SIU linebacker Shug Walker makes one of his seven tackles Saturday against North Dakota State in Carbondale. No. 2 NDSU defeated Southern, 24-3. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
With a freshman quarterback starting for Southern Illinois for the first time in 35 years, it was the Saluki defense that grew up a bit Saturday.
SIU (2-5 overall, 0-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) held No. 2 North Dakota State to its lowest point total of the season and 363 total yards in a 24-3 loss in Carbondale.
Though SIU’s offense managed only three points with true freshman Jake Curry – the only healthy QB on the roster – starting Saturday, the defense turned some heads.
“There was progress made,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “There were things fixed that needed to be fixed. That means they’re paying attention and taking ownership of the things that need to get better.”
The Salukis allowed nearly 90 fewer yards than their season average and allowed only one rushing play of 20 yards against NDSU (6-1, 3-0). Entering the game, SIU ranked 109th among 123 FCS teams in yards allowed per game.
Curry finished the game 15-for-27 for 152 yards and an interception in his first career start. He was sacked five times by the Bison.
“Being 18 years old and making your first start against that defense is a tough task,” Hill said. “He’s just going to keep getting better with every practice and games he plays. There’s going to be learning moments for any true freshman quarterback.”
Middleton led the offense with five catches for 60 yards. However, SIU managed only 35 rushing yards on 23 carries.
“We just couldn’t finish drives,” Curry said. “You can’t win games if you can’t put the ball in the end zone. I played alright. There’s a lot of things I missed out there. The effort isn’t going to lack — ever. I’m always going to play hard.”
Game changers
10:42, 1st quarter: On its first drive of the game, SIU advanced the ball to North Dakota State’s 40, but wide receiver Allen Middleton fumbled after a 16-yard reception to give the ball back to NDSU.
6:55, 1st quarter: Seven plays after the fumble, NDSU scored a touchdown on a 6-yard run by Barika Kpeenu.
00:31, 2nd quarter: Just before halftime, the Bison finished off a 14-play, 75-yard drive with an 11-yard scoring pass to Chris Harris and a 14-3 lead.
What it means
The Salukis enter a bye week on a four-game losing streak and 0-3 in the conference.
Top Dawgs
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Southern Illinois players in the game:
Jamond Mathis, DE: The redshirt freshman had a sack, five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Iverson Brown, S: Five of Brown’s 10 tackles in the game were solo stops.
Paul Geelen, K-P: Geelen kicked a 50-yard field goal for SIU’s only points and punted four times for a 44.8-yard average. Two punts were downed inside NDSU’s 20-yard line.
What’s next?
SIU now heads into its bye week. The Salukis play their next game Oct. 26 at Indiana State. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
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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