2003 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 2003

| team = Southern Illinois Salukis

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Gateway Football Conference

| short_conf = Gateway

| TSNRank = 9

| record = 10–2

| conf_record = 6–1

| head_coach = Jerry Kill

| hc_year = 3rd

| off_coach = Matt Limegrover

| oc_year = 3rd

| off_scheme =

| def_coach = Tracy Claeys

| dc_year = 3rd

| def_scheme =

| captain =

| stadium = McAndrew Stadium

| champion = Gateway co-champion

| bowl = NCAA Division I-AA First Round

| bowl_result = L 7–48 vs. Delaware

}}

The 2003 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by third-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 6–1 record in conference play, making them conference co-champions with Northern Iowa. The team received an at-large bid to the Division I-AA playoffs, where they lost to Delaware in the first round.{{cite web |title=2021 Record Book |url=https://siusalukis.com/documents/2021/6/23//Record_Book.pdf?id=10363 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Athletics |access-date=December 29, 2021 |page=78}} Southern Illinois was ranked No. 9 in The Sports Network's postseason ranking of FCS teams.{{cite news|title=Final Division I-AA Poll|newspaper=The Gettysburg Times|location=Gettysburg, Pennsylvania|date=December 23, 2003|page=B2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11125749/poll_2003_1223_i_aa_tsn_final/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 29, 2021}}

Schedule

{{CFB schedule

| rankyear = 2003

| rankdivision = NCAA Division I-AA

| poll = The Sports Network

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = August 28

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2003|team=Quincy Hawks|title=Quincy}}

| site_stadium = McAndrew Stadium

| site_cityst = Carbondale, IL

| score = 64–14

| attend = 7,854

| source = {{cite news |last1=Gordillo |first1=Jim |title=Dawg Pounding |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91422564/southern-illinoisan/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Southern Illinoisan |date=August 29, 2003 |page=1C |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 6

| w/l = w

| away = y

| nonconf = y

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2003|team=Southeast Missouri State Indians|title=Southeast Missouri State}}

| opprank = 22

| site_stadium = Houck Stadium

| site_cityst = Cape Girardeau, MO

| score = 28–7

| attend = 11,110

| source = {{cite news |last1=Gordillo |first1=Jim |title=SIU shines in win over SEMO |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91424927/southern-illinoisan/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Southern Illinoisan |date=September 7, 2003 |page=1B |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 13

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| rank = 21

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2003|team=Murray State Racers|title=Murray State}}

| site_stadium = McAndrew Stadium

| site_cityst = Carbondale, IL

| score = 32–7

| attend = 10,167

| source = {{cite news |last1=Gordillo |first1=Jim |title=11-Man Defense |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91425807/southern-illinoisan/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Southern Illinoisan |date=September 14, 2003 |page=1B |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 27

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| rank = 13

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2003|team=Saint Joseph's Pumas|title=Saint Joseph's (IN)}}

| site_stadium = McAndrew Stadium

| site_cityst = Carbondale, IL

| score = 75–0

| attend = 7,531

| source = {{cite news |last1=Gordillo |first1=Jim |title=Almost Perfect |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91428142/southern-illinoisan/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Southern Illinoisan |date=September 28, 2003 |page=1B |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 4

| w/l = w

| away = y

| rank = 11

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2003|team=Indiana State Sycamores|title=Indiana State}}

| site_stadium = Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Terre Haute, IN

| score = 37–14

| attend = 2,481

| source = {{cite news |last1=Gordillo |first1=Jim |title=Lifting a curse |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91428696/southern-illinoisan/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Southern Illinoisan |date=October 5, 2003 |page=1B |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 11

| w/l = w

| rank = 8

| opponent = Illinois State

| site_stadium = McAndrew Stadium

| site_cityst = Carbondale, IL

| score = 45–17

| attend = 13,247

| source = {{cite news |last1=Reinhardt |first1=Randy |title=Koutsos, Salukis hold 'rush week' against ISU |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91428989/the-pantagraph/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Pantagraph |date=October 12, 2003 |page=D1 |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 18

| w/l = w

| away = y

| rank = 7

| opponent = Western Illinois

| opprank = 2

| site_stadium = Hanson Field

| site_cityst = Macomb, IL

| score = 37–32

| attend = 19,287

| source = {{cite news |title=Unbeaten Salukis rally past WIU |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87894089/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=Quad-City Times |agency=Associated Press |date=October 19, 2003 |page=D2 |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 25

| w/l = w

| rank = 4

| opponent = Southwest Missouri State

| site_stadium = McAndrew Stadium

| site_cityst = Carbondale, IL

| score = 20–6

| attend = 8,873

| source = {{cite news |last1=Scranton |first1=Lyndal |title=Bears' brutal stretch is over |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91430716/the-springfield-news-leader/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Springfield News-Leader |date=October 26, 2003 |page=1D |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 1

| w/l = w

| away = y

| rank = 3

| opponent = Western Kentucky

| opprank = 8

| site_stadium = L. T. Smith Stadium

| site_cityst = Bowling Green, KY

| score = 28–24

| attend = 13,430

| source = {{cite news |title=Rally pushes Salukis over 'Toppers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91431053/the-paducah-sun/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Paducah Sun |agency=Associated Press |date=November 2, 2003 |page=5B |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 8

| w/l = w

| rank = 3

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2003|team=Youngstown State Penguins|title=Youngstown State}}

| site_stadium = McAndrew Stadium

| site_cityst = Carbondale, IL

| score = 24–17

| attend = 10,814

| source = {{cite news |last1=Gordillo |first1=Jim |title=The dream is still alive |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91431593/southern-illinoisan/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The Southern Illinoisan |date=November 9, 2003 |page=1B |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 15

| w/l = l

| away = y

| rank = 2

| opponent = Northern Iowa

| opprank = 11

| site_stadium = UNI-Dome

| site_cityst = Cedar Falls, IA

| score = 40–43

| attend = 15,088

| source = {{cite news |last1=Gray |first1=Rob |title=Amazing comeback saves UNI |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91431817/the-des-moines-register/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=Des Moines Register |date=November 16, 2003 |page=1C |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 29

| w/l = l

| away = y

| nonconf = y

| rank = 4

| opponent = Delaware

| opprank = 3

| site_stadium = Delaware Stadium

| site_cityst = Newark, DE

| gamename = NCAA Division I-AA First Round

| score = 7–48

| attend = 14,572

| source = {{cite news |last1=Tresolini |first1=Kevin |title=Blue Hens advance in playoffs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91432188/the-news-journal/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |work=The News Journal |date=November 30, 2003 |page=A1 |via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

References

Southern Illinois

Category:Southern Illinois Salukis football seasons

Category:Missouri Valley Football Conference champion seasons

Southern Illinois Salukis football