Southeast, Southern Illinois football coaches enjoy renewed rivalry

~ The Redhawks and Salukis will square off Saturday evening

Southern Illinois University football coach Dale Lennon said Southeast Missouri State showed him enough last year to expect another tough game against the Redhawks.

Southeast and SIU square off at 6 p.m. Saturday at brand-new Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Both teams are 1-1.

"I was impressed with them," Lennon said of the 2009 meeting in Cape Girardeau that was competitive most of the way before SIU, then ranked No. 1 nationally, pulled away for a 42-24 win. "They played very hard and definitely gave us a battle. "We were ranked No. 1 at the time, but they weren't intimidated."

While not ranked No. 1 this year, the powerful Salukis aren't far off as they are fifth in the two major Division I-AA polls. They had been second in one poll but fell after last week's 35-3 loss at Illinois.

The Salukis, who have made seven straight playoff appearances, are 51-16 since the 2005 season and have been ranked in the top 20 for 93 consecutive weeks. They are 21-6 under Lennon, in his third year at SIU.

"They've really established themselves," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said.

Last year's matchup in the regular-season finale marked the first meeting between the regional rivals since 2005. Lennon and Samuel agree that the game should be played annually. The Salukis come back to Cape Girardeau in 2011.

"When you're only 45 miles apart ... I think this should be an annual game," Lennon said. "I wish there could be some kind of traveling trophy."

Southeast leads the all-time series 36-31-8, but the Salukis have won the past four meetings by a combined margin of 170-57. Southeast last beat SIU in 2002, which also marks the Salukis' last nonconference home loss. SIU is 38-2 in regular-season home games since 2003.

"When I got here people would ask me why we're not playing SIU," said Samuel, in his fifth year at Southeast. "We're only about an hour apart. It's great to get that [series] going.

"They're ahead of us right now [as a program]. But I think it's good to compete against them, see where we stand. It's going to be a great atmosphere."

Lennon said he still is trying to get a read on the Salukis because their first two games weren't very competitive, including a 70-7 season-opening rout of Division II Quincy.

"We've been on opposite ends of the spectrum," Lennon said. "Quincy wasn't a real big challenge, then we ran into a good Illinois team and got schooled.

"I'm still trying to figure out where we are. That's why it's such a big game for us. I think it's a big game for both teams."

Lennon said he has been impressed with the Redhawks so far, led by junior quarterback Matt Scheible.

Scheible has rushed for 162 yards while averaging seven yards per carry and has completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6 percent) for 252 yards. He has not been intercepted in his last five games.

"He's a very tough kid, makes good decisions," Lennon said. "I like the way he plays. You can tell he's a leader."

SIU has its own impressive quarterback in 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior Chris Dieker, who has completed 30 of 50 passes (60 percent) for 316 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Dieker threw for 1,326 yards and 10 touchdowns last year in eight games. He missed five contests due to a broken collarbone and did not play against Southeast.

"He's a big kid with a strong arm," Samuel said. "He can make every throw."

Talent-rich SIU placed five players on The Sports Network preseason All-American team: cornerback Korey Lindsey (first team), offensive tackle David Pickard (second), fullback John Goode (second), kicker Kyle Dougherty (third) and strong safety Mike McElroy (third).

"We know how good they are," Scheible said. "We saw that last year. But we're looking forward to playing them."

While SIU lost at Illinois last week, Southeast won its Ohio Valley Conference opener for the first time under Samuel and the first time since 2004 with a 30-17 victory at Murray State.

That contest marked the first time Southeast has had two 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver in the same game since moving up to Division I-AA in 1991.

Scheible and senior tailback Henry Harris rushed for 134 and 113 yards, respectively, while senior wide receiver Miles Edwards caught five passes for 100 yards.

The Redhawks hope they can feed off the momentum from that triumph to help spring an upset before they resume conference play.

"We know they'll be a great team, but we'll be ready," Harris said.