Saluki Sports Update

So, the 2016 Salukis are 0-1, still looking for their first win as is first-year head coach Nick Hill.  

Not much was proven, one way or another, in their opening night 38-30 loss at Florida Atlantic.  

If one was truly searching, however, you might be able to come away with a couple of positives.  

SIU’s new quarterback, a transfer student by the name of Josh Straughan, likes to throw the ball and his stats prove he knows how to throw it.

The fifth-year player from Stillman College completed 36 of 51 passing attempts for 367 yards and a touchdown.  

That tells you two things. Straughan has passing skills and the Salukis have a few guys who are capable receivers. 

Freshman coach Hill also liked him. He praised him after the game by admitting that the staff put a lot of pressure on the newcomer, but that he handled it well.  

That simply means we’ll see a lot more of the guy before the season ends, particularly so if SIU’s running game doesn’t show more than it did in the opener.

We attempted to learn a little more about Straughan by clicking on “Stillman College,” but struck out other than learning that the school had dropped the football program following its 3-6 season last fall. Lack of funds. Sounds somewhat familiar.  

Regardless, we’re already expecting Straughan to become a leader at SIU if only for one season.  

Unless Hill is mistaken, and we don’t believe that’s possible when the subject is passing a football, the new kid is going to be assigned a major portion of SIU’s offense this season.

It’s impossible to tell a great deal after one game.  How good was Florida Atlantic. We’re not absolutely certain that just because it’s a member of a higher football classification than the Salukis that an 8-point loss should be celebrated.  

However, should the Salukis handle Southeast Missouri State this week with ease, our hopes are going to rise.  

And, SEMO hasn’t proven anything yet this season either, but the Cape Girardeau school has normally cranked out decent teams and the outcome of the game will tell us far more about what to expect this season than SIU’s opener in Florida.

Meanwhile, we were pleased to learn this past week that SIU is planning to observe, in some fashion or another, the fact that the upcoming basketball season will be the 50th since Walt Frazier and friends won the NIT in 1967. Good move, Tommy Bell.