Ron Zook's Last Stand: Illinois Fighting Illini Face Southern Illinois Salukis

The Illinois Fighting Illini welcome the Southern Illinois Salukis to Memorial Stadium Saturday night. 

The Fighting Illini currently sport a record of 11-0 against in-state public schools, but they should not take the Salukis lightly.

Southern Illinois is currently ranked second in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) and are coming off a Week 1 drubbing of Quincy 70-7.

The Salukis have also beaten two Division I programs in their past, Northern Illinois and Indiana.  Southern Illinois is also the only member of the Missouri Valley Conference that has defeated a Big Ten team in football.

Last week college football fans witnessed FCS team Jacksonville State stun Ole Miss in a double-overtime thriller.  This matchup between the Salukis and the Fighting Illini seems to have the potential for a similar outcome.

This game is going to be decided on the Illini’s ability to play a complete game.  Last week against Missouri, Illinois won the first half, but ultimately faltered in the second half and lost the game.

Although Illinois lost to Missouri last week, the team has come away with a positive outlook on its season. 

Nathan Scheelhaase is a quarterback who has only one start under his belt and is heralded as a film junkie.  He showed signs of promise in Week 1 and should continue to improve as the season goes on.

The performance of Mikel LeShoure and the rushing offense for the Illini should be able to explode again this week.  Look for LeShoure to continue to build on last week’s success, especially if the passing game opens up against the Salukis.

Illinois has since suffered another setback on defense when starting “bandit” (hybrid between defensive end and linebacker) Michael Buchanan was arrested on the suspicion of a DUI and has since been suspended indefinitely.

They are now without three starters on defense, which could pose a problem against a Saluki team that racked up almost 500 yards of offense last week.

Southern Illinois also has four players that have received recognition as preseason All Americans: cornerback Korey Lindsey (first team), safety Mike McElroy (first team), fullback John Goode (second team), and offensive tackle David Pickard (third team).

The Salukis have the talent to give the Fighting Illini trouble, but Illinois has won 12 consecutive home openers.  As long as the Fighting Illini limit the turnovers and seize control of the game, their home opener winning streak should reach 13.