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."

Northern Iowa comes to the pound

When the Salukis fell to Northern Iowa last season after Craig Coffin narrowly missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, it nearly brought tears to cornerback Yemi Akisanya's face. Whether it was another teammate or a fan, he probably wasn't the only person to experience that sharp feeling of heartbreak.

The Salukis rolled into Cedar Falls, Iowa last year buoyed by an undefeated record of 10-0. Like every opponent before them, SIU knew the Panthers could be the team to end the streak.

As the first half progressed, though, it looked as if the Panthers would tumble as easily as a dedicated tailgater.

The Salukis scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter alone, two of which came from junior quarterback Joel Sambursky. As SIU rambled into its locker room, it had a commanding 28-7 lead.

"Going into that locker room we might have been a little complacent," said senior safety Alexis Moreland. "They came out in the second half and got off some great plays."

Complacent or not, the Salukis were caught off guard by the explosion ignited by Panther quarterback Tom Petrie. By the end of the night, he would throw for 422 yards and three touchdowns.

The Panthers scored on their first possession of the second half and again with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter. After sophomore Craig Coffin kicked a field goal and both teams scored a touchdown, the score was 40-28 with the Salukis ahead.

The final six and a half minutes that followed displayed true shock and awe. Petrie led an 85-yard touchdown drive, the Salukis were forced to punt and the Panthers' next drive resulted in a touchdown, giving them a 43-40 lead.

"We couldn't hear the snap counts because of their fans," SIU head coach Jerry Kill said. "They made it harder for us offensively...that's college football."

SIU bounced back with a 35-yard kick return and a pass by Sambursky that moved the ball up an additional 17 yards. The end result of the drive was a daunting field goal attempt from 50 yards out with only seven seconds to spare.

The often-reliable Coffin stepped up for his longest field goal attempt of the night. Coffin had already nailed two attempts from 40 and 47 yards.

The extra three yards of this attempt wasn't an issue as much as the earth-shattering noise produced by the home fans.

"I can usually tune things out like that," Coffin said. "They were so loud, I just had to watch the snap and go off of that."

Coffin kicked the ball and watched as it sailed just right of the goalpost. The Salukis' perfect season had come to an end after a grueling battle.

Undoubtedly, the person hit hardest was Coffin himself.

"It was the hardest thing I've had to do," Coffin said. "I wanted to do that for the team who had played the entire game."

This slightly unpleasant trip down memory lane hasn't been about what the Saluki football team did or didn't do. Instead, it is about what the Panther fans did do. After a dreadful first half, UNI came out and rallied the fans, causing chaos in the communication between the Salukis.

The Panthers are coming to town Saturday to face a team looking to wipe the bitter taste of defeat from its mouths. Not only is this homecoming for SIU, but it is also the first conference game of the season for the Salukis.

"The fans have such a great opportunity," Sambursky said. "I hope they're out here to help us out."