Head coach Nick Hill’s Salukis host Missouri State Saturday to begin their conference schedule. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Dan Verdun
Despite being idle on its bye week, Southern Illinois entered the FCS Top 10. Yet, head coach Nick Hill is focused on preparation for Saturday’s Missouri Valley Football Conference opener.
“You’ve got to take it one week at a time. I know that’s pretty cliche, but that’s got to be our focus,” Hill said Monday during his weekly media address via Zoom.
The Salukis (3-0) moved up two spots and landed at No. 10 in the Stats Perform FCS Poll. Previously, Weber State held that position, however, the Wildcats (2-2) were shut out, 40-0, by No. 3 Montana State.
Southern also jumped New Hampshire, which slipped from 11th to 14th following a loss to then-No. 19 Delaware. The Blue Hens moved into the No. 11 slot after their 29-25 win.
Recruiting on the road
SIU, which is also ranked No. 10 in this week’s AFCA Coaches Poll, hosts Missouri State at 4 p.m. Saturday in Carbondale to kick off its conference season.
Hill said his staff spent last week not only working on preparation for the upcoming eight-game league schedule but also hitting the recruiting trail.
“The bye week is a good time for all your assistant coaches to get out to their areas. We cover a lot of ground,” Hill said. “I was able to get out (too). Obviously, we can’t talk about specific players, but we were spread out.
“It was very productive to get out and see some high school coaches and see some live games.”
The recruiting visits weren’t solely limited to Friday night high school games.
“We ended up seeing 12 or 13 games,” Hill said. “There were Thursday night games in Mississippi. We saw a couple of junior college games.”
Saturday slumming
The weekend with no game also created some downtime.
“I took my computer home and watched some tape in the morning (on Saturday),” Hill said.
Instead of going to Saluki Stadium, the 38-year-old Hill spent time tending to other priorities.
“I got on my tractor and hung out in my cabin for a little bit,” he said. “At noon I was back and really just sat around the house all day with the kids watching a bunch of games.”
Yet, his job eventually beckoned.
“Come Saturday night, it was man, I’m ready to get back around the team,” Hill said.
Health report
The Salukis have no major injuries at this point, Hill said.
“We feel pretty good with where we’re at,” he said. “You get to this point in the season, all teams are banged up, especially with playing three quality opponents like we’ve played. The games are going to be physical.”
The bye week presented an opportunity for healing and continued treatment.
“Even (for) the guys that haven’t missed time or (been) banged up,” Hill said, “you start stacking a lot of plays and series together. Your body doesn’t feel as good.
“The bye week is just as much for the guys that are healthy to get in the training room and the weight room (as well as) rest.”
A Missouri State of mind
All of this brings the Saluki staff back to this week’s task at hand.
“We’re just talking about this one (game),” Hill said. “We know there’s eight (conference) games (left), but if you start looking any further down the road (you’ll get beat) . . . Our full focus is on Missouri State, and that is it.”
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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