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Homecoming Kings

It appears to be an uphill battle for Northern Iowa Saturday.

Not because the Panthers are 1-2, SIU is the No. 1 team in the land or because the Salukis have yet to give up a touchdown to a Division I-AA team.

Northern Iowa must play a perfect game because it is facing Jerry Kill - on homecoming.

Since taking the reins of the SIU football team, Kill has suffered through a complete team overhaul and a one-win season but, miraculously, he has never lost the first home game of October.

It's not like Kill has been the beneficiary of homecoming cakewalks, either.

His first season, the one in the 1-10 record was a 23-17 homecoming win over Illinois State. The Redbirds were horrid that year and lost their starting quarterback, but for the 2001 Salukis to win any game was a miracle in itself.

"It's the Kill era. We went 1-10 but we won that homecoming game," said senior safety Alexis Moreland, who is also undefeated on homecoming. "That's something special for us and that's a tradition we hope to keep."

The following year, SIU came out of its 20-year hibernation to make a huge statement, beating Western Illinois and its highly-touted defense 54-52 on a Joel Sambursky touchdown pass as time expired. It was the first time SIU had beaten Western Illinois since 1983, and it put the Salukis on the I-AA map for good.

The next year, SIU murdered Illinois State 45-17 to solidify its newfound status as an MVC powerhouse.

"I just hope it continues," Kill said. "I guess we've been fortunate."

Most indications seem to be that it will.

No. 1 SIU has outscored Division I-AA opponents 91-3, is playing at home - the home team has won the last seven meetings between the two - and has a world of momentum in its favor.

No. 15 Northern Iowa, shockingly, has a losing record and is coming off a tough loss to No. 5 Stephen F. Austin.

But the Panthers are ranked, and will be unlike any other I-AA team the Salukis have faced thus far.

"Northern Iowa is one of the best teams in the Gateway, if not the best," Kill said. "They've played a very tough schedule, and we respect them dearly and we know it will be a battle."

Quarterback Tom Petrie, who threw for 422 yards against SIU last year, is the most obvious threat to SIU's homecoming streak. Sambursky calls him the best quarterback in the Gateway conference, and Kill said SIU's best hope is to simply contain him.

"I don't think you can stop him, he's that good," Kill said. "I think the big thing is you've got to stop the run game and don't let them mix it up."

Given SIU's defensive improvement, it is unlikely Petrie will lead his team to 43 points. But some see this game as a battle for the Gateway's best quarterback.

Sambursky said he would love to be the best quarterback in the Gateway, but doubts this one game will decide it.

His motivation does not lie in beating Petrie, or even getting revenge for last year. Saturday is the first game of the conference season, and Sambursky knows it could be close.

"It's always a battle. For the three years we've played, it's been a battle," Sambursky said. "Even the year we went 1-10, we went up to the dome and it was a battle."

Sambursky said he has talked to his teammates, and the consensus is that this particular battle, at this point in their careers, is their most crucial.

"This might be the biggest game of our career," Sambursky said.