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Smallest Saluki comes up big

By Todd Hefferman, The Southern

Sunday, September 7, 2008 9:46 AM CDT

CARBONDALE - The smallest, and shiftiest, player on the field made the big difference in Southern Illinois University's opener against Hampton Saturday night.

Larry Warner, the Salukis' 5-foot-5, 169-pound running back, ran for the last touchdown SIU needed to topple the Pirates, 37-31, in front of 10,051 fans at McAndrew Stadium.

Warner took a handoff from Chris Dieker and went straight into the middle of the line on a first-and-10 from the Hampton 20. Once he got past the line of scrimmage, there was no catching him, as the former NJCAA All-American strolled in for his second score of the night.

Warner earlier scored on a 95-yard kickoff return after Hampton quarterback Herbert Bynes hooked up with Justin Brown on a 62-yard touchdown.

"I like the pressure I put on myself," Warner said. "I feel like I should step up and make the big play, because I feel I have the ability to do that at any point. That's my responsibility to help my team when they're down."

With backup tailback Richard White out with a leg injury, Warner carried the load for the Salukis in the opener of the Dale Lennon era. His touchdown with 12:23 to play put SIU up 33-24, and after Kyle Dougherty made it a 10-point lead with the extra point, the Pirates went down for the count.

"He's kind of a coach's dream," Lennon said. "His heart is so big, he needs two hands to cover his heart during the national anthem, and he just plays hard. He was a difference-maker for us tonight."

White left the game after going head over heels on a kickoff return with about five minutes to play in the second quarter and did not return. Lennon said White suffered a leg injury, but didn't have any more information immediately following the game.

Warner finished with 353 yards of total offense as SIU held serve at home. He rushed for a game-high 151 yards, caught two passes for 39 yards and earned 163 yards on special teams.

Dieker said the Pirates really had to keep an eye on the smallest player on the field.

"Larry's such a quick and elusive back. You never know where he's going to be," he said. "He might run the ball left. I turned around on the play-fake, and he was on the right side of the field. Every time, he's definitely a playmaker. We'd like to get the ball into his hands as much as possible."

Hampton got within 10 points three times after falling behind 20-0 in the opening 26 minutes.

Bynes got the Pirates (1-1) within three with a 1-yard plunge at the 7:12 mark of the third quarter, but the sophomore right-hander would just not have enough. Bynes set a school record with 403 passing yards, hitting 30 of 47 passes for three touchdowns, but was picked off three times. One was a handball exercise by James Cloud and Mike McElroy, as Cloud deflected a pass toward the sideline that ended up in McElroy's hands. McElroy came up with his second interception near the same sideline.

Hampton turned the ball over six times, one week after losing two of three fumbles in a win over Jackson State.

"You still gotta tackle and make plays to get an opportunity, and we didn't do that in the second half," Hampton coach Jerry Holmes said.

Warner was glad he got his opportunities for the 12th-ranked Salukis, who head to Northwestern next week.

"It's all about winning, and that's something I want to be a part of," he said.

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 351-5087