Salukis must stop option to beat SEMO
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[For Southern Illinois to have a chance at beating SEMO in the season opener on Saturday, it must stop, or at least contain, the high-powered Redhawk option offense.
Last year's game was a case study in what happens once the option gets rolling - your defense gets rolled. In that 24-21 SEMO win, SIU built what seemed like a comfortable 21-3 lead early in the third quarter. Then the option started clicking, and the Salukis were powerless to stop it.
The first warning sign came on SEMO's opening drive of the second half when it marched 51 yards in 12 plays before missing a short field goal. There were no big plays in the drive. The Redhawks just found ways to keep Southern off balance and move the chains - a dive play here, a pitch there, and then a quarterback keeper for good measure.
The onslaught continued as the next three drives (8 plays/71 yards, 10 plays/74 yards and 3 plays/75 yards) all netted touchdowns. The Salukis were on their heels. The final eight-play drive ran out the clock.
"A lot of our problem last year was not being able to get off the field on third down," recalled Saluki safety Mike McElroy. "I can't tell you how many times we had them on third-and-medium and third-and-long and we would blow an assignment or blow a coverage, or they would just make a play. We have to get off the field on third down."
To be exact, SEMO was 6-for-7 on 3rd down conversions in the second half.
The option has been around almost since the invention of football. It's a misdirection running game where the quarterback plays multiple-choice. He often must make a split-second decision of who to give the ball to, or whether to keep it himself.
The defense stops the option by "reading keys," which is football-talk for looking for clues. A defender might focus on the initial movement of a guard or tight end to decipher where the play is going. Stay focused on your keys and you won't be fooled by a quarterback's fakes.
"You have to keep your eyes on the right spot and you have to stay disciplined," said Saluki inside linebacker Connor James. "You can't guess with the option. If you just go get the football, the problem is, you don't always know where it is. The option tries to get you in the wrong spot and then there goes a long run."
SEMO quarterback Matt Scheible directs the option
Few teams run the option exclusively. Head coach Dale Lennon explained during his weekly press conference how SEMO's coaching staff is made up of former Nebraska assistants, who brought with them the lethal option attack run by the Cornhuskers.
In simple terms, defending the option requires discipline.
"You have to be so assignment-sharp," said outside linebacker Jayson DiManche. "Every person on the defense has to know what their responsibility is."
Added James, "you can't do your own thing when you're playing an option team. One mistake or one miscommunication can lead to a big play."
That's what happened late in the game against SEMO last year. Clinging to a 21-17 with less than four minutes remaining, the Saluki defense was gashed by a Henry Harris 67-yard touchdown run.
"On that last big run, I still take that very personally today because they ran it to my side and it was my responsibility," said DiManche. "My inexperience showed."
The Salukis can't cheat up to the line of scrimmage too much, because senior quarterback Matt Scheible is not afraid to throw a downfield strike.
"It presents a problem when they start throwing out of the option," McElory said. "When you guess on the option, you usually guess wrong. That's when they go up top and hit you with a big pass play."
At the time of last year's game, the Salukis were ranked No. 5 in the country, while the Redhawks were unranked. The scenario is similar this year with Southern at No. 17 and SEMO unranked. You can be sure the Redhawks won't sneak up on SIU this time, though. The memory of the SEMO option offense remains a vivid nightmare.