Salukis' time between games longest in school history

The Saluki football team is playing the waiting game.

After a 49-0 thrashing of Lock Haven on Aug. 31, SIU has 10 more days of dormancy until a Sept. 16 matchup with the Big Ten's Indiana University.

Until then, the Salukis can't tackle anything but teammates and film sessions.

The Hoosiers opened their season with a 39-20 win over Western Michigan on Saturday. They won't have to wait to try and make improvements on the field as they get to square off against Ball State before the SIU game.

Defensive end Lorenzo Wims said the extra week off would provide the Salukis valuable time to watch film, a luxury IU won't have.

"That'll give us an edge on them," said Wims, a 2005 Ball State transfer. "We'll be more rested up."

Rested might be an understatement.

According to year-by-year stats in the Football Media Guide, the Salukis have never gone this long between games. The hiatus is also the longest in the Gateway Football Conference this year.

Whether it's a good thing will not be known until game time.

"We got some time off, so I think that we can only worry about what we can control," said junior quarterback Nick Hill. "We have these 16 days off, so we've really got to take that and learn from this film and get better at practice."

While the time off will provide the Salukis ample time to prepare and recuperate, it could also be a time when the Salukis could accrue game-time rust with only seeing the practice field.

Matt Dougherty, the executive director of Division I-AA football for the Sports Network, disagrees.

Dougherty said he didn't think a bye-week would play a detrimental role in the Salukis' next game.

If anything, he said, having a lengthy break would give the team more of a chance to digest its 49-0 win over Lock Haven and prepare for IU.

"Usually, teams make the most progression between the first and second games," Dougherty said. "It's good for them to get one under their belt and see what they have to do to take on an opponent like Indiana from a good conference."

A look in the record books might be a better gauge.

The Hoosiers are the only Division I-A team the Salukis face this year. SIU, a Division I-AA squad, has never beaten a school from the Big Ten. The team has only played Illinois twice, in 1985 and 1990, and lost both times.

SIU has been a little more successful while playing after a rest. So far in head coach Jerry Kill's tenure, the Salukis have gone 2-3 in games where they've had at least 10 days away from the game field.

What the Salukis are more worried about is zeroing in on the task at hand and not getting sidetracked by the lengthy wait, senior running back Arkee Whitlock said.

"Knowing that we're playing a team like Indiana, we've got to be as focused as we can and just keep everybody on the same page," Whitlock said.