Salukis take versatile offense on road against UAPB

In football terms, Nick Hill is hot.

Hill torched Indiana University's secondary and passed for four touchdowns in SIU's 35-28 victory, earning him player-of-the-week honors for the entire country.

To make matters worse for the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff ˜ the Salukis' opponent Saturday ˜ it isn't the passing game that might cause the Golden Lions fits.

Rather, it is the Salukis' running game that is revered as the best in the country. The stats foretell how the game could likely be decided ˜ on the ground.

SIU (2-0) boasts the nation's top running game with 300.5 yards a game while the Golden Lions give up about 158 yards a contest.

Those numbers might show UAPB would be at an advantage.

Those numbers don't always hold true.

The Salukis posted 244 yards against Indiana University's 75 yards-a-game stranglehold defense.

The ingredients for an all-out ground assault are present.

Senior center Will Justice said it starts with Arkee Whitlock, SIU's senior All-American running back.

"We're going to do what we do every week, and he's going to make us look good," Justice said.

SIU won't have to hinge entirely on its running game against the Golden Lions (1-2). Hill showed off his arm against the Hoosiers by connecting with four different receivers for four scores, all of which came in the last 31 minutes of the game.

"Him throwing those four touchdown passes is wonderful," Whitlock said. "It keeps teams honest."

While UAPB's performances this season aren't anything to brag about, SIU coach Jerry Kill said he isn't overlooking the team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Even though the Salukis have a mountain of momentum from their first win over a Division I-A opponent in 23 years, Kill isn't discounting Saturday's opponent.

'"They're good enough to beat us if we aren't ready to play," Kill said.

SIU faces a UAPB team that has put up some impressive numbers but lacks consistency in doing so.

Case in point: The Golden Lions' top running back, Martell Mallett, averages 115 yards per game, a comparable clip to his counterpart in Whitlock. However, Mallet only gained 43 yards in his team's 31-13 loss against Alabama State on Sept. 16.

Though inconsistent, SIU still sees its third opponent of the year as a threat.

"They'll probably look as good as any team we'll see speed-wise," Hill said. "They're very athletic."

It's not like the Salukis are a slouch in that department.

Aside from the first quarter, SIU dominated every facet of its Sept. 16 matchup with the I-A Hoosiers. The Salukis stumbled in the first quarter and fell behind 14-0 but outscored and outsourced IU to the tune of a 35-14 advantage thereafter.

SIU knows momentum won't put points on the board. The Salukis will have to focus on the task at hand and can't rely on anything carrying over from the IU matchup. For that reason, Whitlock said, Saturday's game is crucial.

"This is one of our most important games of the year," Whitlock said. "Basically, it's a test to see if we can maintain focus and come out this week and not slack up because of a win last week."