Sports Column | Les Winkeler: Salukis are back in the playoffs - Daily Local News
They’re in.
Undoubtedly by the skin of their teeth, but they’re in.
Buoyed by last week’s 55-48 win over Southeast Louisiana State, a game that wasn’t even on the Saluki schedule, Southern Illinois University’s football team made the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision’s playoff field of 16.
This will be the first time the Salukis have strapped on the pads for a postseason game since losing to William and Mary in the second round during the 2009 season.
And, the Salukis navigated a circuitous, and treacherous, path to reach the playoffs.
COVID-19 canceled the “regular” season – August through November … with one notable exception. The Salukis and Southeast Missouri tangled in an Oct. 30 contest that saw SIU prevail 30-27 on a last-second field goal by Johnston City’s Nico Gualdoni.
It is important to note that SEMO was ranked in the Top 25 at the time.
Following that victory, SIU and the rest of the FCS world went into hibernation.
The Saluki football team wouldn’t appear in another game until February. And, SIU’s spring football debut was less than auspicious. With inclement weather and the ravages of COVID-19 limiting practice time, SIU was waxed by North Dakota 44-21 in its first-ever February football game.
However, over the next three weeks the Salukis knocked off North Dakota State and Northern Iowa. The win over the Bison, an impressive 38-14 performance, snapped NDSU’s 39-game winning streak. The Bison were ranked first in the nation at the time.
The win over Northern Iowa was closer, 17-16, but only slightly less impressive. The Panthers were ranked No. 4 at the time. At that point, it wasn’t unreasonable to dream about a possible home playoff game.
But, that’s not how things work in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
SIU traveled to South Dakota State and was humbled 44-3. Then, the upstart Missouri State Bears earned a last-second 30-27 win over the Salukis. However, Illinois State and Western Illinois, two struggling teams remained on the schedule.
The bottom then fell out for SIU when both the Redbirds and Leathernecks opted out of their remaining games, leaving SIU sitting at 4-3 and a two-game losing streak.
The Salukis were desperate for a game, and 19th ranked Southeast Louisiana stepped up. SIU made the most of its reprieve, winning 55-48 in a defense-optional game.
Unconventional as it was, the Salukis can hang their hats on another playoff appearance. There was a time, oh, about a dozen years ago, when playoff appearances seemed to be a Saluki birthright. However, playing in the MVFC provides plenty of landmines along the way.
Dale Lennon’s last few teams lost enough close games to cost him his job.
Nick Hill, former star quarterback from Du Quoin, was brought back to SIU to lead the Salukis back to national prominence. As was the case under Lennon, the Salukis seemed to find a way to lose winnable games in the waning moments.
It’s not that the Saluki program had fallen to the depths it experienced in the B.K (Before Jerry Kill) days. In fact, most of the SIU teams of the past 12 years haven’t been bad. They’ve been competitive, but could never quite get over the hump and win the “big” game.
That history was laid to rest last Saturday.
What the Salukis do at Weber State tomorrow is probably less important than how the team responds next fall. However, now that the team is back in postseason, a playoff off win has to be the next item on the team’s “to-do” list.
2021-04-22 23:30:34Z
https://www.dailylocal.com/sports/national/sports-column-les-winkeler-salukis-are-back-in-the-playoffs/article_8b4f6f95-dedb-5136-bddc-a9f1678f0c33.html
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