Saluki Stadium, which opened in 2010, will host its first FCS playoff Saturday when Southern Illinois plays Southland Conference champion Nicholls. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Dan Verdun
The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs return to Carbondale for the first time since 2009 and Saluki Stadium will host its first ever postseason game at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Head coach Nick Hill’s Salukis (7-4 overall, 4-4 Missouri Valley Football Conference) received one of the 14 at-large bids and were granted a home game.
SIU hosts Nicholls (6-4), a Lousiana-based school that earned an automatic bid as the Southland champion.
“It’s nice to play at home,” Hill said. “It’s not just a reward for our players, but your fans get to watch you play again and share in the opportunity to be in the playoffs and see another good football team come to town.”
The last time SIU hosted a home playoff game, the Salukis played in McAndrew Stadium, a Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration project that opened in 1938. SIU breezed past Eastern Illinois, 48-7, in that 2009 first-round game.
Hill quarterbacked Saluki playoff teams in McAndrew just a few years earlier. He was around when the Saluki Way Project, which also included a renovation for the then-46-year-old basketball arena, was first conceived.
After spending time in pro football and as a high school coach, Hill returned to SIU, first as an assistant to Dale Lennon in 2014. Two seasons later, Hill became the Saluki head coach at age 30.
Returning SIU to the postseason and securing a playoff game as a host was certainly an objective.
“It’s been a goal of ours,” Hill said. “There’s not been a home playoff game. That’s really bothered me because there’s been a lot of commitment to get the stadium built. It means a lot to play here.”
SIU star safety P.J. Jules shared Hill’s sentiment.
“It means a lot. At SIU, we haven’t had a home playoff game in a minute,” he said. “It feels great just being a part of the game and being a part of the SIU culture itself.”
This week’s opponent
Nicholls, located in Thibodaux, La, is led by Tim Rebowe, a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as the top head coach in FCS.
Nicholls claimed the Southland Conference title after defeating Southeastern Louisiana, 21-16, to cap an unbeaten league schedule.
Quarterback Pat McQuade threw for 300 yards and accounted for all three touchdowns in the Colonels’ win in the regular-season finale. It was his second 300-yard passing performance of the year.
“For him, it’s not about the numbers. It’s all about directing the offense,” Rebowe said.
David Robinson Jr. and Neno Lemay are McQuade’s top receiving targets.
Running back Collin Guggenheim was twice named Southland Offensive Player of the Week. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior rushed for four touchdowns in a single game twice this season.
Guggenheim (792 yards) and Jaylon Spears (709 yards) provide Nicholls’ 1-2 ground game punch.
“They like to establish the run game,” SIU cornerback D.J. Johnson said. “They have good backs, so definitely we’ll have to stop the run. We’re up for the challenge. The quarterback is not a big runner, but he’ll extend plays.”
Defensively, the Colonels have 24 takeaways in 10 games and a plus-9 turnover margin.
Defensive backs Ethan Lee and Tyler Morton are the Colonels’ leading tacklers. Defensive lineman Rasheed Lovelace, listed at 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, was named a Jerry Rice Award finalist as the top FCS freshman.
Both teams played Southeast Missouri this season. SIU slipped past SEMO, 26-25, on the road. Nicholls lost to SEMO, 35-31, at home.
Hill doesn’t put much stock into that.
“I still think it comes down to your own team and knowing your strengths and weaknesses, then diving into the film and figuring out what’s going to give us the best chance on Saturday,” he said.
Kickoff: 2 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: CILFM.com.
Key matchup to watch
SIU vs. first down
The first snap on each set of downs on both sides of the ball may well hold the secret to success.
On offense, the Salukis need positive yards to keep ahead of the chains and provide manageable down-and-distance on their second and third snaps. First-down success also opens up the SIU playbook.
On defense, Southern wants the opposite. SIU features the No. 4-rated total defense and No. 6-rated run defense in FCS.
“Stopping the run first will be big for us. If we can get them behind the sticks … and into some longer downs, that will help us out a lot,” Johnson said.
The Salukis are tied for sixth in tackles for loss nationally and tied for eighth in team sacks.
What’s at stake
It’s win or go home. A victory sends SIU into the second round and a road game against No. 4 playoff seed Idaho Dec. 2.
Quick hits
Playoff tickets range from $15 to $50. … SIU students can claim a free ticket when gates open at 1 p.m. Saturday. … SIU safety P.J. Jules was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year. … The Salukis rank seventh nationally in scoring defense and fourth in yards allowed. … SIU defensive end Tim Varga was selected as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week following the Salukis’ 38-9 win against Indiana State. Varga had eight tackles, including three for loss, along with a strip sack. … Varga, running back Jaelin Benefield and linebacker Colin Bohanek all transferred to SIU from Eastern Illinois. Bohanek said he was excited to see EIU enjoy an 8-3 season, though the Panthers were listed as one of the “first four out” of the FCS playoffs. “I’m super happy for them. I wish nothing but the best for them,” Bohanek told Prairie State Pigskin. “It’s cool to see those guys happy. I’m really close with a lot of them still and talk to them daily. It was awesome to see that for them. They were right there too (for a playoff spot).” … The Salukis have made the FCS postseason three of the last four seasons. … Southern Illinois has qualified for the I-AA/FCS playoffs 11 times. Nicholls has been to the postseason seven times. … According to Wikipedia, McAndrew Stadium was built for $150,000 and featured 5,000 seats. It was named after William McAndrew, the school’s first head coach. Saluki Stadium was built for a cost of $29.9 million and seats 15,000, according to SIUSalukis.com.
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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