Salukis find top receiver in former Edwardsville QB Allaria

Joe Allaria has made a smooth transition from valued high school quarterback to vaunted college receiver.

Yet it didn't come easy for the Edwardsville High graduate, a senior at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder had to make the transformation on the fly two years ago.

We're talking about a player that completed 87-of-140 passes for 1,237 yards and 11 touchdowns his senior prep season. Allaria also rushed for 902 yards and 17 TDs at EHS in 2006.

"Joe saw himself as a quarterback and when he lost out in the battle to be the starting one to Chris Dieker, he hungered to get on the field," SIUC coach Dale Lennon said.

Get this: Allaria, a QB coming out of Edwardsville, threw 21 passes in 2007 and 16 more in 2008. He never snagged a pass three years ago but in 2008, the modification began. He caught 28 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown.

Since then, Allaria has developed into one of the Missouri Valley Conference's top receivers. The past season, he snared 52 passes for 697 yards and four touchdowns. So Allaria has gone from SIUC's backup quarterback to a spot on the All-MVC preseason team.

"Joe has embraced being a receiver and it has proven to be a great move for the team," Lennon said. "He is studying the intricacies of the position and he can be a difference-maker for us.

Lennon added, "Joe's an athlete and he may have exceeded the expectations for him. He has been better than good. Joe has made a lot of impressive catches, he's playing with urgency and he's not afraid of anyone."

More big things are expected of Allaria and the Salukis this season. They are heavily favored to repeat as champions of the nine-team league, based in St. Louis. South Dakota State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Missouri State could be SIUC's main competition. A new stadium to showcase in Carbondale adds to the luster.

"SIU went through the league unbeaten (8-0) last year," Missouri State coach Terry Allen said. "When was the last time that happened? They return a number of starters, so they have earned the respect (of other coaches) and should get that."

The Salukis' respect included receiving 30 of the 36 first-place votes. ISU was next with three. North Dakota State, Youngstown State, Western Illinois and Indiana State round out the league.

"The league is very balanced and it's going to be tough from top to bottom," second-year ISU coach Brock Spack said. "But SIU is the team to beat."

Northern Iowa coach Mark Fraley added, "SIU separated themselves last season with the talent they had. They had a very good defense and you need to have that to go undefeated in this league."

Running back John Goode, offensive lineman David Pickard, kicker Kyle Dougherty, defensive lineman Kyle Russo and defensive backs Korey Lindsey and Mike McElroy also figure to spark the Salukis. Goode is a bruising 6-2, 240 junior from Olive Branch, Miss.

Local kids such as East St. Louis lineman Terrence Isaiah and defensive back Nick King, along with Belleville lineman Jason Stegman, should add to the mix. SIUC opens at home Sept. 2 against Quincy and then plays Sept. 11 at Illinois.

"We lost 21 seniors, but we still have experience at key positions," Lennon said. "We'll complement them with younger players."

ISU is leaning on sophomore Matt Brown, a 6-4, 210 sophomore quarterback from Marion, to keep the Redbirds pointed in the right direction. E.J. Jones, a 5-11, 190 senior cornerback from Edwardsville, might have a stake in ISU's fortunes.

"We have 18 returning starters back, so I think we will be better talent-wise than we were a year ago," Spack said. "We expect to be good."

Missouri State's Allen echoed those sentiments. "We think we can be competitive and in the top three teams in the league."

Punter Jordan Chiles of Hillsboro and defensive lineman Phil Terhaar of O'Fallon could boost the Bears.