DawgBlog

The flags are waiving, and the sun is shining here in beautiful Brookings, S.D., site of today’s Missouri Valley Football Conference championship.
Both No. 3 SIU (7-1, 6-0) and No. 9 South Dakota State (7-1, 6-0) have one league game remaining after today, but will decide the conference title today in about 84 minutes. The winner of today’s 1 p.m. game earns the league’s automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision and at least a share of the title.
SIU has reached the playoffs six straight seasons and will probably make it seven regardless if it loses today. SDSU has made the postseason only ONCE in 111 years of football. That’s not a misprint. Just motivation.
“(SIU) is not giddy about this and looking ahead,” SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. “They understand what it takes to win the next game, and win the next game and get into the playoffs. We’ve told our players it’s 1-0. You’ve gotta line up, and you gotta play Jackrabbits football. You’ve set these goals, and they’re in front of you right now, and it doesn’t change. You’ve gotta play your best football. They’re all kids. We’ll see how they react.”
Lennon, the vet of the postseason, said it was still Game No. 9, but added there is definitely added significance with his first goal of the season on the tee.
“This is what you work hard for and spend the whole season that’s significant at the end of the season, where everything is somewhat at stake,” Lennon said. “It’s Game No. 9 for us, and we have two games after that. This is bigger than the normal game, but we still need to prepare the same way and keep everything in perspective.”
From my perspective, these two teams couldn’t be more similar if Thomas O’Brien was still the quarterback for the Jacks. Senior Ryan Crawford ruins a bit of it, but, both teams are in the top 10 in the country in scoring defense, both have rushers in the top 10 nationally, and both are in the top three in the MVFC in rushing defense. Both average more than 28 points per game. They are tied in turnover margin (plus-9), and both are in the top three in sacks and sacks allowed.
The only difference is SDSU’s knack for the red zone. As in keeping teams out of it. Only 11 times have the Jackrabbits faced a team in the red zone. Only SEVEN have scored anything. All seven were touchdowns. Somehow, SDSU got one turnover and has been able to thwart a field goal the other three times. Maybe they missed. Maybe they were blocked. Either way, that’s amazing, for any division.
I expect SIU to pull out this victory, somehow. I think the Salukis have better athletes, overall, and will find a way to break off some big plays. I see Deji Karim breaking a few tackles and scampering for an 80-yard score right now. I see SDSU throwing a pick - which would be SIU’s 17th of the season - and scoring off it. I don’t see the Salukis being able to have a lot of long scoring drives. Maybe one. Maybe two. But not three.
We’ll see. How do you think today’s game will play out?

It’s hard to be in two places at the same time, and I’m experiencing that right now with men’s basketball season prying into football season.
Today I got back to basketball practice around 4:30 p.m., and Anthony Booker was sitting with his right ankle wrapped in ice. Didn’t look good, but he said he was OK. Probably a sprained ankle.
I watched the guys practice against a zone today, and could tell this year’s going to be a little different. Nick Evans doesn’t look like a first team all-conference guy yet, but when he actually goes toward the basket he’s pretty tough. Gene Teague takes up a lot of space and has some good hands, so, those two, just by being a presence, could open up some things on the perimeter. SIU has a slate of guys capable of busting the zone - Kendal Brown-Surles, Jack Crowder, Kevin Dillard, Tony Freeman. It’s good to see them shooting pretty well this early in the season.
Hopefully their defense continues to improve, because that’s going to be the key to their season. SIU can score - I doubt there’s much confusion over that fact. My concern, with the MVC’s emphasis on guards, is if the Salukis can stay with the rest of the league.

He’s got a few more days, and SIU athletic director Mario Moccia is taking every single one of them before signing away a bid for the Football Championship Subdivision home playoff game.
Third-ranked SIU (7-1, 6-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) hasn’t reached the playoffs, of course, but schools have to bid before the field is announced. This year is no different, as Moccia has until Nov. 13 to make up his mind how much he wants to gamble.
“It’s really depending on where you think you’re going to end up,” Moccia said Wednesday.
If SIU is able to win Saturday, it’s very likely the Salukis will earn a top-four seed in the 16-team field. SIU finishes at home against Missouri State in the final home game at McAndrew Stadium and at Southeast Missouri State. The Salukis will be favored in both of those games, win or lose Saturday against No. 9 South Dakota State (7-1, 6-0). As the third-ranked team in the country and the fifth-ranked team in the GPI (the equivalent of the RPI in basketball), SIU could stand tall with another big road win.
However, SIU got jumped last year by Northern Iowa. Who’s to say it’s not jumped again by another team. The Salukis tied the Panthers last season for the MVFC title, but got the league’s playoff bid via it’s 27-24 victory. However, UNI got the field’s No. 3 seed, and SIU got to host New Hampshire. New Hampshire then ended SIU’s playoff road, and UNI reached the national semifinals.
Still a big celebration: Moccia told me Wednesday he doesn’t believe New York Giants tailback Brandon Jacobs or Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill will be able to make next week’s McAndrew finale. Jacobs is off, and Kill plays Thursday night, but both have hit some logistical hurdles to Carbondale.
All well. The team will still honor all its lettermen and have some special events planned for the big day. We’ll have more on those planned events next week.

SIU’s football team has only trailed in one game this conference season, and you can see why.
The third-ranked Salukis (7-1, 6-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) run the ball well, force a lot of turnovers, and can make it tough with the lead. Even if it’s not very big. SIU leads the league in rushing offense, which means it can grind out a lot of time without even throwing a pass.
Early in the season, SIU was only passing to really keep a defense honest. It advanced the ball quickly on big runs or play-action passes. About midway through the season, the Salukis opened it up a bit and began to throw a bit more downfield, as the game warranted.
Defensively, SIU tries to make the opponent one-dimensional, and has been brilliant this season. Northern Iowa has been the only team to put the Salukis in a hole this season, and even the Panthers ended up trying to pass their way to victory. Instead, they passed right to Brandon Williams, who returned the interception easily for the game-winning touchdown.
“In any game, you just want to try to get the flow of the game to go to your advantage,” SIU coach Dale Lennon said. “When you do feel like you have a good flow, you want to stay with it. You continue to work the plays that you work. It’s a pretty simple formula.”
SDSU (7-1, 6-0) definitely can throw the ball, but if the Jackrabbits can pick, they’re going to try to run first, just like SIU. Kyle Minett is sixth in school history in rushing as a junior, and could present the Salukis with one of the most difficult guys to grab Saturday. If SIU can put SDSU down a score or two in the second half, it might have just enough to put the Jackrabbits in a passing situation and grind out another road win.
The stakes are high. The winner gets the league’s automatic playoff berth and at least a share of the MVFC title. The loser will probably still make the playoffs, but will probably also have to start them on the road.

The Sports Network kept SIU’s football team third in the country earlier today, and honored wide receiver Bryce Morris. The Football Championship Subdivision coaches poll kept the Salukis third, too.
Morris blocked a punt that led to a touchdown Saturday at Indiana State. Sunday he was named Missouri Valley Football Conference special teams player of the week. Today he was honored as the national special teams player of the week by The Sports Network.
SIU (7-1, 6-0 MVFC) takes on ninth-ranked South Dakota State (7-1, 6-0) for at least a share of the regular-season title. SIU would win the title alone if it’s able to win Saturday in Brookings, S.D., and beat Missouri State, or if the Jackrabbits lose against Western Illinois in its regular-season finale.
Looks like we have a playoff game before the playoffs this weekend!

SIU is down two defensive starters and without Chris Dieker for the first time all season, but leads Indiana State 21-0 at the half.
The third-ranked Salukis (6-1, 5-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) blocked a punt for the second straight game with about 2:24 to play in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Bryce Morris got the block, and Beau Hoffman picked it up at the 4-yard line before walking into the end zone for the touchdown.

Deji Karim and Paul McIntosh added rushing touchdowns in the first half for SIU, which has 118 on the ground in the first half. McIntosh has a team-best 55 yards on seven carries. Karim, the nation’s leading rusher, has 49 yards on 10 carries.

McIntosh, a redshirt freshman making his first career start, completed 9-of-13 for 103 yards in the first half. He didn’t look very good in the first half, but appeared to be a little more comfortable as the game went on. SIU relied on its running game, as expected, but threw a little off of play-action and roll-outs.

Cornerback Korey Lindsey played the opening series but hasn’t returned since. Linebacker Fred Wright did not make the trip because of flu-like symptoms. Kyle Walker made the start in Wright’s place. Redshirt freshman James McFadden has filled in for Lindsey.

INS (1-7, 1-4) had 30 rushing yards and 39 passing yards in the first half. Quarterback Ryan Roberts was sacked once and has minus-1 rushing yards on 10 carries.

SIU will receive the second-half kickoff.

SIU takes on Indiana State today, and, for personal reasons as much as professional, needs to take care of business early at Memorial Stadium.
The Sycamores (1-7, 1-4 Missouri Valley Football Conference) comes off its first win since 2006, but don’t expect a winning streak today, folks. Third-ranked SIU (6-1, 5-0) has too much to play for, has better players, and has been brilliant on the road. The Salukis were up 50-0 at the half last season, and scored two defensive touchdowns. INS coach Trent Miles hasn’t forgotten.
“The Salukis are, obviously, one of the best teams in the conference,” Miles said. “They’re fast. They’re big. They can run and they can throw it. This is the same team that was winning 50-nothing at the half.”
If SIU can build an early lead of a couple of touchdowns, its defense should be able to ride their seventh victory of the season out. The Salukis might not pass for more than 150 yards, but they should be able to run for about 300. Quarterback Paul McIntosh may have more than 100 by himself.
And I’m hoping he does. I was in the hospital until 3:30 a.m. after hitting a deer at 70 miles an hour on Interstate 70 last night east of Effingham.
The passenger side of my car is pretty dinged up. I’ve apparently lost a lot of power steering fluid, because I have to turn the wheel with all my strength to get left or right. Other than that, it’s pretty driveable, which I’m happy to see. I did not want to spend the weekend in Terre Haute, Ind. I’m glad the deer didn’t flip up onto the car and through the windshield, as I’ve known to happen before. I don’t feel sorry for the poor sap, however, and neither does my wild whiplash.
So, I’m hoping SIU takes care of business early, because I’m not in the mood to write a big upset, front-page centerpiece story today. After the game I’m heading home to try to make my daughter’s first trick-or-treat at 6 p.m. in Carbondale.
Hope your weekend is going better.

Ah, finally the end of a busy day. It’s 11:36 p.m. on Wednesday night, and I can only remember getting up at 6 a.m. yesterday to get to St. Louis for Missouri Valley Conference media day.
Today I went to the office at 9 a.m. to prepare for the Missouri Valley Football Conference teleconference, did the call at 10, went to lunch at 11:30 a.m., chatted for an hour on our Web site over the noon hour, and then ran home to get a fleece because it was getting cold out. Around 2 p.m., I headed to McAndrew Stadium to interview a few guys for football, and parked at the arena to walk through men’s basketball practice.
I will miss the first two exhibition games, or at least most of them, because of SIU’s next two road football games. So, I need you guys to fill me in what you see. Today I saw a semblance of a first group and a second group, but it’s Wednesday. SIU’s first game isn’t until Saturday. Justin Bocot, Kevin Dillard, Tony Freeman, Carlton Fay and Anthony Booker made up the first group, and lost every drill I watched.
Jack Crowder could be a player, ladies and gentlemen. He’s strong. He can rebound. He elevates pretty well on his jump shot, although I think it’s a little slow to get off. And he can get to the basket like you wouldn’t believe. Today I saw him shake a guy, go baseline, and finish with a short jumper. On the next possession, he hit a wide-open 3 (something the Salukis gave up a ton of last year) from the left side of the circle. He can play. No doubt. I was also encouraged by John Freeman’s defense, and Bocot’s defense. That was one of the reasons they recruited him last year, although I’m not sure we saw it much; Bocot’s length on the defensive side.
We’ll see what they look like Saturday. I should be able to get back from the football game to catch the second half. Let me know what your first impressions are of the Salukis Saturday.

I’ll be on our Web site (www.thesouthern.com) today at noon to do a live chat about all things Salukis today (Wednesday). Hope to see you there.
Lots to talk about this week, as usual! Hoops are just around the corner, Missouri Valley Conference media day is up and over, and football has a few changes for Indiana State.

SIU’s men’s basketball team came in fourth at Tuesday’s Missouri Valley Conference media day poll. Surprised? That’s about where I thought they would be.
I was happy to see senior Tony Freeman, SIU’s only senior, on the preseason all-conference squad. He should be a pretty good player, and deserved the accolades. Kevin Dillard made the honorable mention list, along with four or five others.
Hanging out with UNI coach Ben Jacobson, Osiris Eldridge and the Salukis for a few hours makes me want basketball season to start tomorrow. Should be exciting.
I’ll have more from media day tomorrow. It’s just after midnight and I’m exhausted. SIU opens Saturday night with an exhibition game against Henderson (Ark.) State.