A Southern Illinois victory, coupled with a UNI loss has given the unbeaten Salukis their first Gateway Football Conference title in the league's 19th season. SIU became the first Gateway team to start a season 10-0 with a 24-17 victory against Youngstown State. Southern Illinois tied for sixth last year in the league race at 2-5 (4-8 overall), and the Salukis were picked sixth in the 2003 preseason poll. Southern has not finished better than fifth in the league since 1991 (t2nd). SIU, in fact, has only three previous finishes better than fifth place (1991-t2nd) (1986-2nd) (1985-t3rd). UNI's title hopes aren't done, though, as the Panthers can earn a share of the championship and the league's automatic bid with a win next

week against Southern Illinois. The game is at 5 p.m. in the UNI-Dome. Western Illinois and Western Kentucky kept their playoff hopes alive as each averted a fourth loss with wins on Saturday. The No. 10 Leathernecks rallied to beat Indiana State, 34-28, while the No. 9 Hilltoppers scored 14 fourth-quarter points to distance themselves from No. 6 UNI, 24-3. Also, Illinois State and SMS were involved in a track meet, as the Redbirds came away with a 48-43 victory in Springfield.

No. 3 Southern Illinois 24, Youngstown State 17

A week after being contained by Western Kentucky, Tom Koutsos and Muhammad Abdulquaadir combined for 273 yards rushing. Abdulqaadir had 120 yards on 21 carries, as the duo accounted for three-fourths of SIU's 378 yards of total offense. Their performances helped the Salukis overcome an off night passing by quarterback Joel Sambursky one week after Sambursky picked up Abdulqaadir and Koutsos. On a cold and windy night, Sambursky was just 3-for-13 for 41 yards, including two interceptions. Koutsos set up what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with a 51-yard run early in the third quarter. That play moved the ball to YSU's 22-yard line, where SIU was pushed back a few yards until Joel Sambursky hooked up with Kellen Allen on third-and-13 for a 23-yard gain. Koutsos then completed the drive seconds later with a one-yard touchdown run, giving SIU a 24-10 advantage. Youngstown's first chance for an offensive touchdown was set up by a terrific 33-yard reception by Kyle Smith that put the ball at SIU's 9-yard line. Lee Russell No. 10 Western Illinois 34, Indiana State 28 Lee Russell forced an Indiana State fumble that was returned by Western Illinois’ Wyatt Green for a 20-yard touchdown with 1:55 left in the third quarter to give the Leathernecks a 34-28 lead and their second come-from-behind victory in as many weeks. The Leathernecks (7-3, 4-2 Gateway) and Sycamores (3-8, 0-6 Gateway) traded touchdowns on their opening drives and were tied at 14-14 after first-quarter scores by Western’s Travis Glasford (one-yard run) and Randall Moore (two-yard reception). Justin Langan’s season-long 51-yard field goal early in the second gave the Leathernecks a 17-14 lead, but the Sycamores reached the end zone twice in the final six minutes of the half on passes of 27 yards and eight yards to go into the locker room with a 28-17 lead. Western rallied for 17 unanswered points after the break, scoring on Glasford’s second two-yard run of the day, a 33-yard field goal by Langan, and Green’s first career touchdown. The Sycamores’ final drive began on their own 14-yard line with 0:59 and no timeouts remaining, but ended when Western’s Vinceson Campbell intercepted a deep pass at the Leatherneck 32-yard line to preserve the victory. After allowing 246 total yards in the first half, the Leatherneck defense gave up just 62 second-half yards, including 37 yards on 2-of-10 passing. Glasford rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and caught four passes for 38 yards. Reggie Gray added four catches for 72 yards and Russ Michna threw for 225 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-35 passing. Sidney Montfort had 83 yards rushing on 23 carries for Indiana State, while freshman QB Phillip Johnson had by far his best-ever day. After a sensational first half, he ended the day with a 13-of-28 performance. He had three touchdown passes and 180 yards, and also rushed for another score. The 28 points are a season high for Indiana State's offense, and the Sycamores accomplished all of the points in the first half.

Justin Haddix

No. 9 Western Kentucky 24, No. 6 UNI 3 Last week against No. 3 Southern Illinois the Western Kentucky University football team experienced a flashback to its 2001 match-up with UNI, a game in which the Hilltoppers lost a nine-point lead in the final five minutes and a chance for the Gateway Conference title. WKU took on UNI Saturday, with the first half reminiscent of last week’s opening 30 minutes in which neither team reached the end zone. The difference for the Toppers seven days later — the combination of quarterback Justin Haddix and wide receiver Casey Rooney. The former threw for a career-high 226 yards, including 142 to the latter, to lead ninth-ranked Western to three second-half touchdowns and a 24-3 victory over No. 6 UNI at L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field. Haddix was 10-of-15 passing, and he added 53 yards on the ground and a 31-yard reception — from Rooney, no less — for the first catch of his career. Rooney caught six passes, matching a career best set Oct. 11 against Southwest Missouri State, including a 68-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the fourth quarter that helped put the contest away. One-hundred and thirteen of Rooney’s receiving yards came in the second half. The game featured two of the league’s three leading rushers. Terrance Freeney came into the day averaging a conference-best 131.8 yards per game, but Western limited him to 13 yards on 13 carries. Tom Petrie was 21-of-37 for 253 yards passing, but Western sacked the UNI quarterback on five occasions including twice by Maslowski. Richard Carter led UNI with 67 yards rushing and also added eight catches for 83 yards. Eddie Galles chipped in with five receptions for another 71 as seven Panthers caught at least one pass.

Illinois State 48, SMS 43

In a record-setting offensive afternoon, the SMS Bears dug themselves a huge early hole, fought back and climbed out of it to take the lead, and then fell behind again in the fourth quarter on their way to a 48-43 Gateway Football Conference loss to the Illinois State Redbirds Saturday at Plaster Field.

Steven Rush

WR/KR Steven Rush had a career day for SMS as he caught 6 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns and returned three kickoffs for 161 yards and a fifth TD. He had TD receptions of 9, 74, 75 and 80 yards, returned a kickoff 88 yards for a TD and had another KO return of 56 yards. In the process, Rush set SMS game records for TD receptions, receiving yards, all-purpose yards (410), broke the Gateway game all-purpose yardage mark, tied the Gateway TD catch record and had the fifth best Gateway receiving yardage game. Illinois State broke on top quickly and decisively. The Redbirds scored touchdowns on each of their first four possessions to build a 28-7 lead just one play into the second quarter. After a punt on their next possession, they scored again for a 35-7 lead midway through the second period. Sha-Ron Edwards had the game-winning TD run in the fourth quarter (a 64-yarder with 12:37 remaining), one of his four TD runs in the game for the Redbirds. SMS outgained ISU 581-524 in the monster offensive show, as Edwards had 239 yards rushing for ISU.