Picked to win the gateway conference and finish second in the nation in preseason polls, the dawgs will have a target on their backs every time they step on the field

Saluki fans were given the opportunity last year to do something that was impossible for what seemed an eternity:root on a winning SIUC football team.

Last year’s team, which finished the season 10-2 after a loss to eventual national champion Delaware, was expected by many to do better than the 4-8 mark it posted the season before. No one expected, though, that the team would roll to victories in its first 10 games before finally settling for Earth at the end of the season.

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The unexpected success of the team brought the campus national media exposure and a level of school pride not often seen here outside of basketball season.

This year, expectations for the team are considerably higher.

Although the Salukis lost running backs Muhammed Abdulqaadir, Tom Koutsos and Brandon Robinson to graduation, the Dawgs may have an even better team this season than last.

Quarterback Joel Sambursky returns, along with safety Alexis Moreland, center Elmer McDaniel and a number of other key members of last season’s team, including 10 of 11 starters on defense.

And on top of players returning from last year’s team, head coach Jerry Kill has managed to attract a talented recruiting class to Carbondale.

Countering fans’ fears that the Saluki offense might lose some of its potency, the backfield has been replenished, with Brandon Jacobs, Terry Jackson and Arkee Whitlock filling the cleats of last year’s talented backs.

Picked to win the Gateway Conference and finish second in the nation in pre-season polls, the Dawgs will have a target on their backs every time they step on the field. Opponents will be gunning for the Salukis, knowing that an upset win over SIU will boost their chances of postseason glory.

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This makes it all the more important that members of the SIU community show their support for the team. We urge everyone to attend as many games as they can to root the Dawgs on.

And when we say attend the games we mean prying yourselves away from the beer bongs at the tailgate and actually entering the confines of McAndrew Stadium.

In years past, the close proximity of the designated tailgate area to the stadium enabled fans to remain in the parking lot and still be close enough to soak up some of the sights and sounds of the action on the field while still catching a buzz.

But not this season.

The administration has relocated the tailgate area to a distant area near the Arena, ostensibly for safety reasons.

But by moving the tailgate far from where the action is, the administration has forced students to make a choice:drink beer or watch the game.

The long walk from the tailgate area to the stadium will discourage fans from trying to do both by going in to catch a few plays and then leaving again to drink another.

But while we have doubts about the effectiveness or wisdom of the relocation and the lack of debate that preceded the move, this is what we’re stuck with.

We should make the most of it.

By all means, get to the tailgate early and enjoy the party. But once the game starts it’s time to pack up the booze and make the trek to the stadium.

Beer will be around campus long after the football season is over.

A team like this may not.