By: Howard Woodard
Saluki football (2-5) got a much-needed bye this past week and will take on another 2-5 team in the Indiana State Sycamores this weekend. SIU has lost four games in a row and is still searching for its first win in Valley play. Statistically, these teams have played pretty similarly over the course of the season. The Sycamores are ninth in scoring offense (19.1 pts/gm) while the Salukis sit at 10th (18 pts/gm). The two teams are also stacked with each other in scoring defense with ISU coming in at eighth (30 pts/gm) and SIU right behind at (33.6 pts/gm). Indiana State averages the least amount of passing yards in the MVC (139) while the Salukis sit at second (244) in this category even while playing three different quarterbacks this season. Both teams are susceptible through the air on defense, as they rank in the bottom five of pass defenses. SIU comes in at No.1 with 281.7 passing yards allowed per game while the Trees aren’t too far behind at fourth with 256. The Sycamores do have the second-most sacks in the Valley with 18 while SIU has three fewer than them, earning sixth in the conference. It will be intriguing to see which unit shows up in this game, as it could turn into a shootout, become a defensive battle, or somewhere in between. The Salukis will look to build off their solid defensive showing against South Dakota State and for Jake Curry to put together his best game as a collegiate athlete yet. The matchup is scheduled for this Saturday, October 26 at 12 pm.
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