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."

Gateway race still unfinished

When SIU quarterback Joel Sambursky goes home, sits at his desk and sees his Gateway Conference Championship ring, he is reminded of just how far Saluki football has come in a few short years.

Just having that ring, he said, is one of the greatest things in the world, but there would be something even better - a ring no one else has.

Members of the 2003 Northern Iowa Panthers have the same ring on their desks up north, having tied SIU for the conference title after edging the Salukis in last year's final regular season game.

This year, Sambursky does not want to share.

Despite SIU's phenomenal season, Sambursky pointed out that the team's current goal, a conference championship, is far from sealed.

Western Kentucky is still only one game behind, and Sambursky said that - not potential playoff home games - is the team's motivation until playoff time.

"If we take care of that, we know that ultimately we'll have a good chance at a home game," Sambursky said.

Saturday is arguably the toughest test SIU will face in the remaining three weeks, with only a road game against 4-3 Illinois State and a home game against 4-4 Indiana State left.

SIU may need to win out to beat Western Kentucky, which has Illinois State, Southwest Missouri State and Western Illinois left on the schedule. The Hilltoppers are supposed to beat all those teams.

Western Kentucky has played only one bad game the entire season. Fortunately for the Salukis, that one game was in Carbondale, and several SIU players have been talking about the luxury of controlling their own destiny.

That could be because their coach is saying the same thing, and said his team has not forgotten about Western Kentucky.

"Maybe the general public might have, but we certainly haven't," Kill said when asked about the looming Hilltoppers. "The good thing about right now is that we control what happens. If we win week after week, we don't have to worry about anything."