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."

Wasting time

Jon Cairns was never supposed to get this much playing time.

When one backs up SIU quarterback Joel Sambursky, especially as a redshirt freshman, that's simply conventional wisdom. Sambursky is unlikely to get hurt, he's rarely ineffective and has a zero percent chance of being benched.

But there is Cairns just the same, playing in almost every game and completing 70 percent of his passes in what the Salukis have created a lot of this season - garbage time.

Of the 540 minutes SIU football has played this year, almost half of them have been played when the game was pretty much out of reach.

The Salukis have played 234 minutes and seven seconds with a lead of 20 points or more this season, a result of the eye-popping numbers the team has been putting up.

SIU has played 120 minutes with a lead of 30 or more, 52 minutes with a lead of 40 or more and 24 minutes leading by 50 points or more.

It's easily the biggest season of blowouts in SIU history - an average victory margin of 31.4 points - but SIU head coach Jerry Kill hasn't really noticed.

"To be honest with you, I let you guys talk about it," Kill said. "I don't pay that much attention to it.

"If you spend too much time on how good you've done in the past, you get your ass beat the next Saturday."

Kill said he is more concerned with just plain wins and losses, but even in that department, playing the clock game, Kill's team has been nothing short of dominant.

The Salukis have played 394 minutes with the lead this season, while losing for only 84 minutes. Those numbers that have helped the second team progress significantly with priceless real-game experience .

"The more you play, the better you get, and certainly during the games," Kill said. "There's no substitute for being in a game."

Cairns, in particular, has benefited from the extra reps. In his late-game appearances, the 6-foot-1, strong-armed quarterback has been dazzling at times, completing 17 of 24 passes and boasting the highest efficiency rating on the team.

He is responsible for SIU's longest pass of the season, a 79-yard strike to Quorey Payne, and even managed to pass for more yards than Sambursky against William Penn.

None of this would be possible, Cairns said, if it were not for SIU's explosive offense and dominating defense.

"I love getting to play," Cairns said. "It's good to get Joel out and to get him some rest, especially if we make it to the postseason."

Cairns said if need be, he is ready to take the reins for the Salukis. He doesn't want to see Sambursky get hurt, and does not seem to think he is at Sambursky's level, but if SIU's top gun gets hurt Cairns said he now knows enough to keep the team afloat.

Kill has noticed a significant progression in Cairns, and part of it can be contributed to SIU's ability to obliterate opposing teams.

"Jon Cairns is maybe the most improved player on our team from a year ago," Kill said. "I feel very comfortable with Jon."

The second team around Cairns has also made the most of its minutes as well. Running back Antione Jackson is averaging 5.8 yards per carry, breaking off big gains to entertain the fans who stick around when the game is a foregone conclusion.

The experience backup center Justin Kramer had on the second team paid dividends Saturday, when All-American Elmer McDaniel went down.

The first snap was fumbled, but other than that, Kramer played solidly because he had already played a ton of minutes this season.

Kill said that type of depth is crucial, especially as he sees the toll this season has taken on his players. The team is starting to get banged up, and it's bad enough Kill is contemplating changing the way he runs practices for a while.

But there is comfort, Kill said, in the second team, the time it has been able to play and the plays it has been able to make - and he can thank the dominance of the first team for that.