By Travis Akin 17

When crunch time came in the Salukis’ loss to the University of Northern Iowa Saturday, SIUC football coach Jan Quarless demonstrated leadership by going for the two-point conversion.

Sure, the Salukis came home from Saturday’s game in Northern Iowa as the losers. Even though SIUC pulled to within one point of the Panthers in the final minutes of the game, they fell short of the mark and lost 28-27.

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And yes, it was because Quarless went for the two-point conversion that the Salukis came home defeated.

In a road game situation, convention says go for the safe point and take a chance in overtime. But Quarless chose to go against convention and go for the win.

Winning is what Quarless said he wanted to do at SIUC. He has said all along that he wants a team to demonstrate the kind of work ethic it takes to win football games. He said he wants to create a solid system and not a program that relies on washed up Division I-A transfers.

Fairly standard lines for a new football coach, right?

But in that one moment of shouting for the two-point conversion on the sidelines, Quarless spoke volumes.

He showed his team how serious he is about SIUC football. In that one moment, Quarless showed the Salukis he has confidence in their abilities on the field.

After working hard in three-a-day practices and learning a new system, what can do more for the Salukis’ morale than the confidence Quarless displayed on the field?

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Lineman Jason Krivis said he hopes Quarless will always make that call in that situation. Krivis said the entire team had a boost in the morale by Quarless’ decision.

Morale is important because the Salukis are picked to finish last in the Gateway Conference. On paper, the team has no depth, no numbers and no chance of winning.

But Quarless does not consider those things. He expects his team to win, and in doing that, he has demanded much from his players. He has disciplined them and forced them to adopt the same work ethic he has.

When the Salukis were down 21-0 at halftime, it would have been easy for Quarless to give up on his team, but he didn’t.

Instead, Quarless inspired the Salukis to stage an impressive comeback. The players had confidence in his ability, and he repaid them by having the confidence to make the call for the two-point conversion.

A year ago, if the Salukis were down 21-0 at halftime at Northern Iowa, players said the team would have given up.

Not this Saluki squad. Quarless will not let them give up.

Quarless wants to win ball games, but at the same time, he is willing to take chances and let his team play aggressive football.

The Salukis fell short this time, but the confidence Quarless displayed went beyond winning or losing that particular game.

That one moment will be permanently ingrained in the minds of the players. As they practice on the field, they will remember what their coach did.

And when they suit up, they might just forget being picked last in the conference. They might forget that the team lacks numbers.

They just might go out on the field and play football believing they can win. If the Salukis have that attitude, there are few opponents who can stand in their way.

Quarless demonstrated leadership by showing the Salukis how much he believed in them. True leadership can go a long way. Leadership can win ball games. It can turn last-place teams into first-place teams.

As fans, we ought to follow Quarless’ example and show confidence in this team. Stay at the game for all four quarters, because Quarless might just go for two again.