The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

SIU ready to face aura of Youngstown State

Salukis head into senior night with postseason hopes on the line

On the surface, Saturday night's game against Youngstown State looks like an easy one. The Penguins enter McAndrew Stadium with a 5-5 overall record and a 2-3 mark in league play.

They have lost two straight games, including a 47-9 drubbing at the hands of No. 6 Northern Iowa last week. They also enter the game with the conference's worst rushing defense and face one of the most potent rushing attacks in the nation.

But upon closer inspection, Youngstown State is by no means a pushover.

Since 1990, the Penguins have an overall record of 132-45-1. During that span they have won the national championship four times (1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997) and finished as the runner-up twice (1992 and 1999).

Youngstown State has finished the season with a losing record just once, posting a 3-8 mark in 1995. That success gives the Penguins an aura to them that few if any Division I-AA programs can match.

That is why when SIU head coach Jerry Kill first came to Carbondale in 2000, he said the program he wanted the Salukis to resemble was Youngstown State.

"Since the day I walked in, I said the model program is Youngstown State," Kill said. "They've won I don't know how many national championships, I don't think they've had a losing season in a million years, and I don't think they're planning on having one this year."

This season, Kill has even started wearing sweater vests on the sideline, imitating former Youngstown State and current Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel.

Despite the respect the Salukis possess for the Youngstown State program, another reason for concern by the players is that they currently have a giant bull's-eye painted on their backs.

"We're tied for No. 1 in the conference right now and they're really going to try and knock us off," SIU senior wide receiver Courtney Abbott said. "Right now it seems like everybody's best performances are coming against us,"

Teams are stepping up their level of play against the Salukis this season due to a No. 3 national ranking and spotless 9-0 record. The last time the Salukis started out with this many consecutive wins was 1983, when they won the national championship.

The Salukis have also tied the best start by any Gateway team.

Yet SIU is still not fully convinced it is the favorite every time it sets foot on the field.

Junior safety Alexis Moreland has never beaten the Penguins and has seen his team outscored 52-16 against them during his career.

He said he sees the Salukis as the underdog and said until they experience success year-in and year-out like Youngstown State, the bull's-eye will not be on SIU's back.

"We're up to the challenge," Moreland said. "They're a good team. They've won four national titles. They're a team of tradition. I know they're going to come out and play hard."

The aura surrounding Youngstown State makes it a game the Salukis want as they try to make a name for themselves as a perennial power in the brutal Gateway.

Also making Saturday's game big for the Salukis is the postseason ramifications.

With a win, the Salukis would be 6-0 in the Gateway with a match-up against fellow conference unbeaten Northern Iowa looming on the horizon. If the Panthers lose on the road to No. 12 Western Kentucky this weekend and the Salukis win, SIU will have at least a share of the conference title.

The Gateway champion receives an automatic bid into the playoffs, and even if SIU were to lose to Northern Iowa in the season finale, it would be 10-1 with a share of the league title, making it hard to keep the Salukis out.

Kill said beating the Penguins is more important to SIU's postseason hopes than the ensuing game against the No. 6 Panthers because with a win Saturday, a playoff berth is almost a lock.

"At this level it's no different than basketball. The most important thing is to get in the Big Dance, and we want to get in there," Kill said. "We want to secure a spot in those national playoffs, and we can do that on Saturday. There's no guarantees in life, but if we win on Saturday, we're in really good shape."