Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Impressed with SIU
9/1/2015 4:11:00 PM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
Southern Illinois head coach Dale Lennon wasn't with the Salukis in 2006 when they upset Indiana 35-28 at Memorial Stadium, but that hasn't stopped him from reminding his players about it.
"All we're going to say is, 'What's been done can be done again,'" Lennon said Monday. "We're not going to dwell on that. We're not going to use it as a theme, but it is something everyone is aware of."
Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson doesn't need to be reminded not to overlook Southern Illinois at 4 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Players said Monday and Tuesday that Wilson has been treating the opening weekend the same as if he was preparing for a Big Ten game despite the Salukis being a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent.
"(Southern Illinois is) to me, a winning, prideful program and has been for decades," Wilson said. "FCS program, yes, but historically those teams have matched up. I don't know if you can call them upsets anymore with the balance and development of football."
Neither team should be too surprised about what's lining up across from them on gameday. The Hoosiers and Salukis mirror one another from a scheme standpoint.
Both use spread, no-huddle offenses and play out of 3-4 base defenses and are expected to be relying on a mix of veterans and newcomers on both sides of the ball.
"You kind of work against yourselves and almost do your scouting report," Wilson said.
One of Southern Illinois' strengths lies in the arm of fifth-year senior quarterback Mark Iannotti, who completed 15-of-22 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns in an intrasquad scrimmage Aug. 22.
Iannotti will be forced to find new targets this season. SIU needs to replace their top three pass catchers from a year ago—including tight end MyCole Pruitt, who was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft—as well as Malcolm Agnew, their leading rusher from last season.
Ten different players caught passes in SIU's scrimmage, none of which had more than one touchdown reception last year.
"We've talked about it from day one. Right now, we have a team full of nobodies," Lennon said. "There's not a whole lot of preseason recognition for any of our guys. We're comfortable with that. We've got some guys that will be somebodies; it's just a matter of them going out there and proving it."
One under-the-radar threat to already catch Wilson's attention is Adam Fuehne, who Wilson called "the most draftable player" the Salukis have.
Defensive coordinator Brian Knorr said the 6-foot-7, 260-pound tight end could prove to be a difficult matchup for Indiana's bandits charged with keeping him contained.
"That's a challenge for me," fifth-year senior bandit Zack Shaw said. "I'm up for it. I've been watching a lot of film on him, and I feel like I stack up pretty good against him."
Southern Illinois hasn't beaten an FBS opponent since defeating Northern Illinois in 2007, but the Salukis haven't been far off.
Lennon said a handful of self-inflicted mistakes squandered away any chance of beating Purdue last season. He's been emphasizing the importance of ball security and limiting errors for his team to have a chance of repeating history and knocking off Indiana.
"We know they're going to come in here ready to go and ready to fight," senior defensive end Nick Mangieri said. "This is a big game for them, and a big game for us, too. We're definitely not going to overlook these guys by any means. They'll get our best."
IUHoosiers.com
Southern Illinois head coach Dale Lennon wasn't with the Salukis in 2006 when they upset Indiana 35-28 at Memorial Stadium, but that hasn't stopped him from reminding his players about it.
"All we're going to say is, 'What's been done can be done again,'" Lennon said Monday. "We're not going to dwell on that. We're not going to use it as a theme, but it is something everyone is aware of."
Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson doesn't need to be reminded not to overlook Southern Illinois at 4 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Players said Monday and Tuesday that Wilson has been treating the opening weekend the same as if he was preparing for a Big Ten game despite the Salukis being a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent.
"(Southern Illinois is) to me, a winning, prideful program and has been for decades," Wilson said. "FCS program, yes, but historically those teams have matched up. I don't know if you can call them upsets anymore with the balance and development of football."
Neither team should be too surprised about what's lining up across from them on gameday. The Hoosiers and Salukis mirror one another from a scheme standpoint.
Both use spread, no-huddle offenses and play out of 3-4 base defenses and are expected to be relying on a mix of veterans and newcomers on both sides of the ball.
"You kind of work against yourselves and almost do your scouting report," Wilson said.
One of Southern Illinois' strengths lies in the arm of fifth-year senior quarterback Mark Iannotti, who completed 15-of-22 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns in an intrasquad scrimmage Aug. 22.
Iannotti will be forced to find new targets this season. SIU needs to replace their top three pass catchers from a year ago—including tight end MyCole Pruitt, who was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft—as well as Malcolm Agnew, their leading rusher from last season.
Ten different players caught passes in SIU's scrimmage, none of which had more than one touchdown reception last year.
"We've talked about it from day one. Right now, we have a team full of nobodies," Lennon said. "There's not a whole lot of preseason recognition for any of our guys. We're comfortable with that. We've got some guys that will be somebodies; it's just a matter of them going out there and proving it."
One under-the-radar threat to already catch Wilson's attention is Adam Fuehne, who Wilson called "the most draftable player" the Salukis have.
Defensive coordinator Brian Knorr said the 6-foot-7, 260-pound tight end could prove to be a difficult matchup for Indiana's bandits charged with keeping him contained.
"That's a challenge for me," fifth-year senior bandit Zack Shaw said. "I'm up for it. I've been watching a lot of film on him, and I feel like I stack up pretty good against him."
Southern Illinois hasn't beaten an FBS opponent since defeating Northern Illinois in 2007, but the Salukis haven't been far off.
Lennon said a handful of self-inflicted mistakes squandered away any chance of beating Purdue last season. He's been emphasizing the importance of ball security and limiting errors for his team to have a chance of repeating history and knocking off Indiana.
"We know they're going to come in here ready to go and ready to fight," senior defensive end Nick Mangieri said. "This is a big game for them, and a big game for us, too. We're definitely not going to overlook these guys by any means. They'll get our best."
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