P.J. Jules (4) and Zach Burrola (10) teamed up for a crucial fourth-down stop Saturday against Nicholls in SIU’s 35-0 opening-round playoff victory. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
CARBONDALE — From sacks to interceptions to tackles for loss, the Southern Illinois defense did it all Saturday in a 35-0 shutout of Nicholls in an opening-round FCS playoff game.
But it was one play in particular that epitomized the unit’s dominance.
Facing a 21-0 deficit with 32 seconds remaining before halftime, Nicholls drove to the Salukis’ 1-yard line, but got stuffed on fourth down and came away with no points.
“That was huge,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “When you look back on it, there are going to be a few points of momentum. That was big for us to be jogging into halftime 21-0 and not 21-7 and them knowing they get the ball (on the second-half kickoff).”
On the play, Nicholls quarterback Pat McQuaide lined up in the shotgun formation with starting running back Collin Guggenheim to his left and backup Jaylon Spears to his right. On the snap, Spears crossed in front of McQuaide and came face to face with SIU safety P.J. Jules.
The quarterback faked an inside handoff to Guggenheim, then attempted to sprint left around Jules.
But SIU’s do-it-all safety was able to shed Spears and grab McQuaide at the 6-yard line. Linebacker Zach Burrola quickly followed to combine on the sack of McQuaide and keep the shutout intact.
“When I saw they had two backs, I knew they wanted to get a little misdirection,” Burrola said. “I was able to shed a block and get to the ball right away.”
Jules added: “We knew they’d get the ball after halftime, so we knew we had to make a stop.”
The victory sends SIU on the road for a second-round game against No. 4 playoff seed Idaho (8-3). The game will kick off Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. Central time.
The play was indicative of the heat SIU put on the Nicholls offense. The Salukis (8-4) allowed only 75 yards rushing – nearly 20 yards less than the team’s 94.5 rushing yards allowed average. SIU also compiled four sacks, six tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
“Not getting in the end zone was crucial for us,” Nicholls head coach Tim Rebowe said of the fourth-down play. “We called a timeout and talked about whether we were going to take the three points there (on a field goal). We got down to the 1 and I said, ‘Hey, let’s try to get seven.’ I thought we had a good call on the play. They just did a good job stopping it.”
As for the most rewarding part of SIU’s defensive performance, Jules smiled and said, “That goose egg. That zero.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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