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No. 1 ranked Salukis fall in first round

After outscoring its Gateway opponents 308 to 88 and dominating most every game this season, the SIU football team finally met its match.

The No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Salukis were upset 35-31 by Eastern Washington in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs on a cold and rainy Saturday at McAndrew Stadium.

Eastern Washington quarterback Erik Meyer threw for 437 yards and three touchdowns, all to receiver Eric Kimble, to justify rumblings that the SIU defense has troubles stopping the pass.

In Eastern Washington's potent offensive attack and stingy defense, SIU finally ran into a Division I-AA opponent that could counter its strengths.

"We knew that they had skill players that could match up with us before we went into the game," SIU Head Coach Jerry Kill said. "We couldn't create mismatches as well as we could during the season. They had good speed."

The Salukis had their chance to win the game after Kimble's game-winning 45-yard touchdown catch with 1:49 remaining in the game.

Led by quarterback Joel Sambursky, SIU marched down to the Eastern Washington 22 and had two shots at the endzone with nine seconds left on the clock.

On third and 10, Sambursky heaved a pass to Brent Little, but the ball was thrown too high for the leaping receiver to haul in.

The second attempt at the endzone was knocked down at the line of scrimmage by nose tackle Harrison Nikolao, effectively ending the game and the Salukis' season short of expectations.

"It sucks," Sambursky said. "I didn't think the season would end today, and I didn't think it would end this way. I definitely didn't picture this happening, but at the same time, I have a lot of respect for their club."

It was a stroke of good fortune that allowed the Salukis to even have a shot to win the game in the final minutes.

The Salukis led 17-7 at the half, but with 6:38 remaining in the game and the ball on the SIU 11, Meyer found a seam up the middle and darted for what seemed to be an easy touchdown that would have made the score 35-24 Eagles.

But as Meyer lunged for the endzone, SIU senior safety Alexis Moreland knocked the ball loose. Frank Johnson pounced on the loose ball at the one-yard line to give the Salukis new life.

"I didn't know exactly where I was at, but I could see in his body that he started to lean forward, so I could tell he was close to the endzone," Moreland said. "So as I came up I just reached out and swiped at the ball while I tackled him."

The Salukis proceeded to drive 99 yards in 3:52 to take the lead 31-28 on a Brandon Jacobs touchdown, one of the running back's four on the day.

On the drive's first play, Jacobs carried just about the entire Eagle defense with him for a 15-yard gain, illustrating perfectly how dominant the senior was in his first and final playoff game. Jacobs finished with 25 carries for 166 yards, both season highs.

"Every time I touch the ball, I don't want to be stopped," Jacobs said. "My offensive line got great push off the ball. A lot of stuff I did tonight, I give credit to my offensive line and receivers blocking. They did a great job tonight."

But after Jacobs' fourth TD, 2:37 remained on the clock.

Meyer took the ball and did what he does best - throw the ball down the field - leading the Eagles to the aforementioned game-winning score.

"They're quarterback is what makes that offense tick," Moreland said. "His ability to maneuver in the pocket and buy the extra seconds that he gets, that is hard to stop."

Said Kill of Meyer: "The kid has got a knack. I give credit where credit is due, and that kid can play. You take him off that football team, and it's a little different deal. He's that good." Despite the early and obviously disappointing exit, it can not be forgotten how far the program has come under Kill and the 18 seniors who played their last game Saturday.

From a record of 1-10 in Kill's first season to 4-8 to 10-2, the seniors have brought pride and tradition back to SIU football these last four seasons.

"You can't sit here and say these seniors haven't accomplished a heck of a lot in this football program," Kill said. "Certainly we are down about today, but there has been a hell of a lot accomplished here in a short time."

Moreland, who ended his All-American career Saturday, said the Salukis' climb is not finished.

"If I tell people that our team next year will be better than the one this year, people will laugh because we're missing people - but it will be," Moreland said. "The team next year will be better, and they will continue to build the tradition here at SIU."