Saluki newcomers quickly learned significance of War For The Wheel
CARBONDALE, Ill. — You can’t miss it when you walk into the Saluki Football office. The giant ship’s wheel is displayed front-and-center. For newcomers to the program, they quickly learn the significance of the War For The Wheel rivalry versus SEMO.
“The day I walked in on my visit, I saw the wheel in the front lobby,” said transfer defensive tackle Lance Bassett. “When it’s on display like that, it shows how much it means to the program. It’s cool to be a part of it now and experience it firsthand.”
Although the wheel currently resides in Carbondale, the Salukis (1-1) and Redhawks (1-1) have traded the coveted property back-and-forth each of the last five seasons, with the visiting team winning each time. It’s a trend Southern hopes to break on Saturday night at Saluki Stadium.
“Just walking into the building on Sunday, you could feel everybody's energy,” said guard Kellen Francis, a transfer from Illinois. “You can just tell it's a big deal. We have the wheel sitting in our lobby, and we want to keep it there. It's been a really fun week of prep.”
Wide receiver Traivon Dyson, who transferred to SIU from UNLV, knows what it means to play in a heated rivalry game. The Runnin’ Rebels play Nevada each year, and the prize is the Fremont Canon, a 545-pound replica of a massive howitzer used in the 1800s.
“I understand how important these trophy games are to the school and the community,” Dyson said. “Our game with Reno was for the largest trophy in college football.”
Safety Rue Jackson, a junior college transfer, said he’s been advised by his teammates to expect a battle.
“I’ve been hearing about the War for the Wheel since I got here, so I know that it’s bigger than football,” Jackson said. “I know they’re gonna bring it, we’re gonna bring it. It's just about who wants it the most.”
All of the players acknowledged it’s possible to get too amped-up for a game.
“You don't want to get over-hyped and play out of your mind,” Francis said. “Especially from an offensive standpoint, you gotta play under control and not too heavy into your emotions, or you might miss an assignment or get a stupid penalty.”
Francis said the offense wants to establish control of the line of scrimmage.
“All week, we've been hearing about how physical SEMO is, but we want to come out and establish our own physicality,” he said. “I feel like we can run the ball on anybody we play.”
After the wide receivers were shut-out of the end zone last week at Samford, Dyson said the wideouts feel like they have something to prove in this week's game.
“I feel like there's been some doubt about the talent that we have in our room,” he said. “We haven't been able to produce as much as we wanted to these last two weeks. We want to prove everybody wrong.”
Bassett said it will be critical for the D-Line to set the tone.
“It’s one thing to talk about it, but it’s another thing to be about it,” he said. “It all starts with us. It's about playing with pride. We need to be the standard for the defense.”
Comments