Before we go any further, let’s set the record straight.

I’ve read the comments by one Troy (not Marshall or Rodney) Taylor and I must say he is as crazy as ever. And you guys down there are blowing a non-Gateway game way out of proportion.

No matter who wins Saturday afternoon’s dogfight, no matter whose wishbone winds up as dogmeat, let it be said that up here, where people sound normal when they talk, we won’t really care about the first NIU-SIU football matchup since 1980. (Yeah, just remember, the last time SIU beat a pack of Huskies, Fritz Mondale was vice president…. Is it just me or does it seem like everyone’s more worried about the vice president than the president).

No, we’ll consider this trip (down by the equator) just another game, and look back on our thrilling last-second win over Big Ten member Wisconsin. That one made our season. Period.

Big-time slipups, like a loss to Toledo Oct. 8 and a 45-zip loss last week to Southwestern Louisiana, made sure that there will be no bowl bids. And no more national TV exposure. (You do have TV sets down there, don’t you?)

So for all practical purposes, our season has been made. You get the drift. We might not lose any sleep over the SIU game. There’s our excuse should SIU win.

Nonetheless, if I were a disoriented SIU student (and I’ve heard there are a lot of them) looking to make a quick buck, I’d put my pennies on Northern. Yes, NIU will win this one easily.

I’ve heard nothing but positive things about quarterback Fred Gibson and his triangle (or pyramid in Little Egyptian terms) of running backs, and I’m quite impressed by the Salukis’ size up front. Yes, you may really be the “big Daug.”

But until a couple of weeks ago, our defense was ranked 18th nationally in Division I-A, and we’ve moved the ball well in all but one game. Quarterback Marshall Taylor has battled injuries but has been as effective as ever.

Also, freshman fullback Adam Dach has come to the forefront (539 yards, 4.5 yards-per-carry) and is prime-time in short yardage situations. Halfback Rodney Taylor (395 yards, 5.4 yards-per-carry) has been the team’s big-play man.

If the offense stalls, the Huskies have Street and Smith honorable mention All-America placekicker John Ivanic to finish where the ‘Bone left off.

One could list more weapons and more advantages NIU will have on Saturday, but one thing’s for sure. SIU looks and sounds a lot like ISU, and either way, it adds up to “loser.” A loss to either second-rate institution would be downright embarrassing.