The ending to the 2023 SIU football season left a bit of a sour taste in the mouths of returning Salukis. Idaho’s overtime field goal, coupled with multiple missed opportunities by the Salukis, sent the Dawgs home.
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Senior wide receiver Vinson Davis said, “It wasn’t anything [Idaho] did that lost us that game, it was all on us in my mind.”
However, there was no point to dwell on how things could have gone; instead it was time to gear up for the next season.
Going into the offseason, the team knew that a lot of its roster would look very different. Several players graduated, including four year starting quarterback Nic Baker, first team all conference safety PJ Jules and defensive line mainstays Dante Cleveland and Kam Bowdry
Several foundational players also transferred to other programs. 2023’s leading wide receiver, Izaiah Hartrup, is now at Ole Miss, while All-Missouri Valley Conference linebacker Branson Combs is at Wake Forest. Dune Smith, another talented linebacker who was named a 2024 team captain, went to Incarnate Word, who will visit Carbondale on Sept. 14.
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According to offensive coordinator Blake Rolan, who is entering his fifth year with SIU, the changes in personnel have led to a shift in how the coaching staff gameplans, though it won’t be too noticeable on the field.
”It will change some style of play and some play calls… but the average fan won’t notice too much difference,” Rolan said.
The new year has also seen many players grow as leaders. Senior linebacker Colin Bohanek made note of several who have stepped into leadership roles on defense, including sixth-year safety Iverson Brown, defensive lineman Dewey Green and offensive lineman Chase Evans, Jake Green and Noah Fenske.
Amongst all the change, one unit has remained mostly the same. The offensive line returns four of its five starters, and each of those four have started at least 19 games in their collegiate career..The coaching staff believes that this experience could be a big key to offensive success this year.
“Offense starts with the O-Line, especially in the Missouri Valley,” Rolan said. “With seven to ten capable linemen, we’ll definitely be relying on them to get the ball moving.”
Despite all the changes in starting roles, the Salukis were ranked tenth in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and picked to finish a respectable fourth in the MVC preseason poll, behind perennial heavyweights South Dakota State, North Dakota State and South Dakota, all of whom the Dawgs will face this year.
For a conference as tough as the Missouri Valley, which regularly fields at least five top 25 FCS teams and is home to 11 of the last 13 FCS national champions, this is a testament to the work that the players and coaching staff put in everyday to build a winning program. The coaching staff, however, does not have their minds on the preseason ranking.
“Those preseason polls don’t mean much come December,” Rolan said.
Saluki Football, which opens its MVC schedule on September 28 against South Dakota, will kick off its 2024 campaign with a trip out west to face off with the Cougars of Brigham Young University.
The annual matchup with an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponent like BYU is always a highly anticipated one for SIU and its fans, while the chance to play on a bigger stage than usual also has many players counting down the days until the game.
”It’s probably the most excited I’ve been, in college,” Brown said.
Bohanek shared a similar sentiment.
“It’s going to be a great experience and we can’t wait to soak it all in,” he said.
This year in particular gives the Salukis a chance to make history, as they will be trying to make it three years in a row with wins over FBS opponents. SIU has never beaten three FBS teams in a row, with the longest streaks (2 wins) coming in the 2006 and 2007 seasons and in the 2022-2023 seasons.
But it is still business as usual for the Dawgs. Bohanek said that they were still “trusting each other, trusting in the system, and believing in themselves” while Vinson Davis said it’s all about “playing our brand of football and giving 100% effort.”
SIU is expected to contend for its third straight FCS playoff bid
SIU will travel to Clarksville, Tennessee in Week 2 to take on Austin Peay before returning for their home opener on Sept. 14th, in a matchup against the Cardinals of Incarnate Word. The rest of the Dawgs’ schedule can be found here.
Note for design: Schedule is here: https://siusalukis.com/sports/football/schedule
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