Vontrell Chairse (11) had one of four Southern Illinois sacks Saturday of Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark in a 38-17 SIU loss in Springfield, Mo. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Starting slow Saturday turned out to be too big of a hill to climb for Southern Illinois.
The Salukis (2-7 overall, 0-5 Missouri Valley Football Conference) lost their sixth game in a row – 38-17 at Missouri State – as their first six drives to start the game featured 23 plays and 46 total yards.
“That’s a good offense, probably one of the best in our league,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said of the Bears (7-2, 5-0). “(When you) keep giving them opportunities, they’re going to find a few things.”
After two three-and-outs of their own in the opening quarter, MSU scored of four of its next five drives to take a 24-0, second-quarter lead.
The Salukis responded with a touchdown on the last play before halftime – a 9-yard scoring run on a fake field goal by kicker Paul Geelen. The Salukis trimmed MSU’s lead to 24-14 when quarterback Jake Curry ran 16 yards for a score on their first second-half drive.
“We’ve just got to find a way to complete a comeback,” Hill said. “The defense got a stop and we’ve got to be able to rattle off a couple more scores, which we weren’t able to do.”
In his third start of the season, Curry led the team with 85 yards rushing while completing 15 of 33 passes for 105 yards.
“He’s just going to continue to learn. There’s nothing like learning in game,” Hill said.
The Salukis managed four sacks of Missouri State QB Jacob Clark, who was 22-for-30 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Clark also was intercepted by SIU linebacker Shane Roth.
Safety Iverson Brown recovered a fumble in the game.
Game changers
1:52, 2nd quarter: Clark connected with Hunter Wood on a 15-yard TD to give the Bears a 24-0 lead.
0:00, 2nd quarter: Geelen ran nine yards on a fake field goal for an SIU touchdown on the final play before halftime.
1:31, 3rd quarter: After SIU trimmed the deficit to 24-14, MSU’s Jacardia Wright scored on a 2-yard touchdown run.
What it means
SIU lost its sixth game in a row and remained winless in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Top Dawgs
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Southern Illinois players in the game:
Curry, QB: The true freshman compiled 190 total yards and scored a rushing touchdown.
Geelen, K/P: The SIU kicker ran for a TD on a fake field goal and connected on a 25-yard field goal.
Shug Walker, LB: For the second game in a row, the junior had 10 tackles.
What’s next?
Southern hosts Youngstown State for an MVFC game Saturday, Nov. 9. Kickoff is set 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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