By Ryan Keith 20

The SIUC football team will face perhaps its toughest challenge of the season Saturday afternoon, but the Salukis are counting on a strong showing by their dynamic offensive duo for their shot at an upset.

The Salukis travel to Macomb Saturday for a 1 p.m. battle with Western Illinois University, who has rolled to a 7-1 mark overall and 3-0 record in the Gateway Football Conference. The Leathernecks are ranked No. 2 in this week’s Sports Network Division I-AA poll and boast the conference’s top-ranked offense.

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SIUC football coach Jan Quarless, whose team brings a 3-5 overall and 1-3 conference mark into Saturday’s matchup, said Western Illinois is dangerous because of its ability to score in several ways.

I’m really impressed because they execute extremely well, Quarless said. What you’re seeing is the same offense (as last year) and great execution. I think it will be a tremendous challenge, and we’ll see what we can do at their place.

A strong offensive opponent is one thing that the Salukis are not looking forward to meeting. SIUC fell to No. 7 Western Kentucky University 52-31 at McAndrew Stadium Saturday and gave up 561 yards rushing to the nation’s top rushing team.

One week after facing a strong rushing game from Western Kentucky quarterback Willie Taggart, SIUC faces an equally daunting foe in Leathernecks running back Aaron Stecker.

Stecker is on pace to rewrite the conference record books on the ground. Stecker has rushed for 1,295 yards in eight games this season, easily topping the rest of the conference field by almost 600 yards.

Stecker, a junior from Green Bay, Wis., is just 266 yards short of the conference record for most yards rushing in a season of 1,561, set by Illinois State University’s Toby Davis in 1992. Stecker also leads the conference in scoring offense as he has scored 16 touchdowns for an average of 12 points per game.

But the Leathernecks are not just a one-man rushing show like Western Kentucky. Western Illinois quarterback Jeff Hecklinski has passed for 1,330 yards and eight touchdowns in the Leathernecks’ eight games to rank fourth in the conference.

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Hecklinski’s passes are not limited to one player as Jamaine Blaylock, Thedo Griffin and Jim Farrell all have more than 200 yards receiving this season and average more than 11 yards per catch.

He (Hecklinski) has got a tremendous knack for where the ball has got to go, Quarless said. I think he’s extremely poised. The package that Western Illinois utilizes lends itself to help them be successful. They utilize that system very well.

But the Salukis will count on an offensive tandem of their own in quarterback Kent Skornia and wide receiver Cornell Craig to open up the field and put points on the board Saturday.

After a slow start to open 1997, Skornia and Craig have made an on-field connection that few conference teams can rival. Skornia ranks third in the Gateway in passing with 1,339 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Craig ranks in the top three in three conference statistical categories.

Craig’s 716 yards rank him second in receiving yards per game, while he ranks second in yards per catch with 18.36 and third in catches with 39. Craig has also caught seven touchdown passes for Skornia, including three against Western Kentucky.

Obviously, he’s (Craig) had a good season, Quarless said. He was probably one of the first players to say, I like this approach.’ I’m not surprised by his success.

I think Cornell Craig shows me that if he continues to have the same work ethic that he has today in the next two years, he could be an outstanding receiver.

Quarless said the biggest difference he has seen in both players is a knack for knowing where each other is on the field, which has been developed through countless hours in extra practice time.

They both make big plays, and I think what Kent has done is he’s become more comfortable, Quarless said. I think that’s why you’re seeing those players stand out because they practice like they’re supposed to practice. Consequently, they’re having great success.

The Salukis travel to Macomb for a conference battle with Western Illinois University at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The game can be heard on 95.1 WXLT-FM or at http://www.siu.edu/godawgs.