Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Football hosts No. 21 WIU on Military Appreciation Day
11/09/2010 | 12:00:00 | Football
Nov. 9, 2010
By Jason Clay
SIUSalukis.com
Click Here for Complete Game Notes
Game Day Quick Facts
GAME: Southern Illinois (3-6, 2-4 MVFC) at No. 21/23 Western Illinois (6-3, 4-2)
KICKOFF: 1:00 p.m. CT
LOCATION: Saluki Stadium (15,000) - Carbondale, Ill.
TELEVISION: None
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. Pregame show begins at noon. Click Here for Complete Radio Network Listing
INTERNET AUDIO & VIDEO: Game Central at SIUSalukis.com
LIVE STATS: SIUSalukis.com
Southern Illinois hosts No. 21 Western Illinois Saturday in a 1 p.m. game at Saluki Stadium, as the Dawgs are looking for their ninth-straight victory over the Leathernecks...Saturday is the third-annual Military Appreciation Day at Southern Illinois and discounted tickets of $10 are available to military personnel, veterans and their families...Fans can listen to all the action with "Voice of the Salukis" Mike Reis, Gene Green (analyst) and Joel Sambursky (sideline) on the Saluki Sports Network beginning at noon on WVZA-FM 105.1 in Carbondale...Southern's eight-game winning streak over WIU is the longest active streak SIU has against any other school...Western Illinois leads the nation by averaging 496.1 yards of total offense and is third nationally with 39.1 points per game. They will be going up against the Saluki defense that is coming off one if its better performance of the season, giving up just 251 yards at North Dakota State last week...A key to the game could be SIU's ability to keep the Leatherneck offense off the field. Western Illinois ranks 95th nationally in rushing defense, giving up 183.2 yards per game, so the Salukis might look to eat up the clock by running the ball...Despite a plethora of injuries to the SIU secondary, Southern Illinois still sports the best pass defense in the MVFC, giving up just 167.6 yards per game through the air...Western Illinois leads the nation with only five turnovers lost this year and the Salukis have not forced a turnover in their last three games.
Saluki Headlines
• Southern Illinois has won eight-straight games over the Leathernecks.
• SIU leads the MVFC in pass defense at 167.6 yards allowed per game, but Western Illinois leads the league in passing offense at 275.6 yards per game.
• Chris Dieker needs 152 passing yards to become the fourth QB in SIU history with 5,000 career passing yards.
• Senior wide receiver Joe Allaria has caught a pass in 29-straight games.
Note of the Week
Despite having a depleted secondary, one that has seen four starters go out for the season with injuries and one that has seen four freshmen play along with another first-year player, the Salukis have done very well defending the pass. Southern Illinois leads the MVFC in pass defense, giving up just 167.6 yards per game - an average that ranks No. 24 in the nation. SIU has not intercepted a pass since picking off three against Northern Iowa on Oct. 9 and the Dawgs only rank fifth in the MVFC with 1.44 sacks per game, but they are still finding a way to stop the pass. Southern Illinois has only allowed 200 yards passing in 2-of-9 games this year and just one 300-yard passing game (365 at Missouri State).
