Sophomore Lashaun Lester (28) breaks free on a 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Western Illinois. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Dan Verdun
MACOMB – Southern Illinois closed out its long-standing conference rivalry with Western Illinois by dominating in the most one-sided game in series history.
SIU (6-2, 3-2) overwhelmed WIU (0-8, 0-5) in every phase of Saturday’s Missouri Valley Football Conference game at Hanson Field, 63-0.
The winning margin was the largest ever in the 67-game rivalry, which began in 1933.
Both schools were charter members of the Gateway Athletic Conference in 1985. The league has since been rebranded as the MVFC.
“I felt like our guys came out with energy, effort (and) emotion on kind of a gloomy day with not many fans,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “I was proud that. They held themselves to a higher standard and played good football.”
The Salukis scored their highest point total against the Leathernecks since a 66-13 win in 2004.
SIU racked up 474 yards of offense – 246 passing and 228 rushing – on 61 plays.
Sophomore Lashaun Lester ran for a career-high 137 yards and three touchdowns. He opened the scoring with a 64-yard TD burst up the middle in the first quarter.
“That was the plan, to run the ball this week. We just stuck with it,” Lester said. “I just trusted my keys and my offensive line. I was just hitting it like a madman.”
Lester (81 yards) and senior Justin Strong (27) combined for 108 yards and two touchdowns as the Salukis built a 35-0 halftime lead.
Quarterback Nic Baker passed for 186 yards and three touchdowns and then sat out the second half.
“We were able to stay balanced,” Hill said. “We had some explosive plays in the pass game and in the run game.”
Meanwhile, Southern recorded its first shutout against an MVFC opponent since blanking Western, 35-0, in 2012.
While the Salukis averaged 7.81 yards per play, the Leathernecks managed 2.1 yards per snap. WIU ran 71 plays for 152 yards.
“We all worked together really well,” SIU linebacker Ben Bogle said. “Nobody took any plays off. We had our foot on the gas pedal the entire game.”
SIU limited WIU to just three offensive plays over 10 yards. The longest went for 16 yards.
Forty-nine players saw action for the Salukis, including multiple series for backup quarterbacks Hunter Simmons and Michael Lindauer.
“Playing a top-5 strength of schedule, there’s not a lot of games that you get to play (backups), even if it’s a series or two,” Hill said. “Those (reps) are so valuable for everybody on our team. That’s how you grow, that’s how you develop.”
Game changers
9:11, 1st quarter: Lester, a Summerville, Ga., native, ran 64 yards for the game’s opening touchdown on his first carry of the afternoon.
1:04, 1st quarter: Baker found receiver D’Ante’ Cox on a 50-yard pass play to the WIU 3-yard line. Baker tossed a touchdown pass to Zach Gibson on the next play.
12:59, 2nd quarter: Baker connected with Izaiah Hartrup for a 45-yard pass play to the Western 1-yard line. Strong scored on a run one play later.
What it means
SIU notched another win on its FCS playoff resume.
“Don’t be surprised if they go on a run, because when they’re hot and the quarterback is playing well, look out,” WIU head coach Myers Hendrickson said.
Top Dawgs
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Southern Illinois players in the game:
Lester, RB: The sophomore averaged 13.9 yards per carry (10 for 139) and three touchdowns.
Baker, QB: The Salukis’ career passing leader completed 11-of-17 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns – all in the first half.
Bogle, LB: The redshirt freshman led SIU with eight tackles, including a sack.
What’s next?
The Salukis – ranked No. 11 in the Stats Perform FCS poll – return home to host South Dakota. The No. 3 Coyotes lost to top-ranked South Dakota State, 37-3, Saturday.
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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