An impressive week one victory propelled Southern Illinois into the national rankings. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Dan Verdun
Last week’s opening game blowout win did more than just impress pollsters. It allowed Nick Hill’s Southern Illinois roster to gain valuable experience.
SIU, unranked heading into the season coming of a disappointing 5-6 season, roared to a 28-0 halftime lead on visiting Austin Peay. Much of Southern’s fast start was sparked by a dominant defense.
“We played fast, got to the ball and (were) physical. That’s what we preach,” corner D.J. Johnson said.
The Salukis scored on the final play of the third quarter, boosting their lead to 42-3. That’s when Hill and his staff made the decision.
“We were talking about it back-and-forth on the headset,” Hill said of the verdict to pull numerous starters for second- and third-string options.
“We played a lot of young players on defense. At one point for a couple drives there were four true freshmen playing all together,” Hill said.
Quarterback Nic Baker spent the final quarter on the sidelines after passing for 219 yards and three touchdowns – more than enough to earn Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Redshirt sophomore Hunter Simmons, who previously had appeared in just one collegiate game, took over at quarterback. The downstate Marion High School product led the Salukis’ final scoring drive.
“We have a lot of confidence in Hunter,” Hill said. “It was good to get him a full quarter of action because that’s just what he’s not had. We’ve seen a lot from Hunter (in practice and in the QB room).”
So while a cursory glance at the box score shows Austin Peay scoring 20 fourth-quarter points, Hill saw a bigger picture than just one Saturday on the calendar.
“That was one of the most valuable things about the game, getting those guys valuable reps,” he said.
In the end, SIU (1-0) posted a 49-23 win. The result caught the eyes of pollsters; this week the Salukis entered the FCS Coaches Poll at No. 23 and at No. 24 in the STATS Perform national FCS poll.
This week’s opponent
SIU travels to DeKalb to play FBS Northern Illinois (1-0) at Huskie Stadium. NIU won its season opener at Boston College, 27-24 in overtime.
Veteran NIU quarterback Rocky Lombardi – who began his career at Michigan State – scored on a 1-yard, quick-snap quarterback sneak to hand the Huskies the win.
Northern recovered after blowing a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead.
Hill and his staff spent Sunday watching NIU, a Mid-American Conference member, on film.
“(Northern is) a tough opponent coming off a Power 5 win,” he said. “We understand what we’re getting into heading up to DeKalb with a very good opponent.”
(Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: CILFM.com)
Key matchup to watch
SIU front seven vs. NIU run game
The Salukis will face an opponent very different than what they encountered in Austin Peay.
“(We expect) physical football. It’s a team built to win in the MAC in bad weather on Tuesday nights,” Hill said. “It’s going to be a different brand of football than what we saw in week one as far as personnel groupings (with) multiple tight ends, unbalanced formations. They’re going to try to run the football and control the game. They’ve got an experienced seventh-year quarterback. (It’s a) completely different team when he’s in there.”
What’s at stake?
SIU gets an early-season test from a bigger, stronger opponent.
“Eye discipline (is key on defense),” Hill said. “We’re going to have to stay on the field on offense as well.”
Quick hits
The last time SIU and NIU met occurred in 2007 when Hill was the Saluki quarterback. Southern rallied to beat Northern, 34-31. … The Salukis have been nationally ranked for 32 weeks since the 2020 season. … SIU linebacker Dune Smith will sit out the first half after being ejected in the second half of the opener on a targeting call. “I actually didn’t even know there was a flag,” Smith said in the postgame media address. “After I made the hit, I ran off the field to get some water because it would be fourth down. Then I saw on the Jumbotron they called me for targeting. I was just playing hard. It wasn’t anything I could prevent.”… SIU has won its last six games against in-state schools (Northwestern, Illinois State twice, Western Illinois three times). … SIU will receive a $375,000 guarantee from NIU.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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