SIU tapped to win Missouri Valley in new digs
CARBONDALE -- Dale Lennon isn't so worried that his Salukis might buckle under the pressure of being the overwhelming pick to win their third Missouri Valley Football Conference title in a row.
It's the new digs that give the coach cause for pause.
A season after rolling unbeaten through its eight-game league schedule, Southern next month christens its fancy, 15,000-seat replacement of McAndrew Stadium, a decrepit dinosaur that predated World War II.
Lennon's office now looks into what now is called Saluki Stadium, home to a two-story press box, 1,000 chairback seats, contemporary locker rooms, a 20-by-40 foot scoreboard with video replay, and expanded restrooms. Lennon worries it's all potentially enough glitz for the Salukis to take their eye off snagging their sixth conference crown in eight years and grabbing their eighth straight playoff berth.
Expectations have been high in Carbondale over the past decade even if the turnout didn't show it. Last season, the Salukis on average drew just 8,882 to home games, with only Indiana State ranking worse in the nine-team league. That should change with what Lennon calls the school's "very nice facility."
"What we need to do is keep our feet on the ground," Lennon told reporters recently during the league's annual media day. "We're going to be playing in a stadium that's gonna have a lot of atmosphere. That can distract from your preparation."
The Salukis open the season at home Sept. 2 against the NAIA's Quincy and come back with more than half of their starters gone from last season's 11-2 team.
Lennon figures the Salukis have returning starters at key positions, notably senior quarterback Chris Dieker and sophomore backup Paul McIntosh. Dieker was 15-4 as a starter at Carbondale before missing the last seven games last season with a broken collarbone, giving way to McIntosh.
Elsewhere in Illinois:
-- At Illinois State in Normal, coach Brock Spack has 18 returning starters but a huge question to tackle: Who should be quarterback? The competition between sophomore Matt Brown and junior Drew Kiel, Spack says, "should be hot and heavy."
Kiel had been the starter before his season-ending wrist injury in last year's opener gave way to Brown, the Missouri Valley's reigning freshman of the year after he completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,369 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.
The Redbirds, 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the league last season and picked to finish third in the conference this year, open the season Sept. 2 against visiting Central Missouri.
--At Northern Illinois in DeKalb, third-year coach Jerry Kill welcomes back two offensive weapons -- senior tailback Chad Spann (1,038 yards on 179 carries with 19 rushing touchdowns last season) and wideout Landon Cox (45 catches, 535 yards).
Quarterback Chandler Harnish was injured for part of last season, finishing with 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 appearances for a Huskies team that went 7-6. Harnish could face competition at the spot from DeMarcus Grady, redshirt freshman Jordan Lynch and junior-college transfer Casey Weston.
Northern, which is in the MAC, opens the season Sept. 2 at Iowa State.
--At Western Illinois in Macomb, Mark Hendrickson guides the Leathernecks in his first full season as coach after the longtime assistant served as acting head coach for 15 games over the past two seasons, covering for ailing Don Patterson.
Last year was forgettable: the Leathernecks won their opener but lost their remaining 10 games. Now picked to finish second to last in the Missouri Valley this season, Western returns linebacker Kyle Glazier -- the league's leading tackler last season, averaging 10 per game -- and two fellow preseason all-conference picks in wide receiver Lito Senatus and return specialist Todd Speight.
--At Eastern Illinois in Charleston, seven starters on offense and eight on defense are back a year after winning the Ohio Valley Conference title, finishing 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the league.
Tapped to finish second this season to Jacksonville State, Eastern has questions at quarterback. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Large hasn't played since 2008 and is the likely successor to Jake Christenson, who threw for 2,204 yards and 19 touchdowns last season as a senior.
Large will get some backfield help from Mon Williams, who ran for 870 yards and nine touchdowns last year. The Panthers' second-leading rusher last year, Chevon Walker, was dropped from the team in early August along with two other players for unspecified team rules violations.
The Panthers defensively will lean on three preseason OVC first-teamers: defensive lineman Perry Burge, linebacker Nick Nasti and defensive back C.J. James.
Eastern's season begins Sept. 4 at Iowa.