Southern Illinois tight end Colton Hoag (48) has 10 receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown this season. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Dan Verdun
Coming out of Le Mars Community High School in Iowa, Colton Hoag wasn’t sure if he wanted to wrestle or play football at the collegiate level.
“My high school quarterback (from) my junior year went to Iowa Central Community College. He showed my highlights to their coach,” Hoag told Prairie State Pigskin. “That was my only visit and my only offer out of high school.
“Being a 6-2, 200-pound tight end at the time, I really didn’t have any other option.”
Hoag turned that option into prosperity. He gained weight and added muscle.
SIU assistant coach Dan Clark saw Hoag perform well in a junior college bowl game and soon a preferred walk-on offer came the tight end’s way.
“That was really the only offer I had out of there, so I took it,” Hoag said.
Now listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Hoag has become more than just a player down the Southern depth chart.
After spending most of last season playing on Saluki special teams, Hoag moved into the starting lineup when returnees Aidan Quinn and Ryan Schwendeman were felled by injuries.
Hoag made his first start this fall against the University of South Dakota, which is 45 minutes from his hometown.
“I had about 18 people there,” he said.
Hoag delighted them with his first FCS touchdown, along with a 6-catch, 52-yard performance.
When SIU (2-4 overall, 0-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) hosts No. 2-ranked North Dakota State (5-1, 2-0) for Saturday afternoon’s homecoming game, Hoag’s parents will be in attendance.
“That’s about a 10-hour drive, and my parents make that every weekend down here,” he said. “I’m just trying to play well so they have something to cheer for.”
Hoag has also received encouragement and support from Quinn and Schwendeman.
“They’re just like coaches,” Hoag said. “Both have a lot of experience and want the best for the team and are trying to coach me up. I basically have three coaches with Griff (tight ends coach Nate Giffin) and the two of them.”
There’s also his wrestling background.
“That really helps with your physicality,” Hoag said. “When you’re wrestling you want to get inside (your opponent) and get him down on the ground. With blocking, that’s your end goal as well.”
Playing tight end, after all, is more than just scoring touchdowns and being watched by a famous entertainer à la Travis Kelce.
“We catch the ball, and we block like the big boys up front,” Hoag said. “People are watching and depending on me. I’m going out there and giving it my all.”
True freshman takes over at QB
True freshman quarterback Jake Curry will make his first collegiate career start Saturday at Saluki Stadium.
Curry entered last week’s game when Hunter Simmons suffered a season-ending broken leg against Illinois State. The Salukis trailed, 24-7, at that point.
Curry completed 8-of-19 passes for 133 yards while throwing two interceptions.
SIU head coach Nick Hill expressed confidence in Curry, who was a first-team all-state quarterback at Edwardsville HIgh School in 2023.
“You’ve got to have some moxie to play that position, and Jake’s always had that,” Hill said.
Curry, listed at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, has also drawn comparisons to another Saluki QB.
“That kid’s going to be a really good player. He reminds me a lot of Nic Baker. I never played against Nic Baker, but I saw him play a bunch of times and he kind of reminds me of him. (Curry is) a smaller guy, but gritty,” Illinois State linebacker Tye Niekamp said.
This week’s opponent
North Dakota State has had five players earn seven MVFC player of the week awards this season.
Quarterback Cam Miller has passed for more than 200 yards in eight of NDSU’s last 12 games and has not thrown an interception in 253 attempts over that span. He leads the FCS in completion percentage (76.9%) and passing efficiency (186.1).
Running back CharMar Brown leads the Bison with 449 rushing yards. He and Miller are tied for the team lead with six touchdowns.
Bryce Lance has caught 30 passes for 355 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively, NDSU features three players with at least 21 tackles and two sacks each.
“They’re just sound everywhere. They do what they do and they don’t try to trick you or do anything fancy,” Hoag said.
Kickoff: 2 p.m. TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: Cilfm.com.
Key matchup to watch
SIU offensive line vs. NDSU defensive front
If the Salukis allow the Bison to dominate the line of scrimmage, Southern will face numerous third-and-long scenarios – not a good situation for a quarterback, true freshman or otherwise.
“Conversion downs are going to be big,” Hill said. “To be good on third down sometimes you’ve got to avoid third down (by having success on first and second downs).”
Senior offensive lineman Noah Fenske should return to the Saluki lineup after missing last week’s game with Illinois State with an injury, Hill said.
What’s at stake
A loss would be the fourth straight defeat for SIU. The last four-game losing streak for the Salukis came at the end of the 2022 season. That season, Southern finished with a 5-6 record and missed the playoffs.
Quick hits
Outgoing Missouri Valley Football Conference commissioner Patty Viverito is scheduled to be at Saluki Stadium for Saturday’s game. Viverito has been the league’s leader since its inception in 1985. … North Dakota State leads the series with Southern Illinois, 12-4. The two schools first played in 1963. … The Bison have won 11 of the last 12 games against the Salukis. … Southern will induct its 2024 athletics hall of fame class this weekend. It includes former SIU defensive back Korey Lindsay. … The Salukis are in the midst of five straight games against ranked FCS teams. In addition, SIU opened the season at Brigham Young University, currently ranked No. 19 in FBS. … Saluki junior Keontez Lewis leads the MVFC and ranks third in the FCS with 575 receiving yards. … SIU is one of eight FCS teams yet to lose a fumble. … The last SIU true freshman quarterback to start was Brendon Prenger, a walk-on, who started at Northern Iowa on Nov. 11, 1989. He passed for 159 yards in a 38-14 loss.
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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