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.