2004 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

2004 Southern Illinois Salukis football
Gateway champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 31–35 vs. Eastern Washington
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 9
Record	10–2 (7–0 Gateway)
Head coach	Jerry Kill (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Limegrover (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Tracy Claeys (4th season)
Home stadium	McAndrew Stadium
Seasons ←  2003 2005  →

2004 Gateway Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 9 Southern Illinois $^		7	–	0					10	–	2
No. 11 Western Kentucky ^		6	–	1					9	–	3
No. 25 Northern Iowa		5	–	2					7	–	4
Southwest Missouri State		3	–	4					6	–	5
Western Illinois		2	–	5					4	–	7
Illinois State		2	–	5					4	–	7
Youngstown State		2	–	5					4	–	7
Indiana State		1	–	6					4	–	7
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2004 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Jerry Kill and played their home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis finished the season with a 10–2 record overall and a 7–0 record in conference play, making them conference champions. The team received an automatic bid to the Division I-AA playoffs, where they lost to Eastern Washington in the first round. ^[1] Southern Illinois was ranked No. 9 in The Sports Network's postseason ranking of FCS teams. ^[2]

Running back Brandon Jacobs, a transfer from Auburn, rushed for 992 yards and 19 touchdowns during the season. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the 2005 NFL draft. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	Southeast Missouri State *	No. 2	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 42–3	11,314	[4]
September 11	at Northern Illinois *	No. 1	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	L 22–23	28,071	[5]
September 18	William Penn *	No. 2	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 59–9	9,435	[6]
September 25	at Delaware State *	No. 1	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	W 49–0	1,734	[7]
October 2	No. 15 Northern Iowa	No. 1	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 40–36	12,326	[8]
October 9	at Youngstown State	No. 1	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	W 37–2	16,837	[9]
October 16	No. 4 Western Kentucky	No. 1	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 38–10	10,143	[10]
October 23	at Southwest Missouri State	No. 1	Plaster Sports Complex Springfield, MO	W 27–3	15,122	[11]
October 30	Western Illinois	No. 1	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 66–13	10,045	[12]
November 6	at Illinois State	No. 1	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	W 41–14	8,019	[13]
November 13	Indiana State	No. 1	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 59–10	7,423	[14]
November 27	No. 14 Eastern Washington *	No. 1	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 31–35	7,304	[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "2021 Record Book" (PDF). Southern Illinois University Athletics. p. 78. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
2. "Final Div. I-AA poll". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. December 21, 2004. p. 6B. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. Palladino, Ernie (April 25, 2005). "Giants get their short-yardage back". The Journal News . p. 6C. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. Klee, Paul (September 3, 2004). "Better Than Advertised". The Southern Illinoisan . p. 1C. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. Jauss, Bill (September 12, 2004). "NIU holds off Salukis' rally". Chicago Tribune . p. 3:13. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. Klee, Paul (September 19, 2004). "SIU rolls Statesmen". The Southern Illinoisan . p. 1B. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. Pope, Kristian (September 26, 2004). "Hornets no match for Salukis". The News Journal . p. D6. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Big plays by Salukis sink UNI in conference opener". The Gazette . October 3, 2004. p. 4C. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. Klee, Paul (October 10, 2004). "Quick strike". The Southern Illinoisan . p. 1B. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. "No. 1 SIU rolls over No. 4 Western". Messenger-Inquirer . October 17, 2004. p. 4B. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
11. Scranton, Lyndal (October 24, 2004). "No. 1 Salukis run through Bears". The Springfield News-Leader . p. 3D. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
12. Klee, Paul (October 31, 2004). "Best of the Best". The Southern Illinoisan . p. 1B. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
13. Reinhardt, Randy (November 7, 2004). "'The best' beats ISU". The Pantagraph . p. D1. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
14. Klee, Paul (November 14, 2004). "No. 1 SIU tops ISU". The Southern Illinoisan . p. 1B. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
15. Lambert, Scott (November 28, 2021). "Heartbreak". The Southern Illinoisan . p. 1A. Retrieved December 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.