Today's riddle is, "How many Salukis can Arkee Whitlock put on his back?"

When the going got tough in yesterday's 36-30 win over the University of Tennessee-Martin, the Salukis handed the ball over to their senior running back.

The Salukis fell behind 27-7 early in the third quarter. Whitlock strapped the entire team, and all of McAndrew Stadium, onto his shoulders for the remainder of the quarter.

Whitlock carried the ball nine times in the third quarter, but he turned those nine carries into 112 yards and two touchdowns. The soft-spoken Rock Hill, S.C. native finished the game with 207 yards and four touchdowns.

As is his custom, Whitlock deflected praise following the game. He thanked his offensive line, the coaching staff and the people selling popcorn in the McAndrew Stadium concourse.

That's fine.

Whitlock is right. He can't, and didn't, do it himself.

The offensive line did create seams for him.

The coaching staff exploited some mismatches on the UT-Martin defense.

The concession staff? OK, I made that up, but Whitlock needs to accept some of the credit for himself.

The yards he gained in the third quarter can't all be attributed to the big guys up front or play calling. Whitlock earned a lot of those yards on effort and tenacity.

He deked his way for extra yards. He ran through tackles. He lowered his shoulder and carried bigger guys downfield. He jumped, juked and spun away from defensive linemen, leaving them frustrated on the turf.

To be perfectly honest, Whitlock willed SIU back into the ballgame.

For two years Coach Jerry Kill has been telling anyone who will listen that Whitlock is the hardest working player on the team. His third quarter efforts proved that beyond a reasonable doubt Saturday.

The rest of the team took their cues from their leader. You could literally see the team's confidence grow with each and every Whitlock carry.

Down the stretch, quarterback Nick Hill made big plays. Alan Turner hauled in what proved to be the winning touchdown. Wide receiver Ryan Beeler made some key catches to keep drives alive. Derrick Belton's first touchdown of the season finally locked down the victory. And, the entire SIU defense rose to the occasion in the second half.

In his post-game analysis, Coach Jerry Kill said the victory was the result of total team effort.

He is, of course, correct. However, there's also no question that Whitlock lit the fuse.

LES WINKELER is the interim sports editor for The Southern Illinoisan. Contact him at les.winkeler@thesouthern.com, or call (618) 529-5454 ext. 15088.