With a new quarterback leading the offense the running backs and wide receivers will have added pressure to get into the endzone.

Both positions are lead by veteran starters and youthful talent.

The tailback position will be led by senior William Tolen, who led the Dawgs in rushing last year with 555 yards.

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SIUC head coach Shawn Watson is pleased with the way Tolen has looked in training camp this year.

He came into camp with a great attitude and he is ready to go, he said. He has a lot of good competition behind him which has made him work even harder.

We’re looking for him to have an excellent year for us.

For the Salukis to be successful the running backs have to be able to do more than just run the ball.

In our offensive system our backs have to effective receivers as well as ball carriers, Watson said.

Behind Tolen will be a group of young runners headed by Coe Bonner, a junior transfer from Georgia, Karlton Carpenter, a freshman from Dunbar High School in Chicago and Kevin Hannah, a freshman from Corliss High School.

Watson is excited with the talent behind Tolen and said all the backs could see valuable playing time.

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When you look at the depth chart we really have Tolen in the one position then it’s 2a, 2b, 2c, Watson said. We should be very good at that position and all of the backs could have an impact.

At the fullback position the starting nod goes to senior Andy Tucker, a senior transfer from Utah State. Rob Kennedy, David Daniels and Brian Walker round out the depth chart at fullback.

We have a very exciting competition going on at that position, which will be very healthy, Watson said.

Overall the running backs should have a better season because our offensive line is solid.

Watson said the receiving corps this year should be improved from a year ago.

We’ll be a lot better and much deeper at the position we also added a lot of more speed this year, he said.

The starters going into the season will be Aaron Baker and Jermaine Gray. Baker, a junior from Indianapolis, caught 18 passes for 150 yards a year ago. Gray, a junior from Cambria, caught seven passes in a reserve role last year.

Gray gained his starting role with an impressive training camp.

He has looked real good during our two-a-days and earned the start against SEMO, Watson said.

The receiver position has been competitive as the Salukis return their leading receiver of a year ago in Reggie Fowler. Fowler caught 33 passes in the 1994 campaign. The Salukis also have speedsters Stephen Geralds and freshman Johnny Thomas in backup roles.

Watson said the receiving depth will be a plus with the style of offense the Salukis will play and many receivers need to contribute.

We’ll play a lot of one-back, three receiver sets so our added speed will be a bonus and we should be able to stretch the defense.

Freshman Brian Samuels, from Lakota Ohio, will be the H-back for the Salukis in certain sets.