DawgBlog

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.

Too bad about Chris Dieker, who is expected to be out the rest of the regular season at least. Deji Karim also left Saturday’s game against Youngstown State with a bruise on his left ankle, but apparently is OK, according to SIU coach Dale Lennon today.
Karim, the nation’s leading rusher entering Saturday’s game, participated in Sunday’s walk-thru and should be at Tuesday’s practice, Lennon told me earlier today. Does SIU really need him against Indiana State (1-7, 1-4 Missouri Valley Football Conference)? Not to slight the Sycamores, but could the Salukis win with Steve Strother, Richard White and Lucien Walker rotating a bit more than usual? Keep Karim out until the game against South Dakota State? Give Karim less carries Saturday, and hope to put the game away by halftime?
What would you do if you were Lennon, and Karim is cleared to play but could use another week of rest?
As for Paul McIntosh, he gives SIU another offensive weapon, if you can believe that. He can really make plays with his feet, and not just the called ones. He can, conceivably, run for an 80-yard touchdown. McIntosh is no slouch in the pocket, either, as he’s both accurate and has a strong enough arm to throw it down the field, although we didn’t see that in Saturday’s 27-8 victory.
I like McIntosh. I think SIU can still make a run at the conference title, and, maybe, beyond that. The only thing he hasn’t done is win games by himself, something Dieker did late last season and nearly did against Marshall this season. Dieker looked in prime shape with the offense. Now, I wonder if SIU will knock a few plays off the list for McIntosh, go a little more conservative, and see if he can maintain the game, sort of like what Dieker did during the first half of last season. We’ll see starting Tuesday, when the Salukis return to practice.
SIU’s defense looks in prime shape, so don’t worry too much about the loss of Dieker. It’s a hit. A big hit. But the other team has to score to win, and it’s still looking pretty tough for it to do that.

All week they’ve been saying the right things, and doing the right things to make today seem like another game. But SIU needs to walk the talk against Youngstown State today.
Prove that today is just another game, and it will become just another victory.
“The big thing is you just get back to your routine,” SIU coach Dale Lennon said. “Last week we emphasized the point that that was Game 6 on our schedule, and now this is Game 7. Hopefully, the routine will kick in, and it’s all about getting better every week.”
The No. 3 Salukis (5-1, 4-0) need to somehow show some improvement today to stay on course. The light at the end of the tunnel is a conference championship, and, after that, maybe another championship. Yes, SIU is in great position to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference title. However, like Lennon said, the Salukis could still have a losing season.
Youngstown State (4-2, 2-1) comes off its bye week, where it has won its last six games. The Penguins are long gone from last year’s train wreck of a season, and are in good position to make some noise in the conference if they’re able to win today. Quarterback Brandon Summers is a pretty good athlete, maybe the most athletic quarterback in the league, but he’s a little erractic. Summers became the first Penguins quarterback in 19 years to run for three touchdowns in a single game. He’s also thrown for four touchdowns in two different games, but has nine interceptions to his 10 touchdowns.
He has great wide receivers in Dominique Barnes and Donald Jones, and a decent tailback duo in Kevin Smith and Jabari Scott, but YSU has been in the middle of an offensive line shuffle. Today will be the Penguins’ seventh different offensive line in seven games. That can’t be an easy adjustment for anyone, nonetheless a quarterback.
Look for SIU to keep Summers in between the tackles and force a few interceptions. Offensively, the Salukis should be able to run the ball, although YSU has a good defensive front with tackles Crispin Fernandez and Mychal Savage. No one has been able to shut down the Salukis for an entire game except Marshall, and Chris Dieker has become a fifth running back recently, so look for SIU to show off some offensive diversity.
What are your expectations for today?

SIU coach Chris Lowery dismissed guard Ryan Hare from the team Sunday because of a violation of team rules, according to a release from the school.
Hare, who started 26 games as a freshman in 2008-09, had previously been suspended from the team following an arrest on Sept. 19 on aggravated battery and trespassing charges. He is now being charged with criminal trespassing at a residence, a Class 4 felony, and battery to cause bodily harm, a Class A misdemeanor. His case is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 30, according to the Jackson County Courthouse Web site.
The Chicago native played in all 31 of the team’s games last year and averaged 7.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. He also led the team in free-throw shooting at 80 percent. It’s a big hit, as Hare was one of SIU’s most well-rounded players, and one of four returning starters.
The Saluki basketball team began practice on Saturday and plays its first exhibition game on Oct. 31 versus Henderson State.

I’ve been singing “Ding dong, the witch is dead, the witch is dead” all day. Don’t know why…
Yes, Saluki fans, the streak is over. Fantastic game last night. SIU’s defense, as expected, shored up just a little bit better than UNI’s in the second half, and really took control of the game.
Chris Dieker made some great plays with his feet, and Deji Karim continued his torrid pace with 125 yards on 24 carries. Great win for SIU, in so many ways. The offense made a great move putting the ball into Dieker’s hands as a running back to try to neutralize the pass rush a bit. It got them more than time to throw. Dieker actually made some first downs by running out of the pocket.
You can’t really say the same from Pat Grace. UNI’s senior quarterback, a Payton Award candidate, missed two touchdowns and was picked off for a score for the first time all season. He just looked off last night, and it’s not like I was rooting for the guy, but he looked off. He missed a post pattern long. He missed a guy in the end zone about four feet too high, and this was when he wasn’t actually rushed and had time to throw. He missed a guy wide open in the left flat running toward the sideline by a mile on one third down play. UNI coach Mark Farley was asked if he had any lingering effects from the North Dakota State game last weekend, and he said “He was good enough to play.” Not exactly 100 percent, but, injuries happen.
Now the challenge is for SIU to keep the win in perspective. Youngstown State is very improved, and has some dangerous players. Yes, it’s at home, and the Salukis play well at home. Yes, SIU is probably better by about 14 points than the Penguins. A loss could be catastrophic, though, because SIU, UNI and South Dakota State are only going to be separated by a game or two when it’s over. The Jackrabbits host UNI this weekend, and then host SIU the following weekend.

Deji Karim nearly gave SIU the lead on the last play of the first half, but Northern Iowa held on to take a 10-6 lead into the locker room earlier today at the UNI-Dome.
Second-ranked Northern Iowa (5-1, 3-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) trailed 3-0 after a 45-yard Kyle Dougherty field goal, but quickly pulled back ahead. Pat Grace found tailback Carlos Anderson from a half a yard out for the touchdown in the left end of the end zone. Billy Hallgren added the extra point and a 21-yard field goal.
Dougherty hit a 27 yarder to tie him for second place all-time at SIU in made field goals (40).
SIU struggled passing the football, as the pocket seemed to collapse every down. The Salukis started sending quarterback Chris Dieker on a few keepers to try to neutralize the pass rush a bit. Dieker has 108 yards through the air, and has only been sacked once.

Karim has 79 yards on 10 carries in the first half, as SIU has 106 on the ground to UNI’s 80. UNI has 109 passing yards to SIU’s 108. Nobody turned it over. UNI had a big kickoff return in the second quarter that I believe led to some points, but the game has lived up to a knockdown match so far.
UNI will receive the second-half kickoff.