Salukis upset No. 8 Leathernecks on Homecoming

Streaks, like records, are made to be broken. And the 9,237 fans that watched the SIU football team take on No. 8 Western Illinois Saturday afternoon at McAndrew Stadium saw one of the longest losing streaks in the nation come crashing down right in front of their eyes.

The Salukis upset the Leathernecks 54-52, thus ending Western’s 18-year reign over the Dawgs.

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Redshirt freshman quarterback Joel Sambursky connected with fullback Brandon Robinson for a six-yard touchdown pass as time expired seal the miraculous victory for SIU.

Then the entire stadium erupted.

Hundreds of excited fans, most of which were students, swarmed onto the field to celebrated with the players and coaches.

Saturday was Homecoming at SIU, and the stands were packed with alumni who bore witness to the Salukis’ first win over Western since 1983, the year SIU brought home its lone national championship.

“We just did something that hasn’t been done in 18 years,” said SIU head coach Jerry Kill after the game. “We made history.”

With the win the Salukis evened their record to 3-3 on the season. They also improved to 1-0 in the Gateway Conference and are now tied atop the standings with Illinois State.

The loss was the first of the season for Western, which fell to 1-1 in the Gateway and 4-1 overall.

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SIU returns to action Saturday when it plays host to Northern Iowa (3-2, 0-1) at 7 p.m. at McAndrew Stadium. It will be the highlighted event of Family Weekend.