Fred Huff on Saluki Sports

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Regular readers may recall that just a few weeks ago we wrote about touring SIU's new football stadium and office complex in addition to the renovation of the SIU Arena.

All three areas are truly impressive.

The blue ribbon award, however, now goes to members of athletic director Mario Moccia's staff who handled our new seat location in the Arena and explaining more fully some of the changes fans may expect to find when attending Saluki football and basketball games next season.

Yes, it was somewhat disappointing to learn that our Arena seats had already been grabbed up by a higher roller, but the politeness of staff members in explaining the situation and assisting in locating new seats was top-notch. First class.

Our guess is that others who have been told they must re-locate received the same treatment and understood that SIU's athletics program is now operating on a little higher level and financial support has become more important than successfully recruiting a prep all-American football or basketball player.

In a brief exchange with Moccia following our experience, he told that early indications were so positive that there were hopes of doubling season football ticket holders. That would mean going from something around 2,400 to 4,800. Those figures may not be impressive in Big Ten circles, but, believe me, they would be at SIU.

And speaking of the Big Ten, we had completely forgotten reading months ago that the football Salukis would be challenging the Fighting Illini this fall. Then after having that fact replaced in our mind, up popped the note from SIU's sports information office that a meeting of the basketball teams was also impending.

Already an exciting football season and what may be unusually interesting basketball season has become more so of a reality.

SIU's first engagement with Illinois in football was one of the most dramatic games we can remember in our more than 50 years of watching the Salukis. Without question it was Ray Dorr's finest game in his four years of leading SIU's football program.

In 1985 the Salukis invaded Illinois' Memorial Stadium where 76,330 fans were waiting for an expected massacre of a team which had been beaten by Southwest Missouri State, 40-28, the previous week. SIU refused to follow the script, however, and led 14-6 at halftime.

Illinois scored 22 points in the third quarter to lead 28-17 going into the final stanza, but the game was far from over. SIU's Rick Spielman and John Field were both turning in spectacuar defensive performances and the Salukis held the Illini scoreless in the fourth period while scoring a TD and a two-point extra to pull within three points at 28-25.

And there was more to get all in the historic stadium on the edge of their seats.

Illinois missed a field goal attempt with 6:55 remaining and the Salukis marched methodically down to their opponent's 18 with 2:05 left in the game. A third-down rollout pass play, probably not a good call, cost SIU six yards and suddenly it was fourth down at the 24.

With Ron Miller, a senior from Belleville, available, the 31-yard field goal attempt appeared promising. He was already SIU's all-time scoring leader with 215 points going into the season and he'd hit a 45-yarder earlier in the game.

We happened to be down on the field as the game was ending as part of our job was grabbing Dorr for a quick post-game interview before he reached SIU's dressing room.

We were on the goal line for the play and watched as Miller's kick fell what appeared to be just a foot short of the crossbar. That means it was probably a yard short.

, but the point is that the Salukis had come close to pulling off what would have been SIU's biggest upset of all-time.

Coach Lennon's 2010 club will now have that opportunity next Sept. 11.