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."

Clash of the titans

Before he ever carried a ball for the Salukis, running back Brandon Jacobs admitted he knew little about the Gateway Conference.

He knew it was tough, he knew it was one of Division I-AA's best and he only knew of one player - Illinois State linebacker Boomer Grigsby.

Well, he didn't actually know his name, just saying he knew Illinois State had a very big, very talented linebacker.

On Saturday, finally, Jacobs will get to see the man he's been hearing so much about this season. He'll take his 6.3 yards per carry average to Bloomington for what should be - in terms of pure physics - the most powerful matchup in the Gateway.

M will meet C squared in what could result in a ton of E.

"I'm gonna bring it," Jacobs said. "I'm gonna bring my lunch kit like I do every week."

Jacobs has been hearing a lot of things about Grigsby this week, including his speed, hitting power and massive size. Grigsby, a two-time Gateway defensive player of the year, has biceps the size of most people's heads.

Jacobs has also heard a few negative things, such as Grigsby being a "stiff" player, but is not making any judgments based on what others have said.

He just wants to play football.

"I have heard a bunch of things, but I'm not going to go off what someone else is telling me," Jacobs said. "It's nothing but a game, and I'm going to go out and play the game the way it's supposed to be played."

The Salukis are preparing for more than Grigsby, but no one is going to argue that the 6-foot-1, 241-pound behemoth is the heart of Illinois State's defense.

SIU's job may be made a little easier by recent injuries to Grigsby, who is expected to play but may not be 100 percent.

Grigsby broke his thumb against Western Kentucky last Saturday, and the Daily Vidette, Illinois State's student newspaper, reported Thursday that he is hampered by knee damage.

Grigsby said the thumb will not affect him, and that the knee should be fine.

"I think I heal fast, and God is on my side," Grigsby told the Vidette. "It's by far not a serious injury by any means. I think by Saturday it'll be all right."

Grigsby is the conference leader in tackles with 13.1, and will be the key if Illinois State hopes to contain SIU's offense.

The Redbirds have been a middle of the road defensive team and hope Grigsby and company can find a way to shut down SIU's backs as it did two years ago.

"If we don't get a body on him, it'll be a long day," said SIU head coach Jerry Kill. "He's a very good football player."

But Kill's focus won't necessarily be on Grigsby, but on the Illinois State secondary. The Redbirds give up a lot of big plays, and since Kill expects as many as nine men in the box to stop the running attack, the Saluki passing game could play a big role.

Kill said Illinois State's defense is different from anything his team has seen in the last three or four weeks, just like SIU's defense is unlike anything the Redbirds have seen since losing to Minnesota in the Metrodome.

Illinois State has a decent offense and two very talented receivers, but so did Western Illinois last week. The Leathernecks managed only one pass to a wide receiver in the first three quarters, so Illinois State will have its hands full in getting the ball to its top receivers, Laurent Robinson and Ramon Barber.

"I don't see any real deficits in their football team," said Illinois State head coach Denver Johnson. "I think they've got a good or better player in every spot, and they've got them playing extremely well right now."

It's SIU's final road game of the regular season, and a chance to clinch at least a share of the Gateway Conference Championship. With Indiana State coming to town next week, it is theoretically the Salukis' last losable game of the regular season.

On one hand, the game seems easy given Illinois State's 2-3 conference record, but could also prove difficult of one looks at last week's 24-21 loss at No. 5 Western Kentucky.

Either way, Kill said there is plenty of incentive and does not foresee a letdown, something his team has successfully avoided all season despite the many accolades and No, 1 rankings.

"If you're a human being and you can' t play for the conference championship and the right to have an automatic berth in a playoff game, you're not human," Kill said. "We'll be ready to play."