Southern Illinoise University Athletics
No. 12 football heads to WIU on Saturday
09/26/2011 | 12:00:00 | Football
Sept. 26, 2011
By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis (play-by-play), Gene Green and Joel Sambursky on WVZA 105.1-FM in Carbondale. Other radio affiliates at the PDF at the top of the page.
LIVE STATS: GoLeathernecks.com
VIDEO STREAMING: GoLeathernecks.com
The Western Illinois Leathernecks
WIU finished last season 8-5, 5-3 to place second in the conference in Mark Henrickson's first full year as head coach (he served as acting head coach for , a seven-win improvement from the year before, which is the largest win turnaround in MVFC history. The squad finished undefeated at home last year (6-0) and started the 2011 home season with a two-touchdown win over Jacksonville, which is their only win of the year. Like SIU, Western Illinois played three of its first four games on the road. The Leathernecks road schedule includes two nationally ranked FCS teams (Sam Houston State and Northern Iowa) and an FBS team (Missouri). WIU has scored a combined 16 points against those three opponents, which contrasts with the 35 points they scored on Jacksonville in their lone home game.
WIU returns six starters on both offense and defense. The Leathernecks are led by running back Caulton Ray, who is averaging more than 80 yards per game on the ground. Wide reciever Terriun Crump leads the passing attack. Crump has hauled in 21 of WIU's 48 receptions (44%) and averages over 100 yards per game.
SIU vs. WIU - The Series
Western Illinois dominated the early days of the rivalry, winning eighteen games in a row between 1984 and 2001. SIU hasn't lost since, winning nine games in a row, including last year's 20-10 win in Saluki Stadium. The series has still been competitive; seven of the nine Saluki wins since 2002 have been by 10 points or fewer.
Last year, WIU entered the game ranked 21st in the country, but SIU jumped out to a 14-0 lead an held on for a 20-10 win. The Salukis held WIU to minus seven yards rushing to hold the nation's No. 1 offense in check. Steve Strother had a breakout game, compiling a career high 150 yards rushing in the winning effort.
MacLachlan wins MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Redshirt freshman kicker Jackson MacLachlan won Special Teams Player of the Week honors from the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Sunday after kicking the game-deciding field goal against Missouri State. With 50 seconds remaining in the game, MacLachlan hit a 27-yard field goal to put the Salukis ahead for good, 20-18. MacLachlan finished the game 2-2 on extra points and 2-3 on field goals. In just three games as the SIU place kicker, MacLachlan is 4-5 on field goals and 10-10 on extra points. MacLachlan has placed SIU third in the conference in field goal percentage, and SIU is one of only three teams that is perfect on extra points.
Salukis boast balanced offensive attack
SIU's offense is much improved in the second year under offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer. The Salukis are second in the conference in total offense (444.0 ypg), third in rushing offense (223.3) and third in passing offense (220.7). Only eight yards separate the season totals in rushing yards (670) and passing yards (662). SIU has three players in the top 10 in the MVFC in rushing; Jewel Hampton (75.0 ypg), Steve Strother (70.3) and Paul McIntosh (68.3) are eighth, ninth and 10th in the conference in rushing, respectively.
McIntosh Leading the MVFC in Total Offense
Junior Paul McIntosh started his junior campaign with a bang. McIntosh was named the starting Saluki quarterback after battling for the position with Kory Faulkner and A.J. Hill throughout spring drills and fall camp. McIntosh played in relief of Chris Dieker in each of the past two seasons. When Dieker was injured in the 2009 season, McIntosh led the Salukis to a No. 1 national ranking and a second-straight conference championship, going 5-1 as a starter. McIntosh earned MVFC Offensive Player of the Week in his first career start, leading the Salukis to a 33-0 shutout of Indiana State. His 588 rushing yards in 2009 is a Saluki season record for a quarterback.
In his first game as the Saluki full-time starter, McIntosh threw for a career-high 246 yards, completing 14-18 passes. The 210.91 passing efficiency rating was the second highest in the country, behind only NC A&T's Lewis Kindle. McIntosh takes over a strong quarterback tradition at SIU. The past three starters (Joel Sambursky, 2002-05; Nick Hill, 2005-07; Chris Dieker, 2007-10) are among the top four career passers in Saluki history. McIntosh has thrown for an average of more than 200 yards per game in his first three starts of the season, which ranks third in the conference.
McIntosh has also been dangerous on the ground. With 60 rushing yards against Missouri State, McIntosh became the second quarterback in Saluki history with more than 1,000 career rushing yards. He needs just 85 yards to match Joel Sambursky's school record.
Combining his rushing yards with his passing yards, McIntosh averages 284.7 yards per game, which leads the conference. He is in the top 10 in both rushing and passing yards per game.
Offense Scores in Variety of Ways
The Salukis displayed an ability to both score quickly and sustain long drives. Of the 14 scoring drives this season, five have been in five plays or fewer and seven have been in 10 plays or more. The Salukis showed an ability to sustain drive against the toughest defenses, posting three 10+-play drives at Ole Miss, including a 16-yard drive that was capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Jewel Hampton. SIU also had two long drives in the season opener against SEMO.
The offense has gotten big chunks of yardage while sustaining long drives. Against Missouri State, Southern Illinois had 17 plays that gained between 10-19 yards and 19 total plays longer than 10 yards.
The Salukis also have five drives that were quick strikes. Against SEMO, eight players contributed a big play. Paul McIntosh threw a 70-yard touchdown bomb to Cam Fuller and Steve Strother sprinted 62 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Mississippi proved no different. After a Rebel turnover, SIU scored on the first play, a 31-yard touchdown strike from McIntosh to Fuller.
Defense Starts Season Strong
The defense has opened the season well, ranking second in the conference in total defense. By allowing only 289.3 yards per game, the Salukis are 50 yards per game better than the third-best total defense team. They recorded nine tackles for loss at Ole Miss, the most for a Saluki team since it played Missouri State last year and had three players record interceptions against MSU this year, marking the 11th time in the last 26 games SIU has forced at least three turnovers.
Experienced in the Trenches
Southern Illinois returns nine letterwinners from the 2010 team. The nine letterwinners have combined to start in 88 games over their careers with 81 of those starts coming from the returning starters. The group is led by preseason All-Americans Bryan Boemer (center) and David Pickard (left tackle). Both players have started in every game over the past two seasons and were All-Conference selections each year. Southern Illinois averaged 189.5 rushing yards per game in 2010, but the group has made it a goal to average over 200 yards this season. SIU is currently third in the conference with 223.3 rushing yards per game, helping the Salukis win time of possession in each game.
SIU Starts Season on the Road
SIU plays three of its first four games on the road this season. The last time that happened was in 1999 under head coach Jan Quarless. SIU won its first three, but ended up winning just two games the rest of the season to finish 5-6. That 1999 team opened up the season with a 43-25 win at Southeast Missouri State, the same school SIU opens up with this year on the road. Southern Illinois last opened a season on the road in 2009, when the Dawgs fell 31-28 at Marshall.
