 "Photo:")
If there is any merit to the phrase 'awaken a sleeping giant,' the SIU football team could be in for a rough weekend.
The Salukis will face North Dakota State Saturday in Fargo, N.D., where a team that has lost its last two games but still boasts the ninth and 10th best offense and defense in the nation respectively will undoubtedly be looking to regain its post as one of the best teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.
"They haven't had too many weeks where they have lost two games in a row," SIU coach Dale Lennon said. "So I know this isn't sitting very well with them, and I know they have had some very spirited practices so they will be coming out with a point to prove."
Lennon and company will take a two-hour flight to Fargo today, and the first-year head coach will certainly have a number of matchup concerns to chew on besides his in-flight meal.
Aside from worrying about one of the best offenses and defenses in the nation, the Salukis (2-1) will also have to find a way to contain NDSU's top two offensive threats in Payton Award candidate Tyler Roehl and wide receiver Kole Heckendorf, all the while dealing with the vociferous atmosphere found in the Fargodome.
"It is going to be a challenge," Lennon said. "It will force us to play at an extremely high level, otherwise we won't be successful."
The Salukis enter the game fresh off a dramatic last-second win against FCS powerhouse Northern Iowa and will look to carry that momentum into a game that could be an even bigger challenge.
The Bison (2-2) have won 14 consecutive games in the Fargodome, the third longest in all of Division I football, and have outscored their opponents 91-20 in front of their home crowd this season.
The Salukis have practiced with a variety of music and sounds during their practices this week in efforts to ease the transition to the raucous Fargodome. SIU has also practiced a silent snap count to help offset the NDSU crowd.
But SIU running back Larry Warner said there isn't much a PA system can do.
"You can have the sounds here but when you get there it is a totally different feeling," he said. "So when we get in that situation we will just have to be focused and we are going to have to be consistent on offense."
The Salukis, though, will have much more to worry about than the crowd.
The Bison feature the most explosive offense in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Senior wide receiver Heckendorf caught a career high nine passes for 111 yards against Youngstown in the Bison's last game and has 104.2 receiving yards per game.
Meanwhile, Roehl represents one of the best offensive weapons in the nation and has scored three times on 282 rushing yards this season.
"He is just a power back who really doesn't juke much and gets it and just runs downhill," said junior linebacker Brandin Jordan. "We just need to concentrate on wrapping him up and taking him down."
Lennon said, as usual, the SIU game plan will look to stop the run and force the Bison to move the ball via the pass.
But Lennon said stopping the Bison's rush could be harder than any other team the Salukis have faced this season.
"If you can stop the run with them then you have had a really good day because they are a run first offense," Lennon said.
But while Lennon would ideally like to eliminate the Bison's rushing attack, he would also like to see the Salukis' ground game explode.
"We have to have a run game," he said. "I'm not worried about whether or not this is the toughest test for the run game; we need to have the running game. In order to be successful in that environment, you have to have a run game."
Warner, who has consisted for a bulk of SIU's scoring this season, is expected to get at least 30 carries against the Bison.
Warner could exploit an NDSU defense that, despite being one of the best against the pass, is less than stellar against the rush.
While NDSU boasts the second-best passing defense in the nation, the Bison have allowed 193.8 rushing yards per game and have allowed most of their opponents to score on the ground.
"The stats are something that you see and it is something that catches your eye," Warner said. "But you just have to play within yourself and we will see how we do this weekend."
Brian Feldt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 256 or bfeldt@siude.com.
