Dakota State. Jordan's third tackle in the game was his 300th and he finished the game with 10 stops. The Kenner, La. native has moved into 12th place in school history with 307 career tackles. Jordan, one of 20 preseason candidates for the Buchanan Award, also had a half sack against the Bison and now has 2.5 sacks on the year. He is tied for sixth in school history with 30.5 tackles for a loss. Jordan's double-digit tackle performance last weekend was his second of the year and the 14th of his career.
Defense Holds Ground
Southern Illinois held North Dakota State to just 14 points off of 77 plays and 324 yards of total offense. The Bison came into the game averaging 40.3 points and 446 yards of total offense. NDSU running back Pat Paschall did rush for 150 yards, but he never found the end zone. SIU could have limited the Bison to just seven points in the game, as their second touchdown was scored off a blocked field goal by Chance Coda that SIU touched past the line of scrimmage and NDSU recovered in the end zone.
The Salukis were great against the pass last week, holding North Dakota State to only 105 through the air on 9-of-23 attempts and free safety Marty Rodgers recorded his first interception of the season. Southern Illinois has now held five opponents since 2008 to under 140 yards passing. The 105 yards allowed were the fewest since the Salukis held Western Illinois, this weeks opponent, to just 94 yards through the air last season in the 24-14 victory. The nine completions given up tied with the nine that WIU had against the Salukis last year for the fewest under head coach Dale Lennon and his staff.
Big Second Half Keeps Karim in Second
Senior running back Deji Karim's big second half kept him ranked No. 2 nationally in rushing yards per game. 96 of his 127 yards against the Bison came in the second half and that's where he scored his lone touchdown on a 23-yard dash that he bounced to the sideline. Karim is now averaging 134.7 yards per game and has scored three touchdowns. With his speed, he's proven to be a playmaker for the Salukis. Karim has six rushes in three games that have been good for 20 yards or more and he averages a stout 8.2 yards per carry. The native of Oklahoma City also owns an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this season.
Player of the Week
Senior punter Scott Ravanesi received his second MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week award on Sunday, Sept. 27, for his performance against North Dakota State. He averaged 46.4 yards on eight punts and three were downed inside the 20-yard line. Ravanesi had a long of 67 and two more of his punts went for over 50 yards. The Salukis netted 41.4 yards on his eight punts and half of them were fair catches. The Carol Stream, Ill. native is Southern Illinois all-time career leader in punting average. He has averaged 42.8 yards on 151 career punts and currently ranks second in the nation with his 2009 punting average of 44.79.
The Unsung Hero's
Southern Illinois' offensive line has had a tremendous start to the 2009 season. Through three games they have helped running back Deji Karim average the second most yards per game in the nation (134.7) and 8.2 yards per carry. They have also only allowed five sacks in three games. Behind their strong efforts, the Salukis are averaging 6.8 yards per play this season and 445 yards of total offense, which ranks No. 6 in the nation.
