Near Missess
With near misses against Minnesota (Illinois State lost 37-21) and Northern Illinois (Southern Illinois fell 23-22), the Gateway is now 0-6 against I-A teams this season. The Gateway has 24 I-A wins since 1985, which includes at least one I-A win every year since 1995.

Top Dogs -- SIU Reaches No. 1
When Southern Illinois earned the No. 1 ranking (Sept. 6, 2004), the Salukis joined UNI (1992), Western Illinois (2003) Western Kentucky (2002), and Youngstown State (1997 and 1998) as Gateway teams that had reached that pinnacle. Every Gateway school has been ranked No. 3 or better at one time in their history, with Indiana State and Southern Illinois also achieving No. 1 rankings prior to Gateway membership.

Series Stuff
When Illinois State plays Eastern Illinois this weekend, it will represent the 92nd meeting (13th oldest rivalry in the nation) between those two schools. The 92 meetings represents the most common opponent for any school in the Gateway. Illinois State and Western Illinois will meet for the 86th time in a league game at WIU on Oct. 16.

Gateway-OVC Challenge Series
In a cooperative effort to highlight intersectional rivalries between member institutions of each league, the Gateway Football Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference started a Challenge Series in 2003. The Gateway was 9-0 against the Ohio Valley in 2003. Six regular-season games between the two leagues constitute the challenge in 2004, including three this coming weekend (Sept. 18).

Working Overtime
Two games involving Gateway schools were decided in overtime Saturday as Indiana State beat Eastern Illinois (33-30) and Youngstown State fell to Florida International (22-16). The league now holds an 8-8 all-time in non-conference overtime games. Indian State is 5-3, while YSU suffered its first OT loss as a Gateway member, as the Penguins are now 4-1.

Double Whammy
The ISU and YSU overtimes marked the second time in league history in which two overtime contests were played by Gateway teams on the same day. On Sept. 28, 2002, the league set the standard as three games (Indiana State beat Murray State; Eastern Michigan beat Southern Illinois; and UNI beat Cal Poly) were decided in overtime.

Blank Stares
Two Gateway schools recorded shutouts Saturday as Western Kentucky blanked Concord, 58-0, and UNI shut out Minnesota State, 40-0. Below is the most recent shut outs recorded by Gateway schools.

Team Last Shutout Recorded

Against the Top 25
Depending on the results of the Sept. 13 top-25 rankings, the league could be facing three top-25 opponents on Sept. 18 (Stephen F. Austin, McNeese State, and Eastern Kentucky were all ranked last week). The Gateway has 48 non-conference top-25 wins since 1996, and the Gateway has had the upper hand in non-conference games against the Top 25 in each of the past two seasons, going a combined 12-8 in 2002 and 2003.

ILS .. Okie Dokie
Quarterback Yance Vaughan was more than okay against Minnesota -- he was memorable. The senior from Ada, Okla., finished with 372 passing yards on 33-for-57 passing and two touchdowns. The yardage total was the seventh best all time by an ISU quarterback and his 33 completions rank No. 4 in the record books.

INS .. Pressed Into Duty
Redshirt freshman QB Ben Schmidt was pressed into action due to injuries to Jake Schiff and Phillip Johnson against the Panthers. In taking his first career collegiate snaps, Schmidt performed well, leading the game-tying and game-winning drives at Eastern Illinois. Schmidt finished the game 6-of-12 passing for 62 yards in the Sycamores’ final two drives.

UNI .. 100-Yard Rushers
UNI had two rushers gain over 100 yards versus Minnesota State -- Jim Lizzi with a career-high 145 yards, and Terrance Freeney with 103 yards. Lizzi’s previous high game was 13 carries against Cal Poly in 2002 and 75 yards last year against Youngstown State. The last time UNI had two players rush for over 100 yards in the same game was Nov. 1, 2003, against Youngstown State when Richard Carter gained 141 yards and Freeney tallied 113.

SIU .. Sambursky Ranks No. 7
QB Joel Sambursky ranks 7th in career passing yards at Southern Illinois with 3,394 yards. He is also the most accurate passer in school history, completing 56.7 percent of his career passes.

SMS .. What’s The Rush?
In the 33-31 victory against Sam Houston State, WR Steven Rush caught 10 passes for 152 yards, both SMS career highs, and scored one touchdown. That ties him for the third most receptions in a game at SMS (record is 13) and Rush’s yardage total ties for 14th best all time at SMS.

WIU .. Kasprak Leads Defense
LB Michael Kasprak was credited with just five tackles, seeing limited action versus Cheyney, but he recorded a fumble and an interception while helping hold the Wolves to 52 total yards in the first half.

WKU .. Hilltoppers Force Miscues
Western Kentucky forced seven turnovers (five interceptions, two fumbles) in the win over Concord. It was the most turnovers by a Hilltopper opponent since Indiana State had seven in a 34-14 WKU victory on Sept. 12, 1992. Getty Cavitt, Brandon Mason, Artis Neal and Bo Smith all intercepted the first passes of their career.

YSU .. Homecoming for PK
Coming off one of the best games of his career, YSU placekicker Nick Terracina returns home on Saturday when the Penguins face McNeese State. Terracina, a graduate of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, was named to the Gateway All-Newcomer team last year and against Florida International (Sept. 11) kicked three field goals in YSU’s overtime loss.

ILS .. The Barbershop
Illinois State’s Ramon Barber hung an “open for business” sign in the Hubert H. Humphrey Dome as the junior collected seven catches for team-high 92 yards against the No. 22 Golden Gophers. Barber’s first catch gave the Redbirds a 7-0 lead after hauling in a sideline pattern and scooting down the sideline 38 yards.

INS .. I-A Impact Players
Two NCAA Division I-A transfers, LaDrelle Bryant and Markus Naves, have made the biggest impact in 2004 for the Sycamores. Bryant, who originally was a member of Purdue’s football program, is the team’s leading tackler in both games and has 20 total tackles throughout he first two contests. Markus Naves, who joined the team from Central Michigan has paced ISU with five catches at Miami and seven catches at Eastern Illinois.

UNI .. Error Free
UNI has gone turnover free through the first two games this season, but on the flip side, has been on the receiving end of just one turnover when junior tackle Kevin Stensrud recovered a MSU fumble. Last year, UNI was plus-10 in turnover margin and ranked 21st in the nation.

SIU .. Seven In A Row at Home
The Salukis are riding a seven-game, home winning streak at McAndrew Stadium dating back to the start of the 2003 season. Southern Illinois has averaged 43 points per game at home and outscored opponents 302-64 during the span. SIU hosts William Penn on Sept. 18.

SMS .. Back To Back, Jack
Following a come-from-behind victory against Drake in the first week of the season, SMS rallied to beat Sam Houston State, 33-31, this past Saturday. The game marked the first time since Oct. 29/Nov. 5, 1989, that SMS has had come-from-behind wins in back-to-back games. SMS opens its season 2-0 for the first time since 2002 and only the second time since 1989. The Bears have not been 3-0 since 1989.

WIU .. Splitting Time
Adam Smith and Steve LaFalce, both still in competition for the permanent starting QB duties, were nearly identical for a second-straight game. Against Nebraska, Smith, who has started both games, completed 10 passes for 111 yards and a TD, while LaFalce completed 10 for 112 yards. Versus Cheyney, both quarterbacks went 5-for-6 - Smith for 70 yards and LaFalce for 68 yards and two scores.

WKU .. Willis Shines in Debut
Stephen Willis rushed for a game-high 156 yards and two scores in his collegiate debut in Western Kentucky’s 58-0 home-opening victory over Concord (W.Va.). He averaged 7.4 yards per carry with six runs of 10 yards or more. Willis’ efforts helped the Hilltoppers rush for 375 yards. It was the most yards by a Hilltopper making his debut since John Embree posted 156 yards on 23 attempts in a 30-6 season-opening victory at Indiana State on Sept. 19, 1970.

YSU .. Top Penguins
TB Monquantae Gibson rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries in his first game for the Penguins against Florida International on Saturday. A transfer from Kentucky, Gibson averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Jeremiah Wright led the defensive charge for Youngstown State, as the sophomore linebacker finished with a career-high 12 tackles in the Penguins’ overtime loss to Florida International. He also recorded a fumble recovery and broke up a pass.