SIU’s Ryan Algrim and Max Bremer bring down Purdue running back Malachi Thomas in the Boilermakers’ 34-17 victory Saturday night in West Lafayette, Ind. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Southern Illinois came out swinging Saturday night at FBS Purdue, but it was the Boilermakers’ ability to answer that put the Salukis away.
After SIU (1-1) took a pair of leads in the first quarter, Purdue ripped off 27 unanswered points in a 34-17 decision in West Lafayette, Ind.
“We started the game well,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “We gave them some looks that they had a hard time getting line up correctly (to respond). We took advantage of them and guys made plays. We made them uncomfortable for a little bit.”
The Salukis put together a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive to open the game, capped by quarterback D.J. Williams’ seven-yard touchdown scamper at the 10:29 mark.
After a Purdue TD, SIU responded with a 1-minute, 26-second scoring drive to pull ahead 14-7. Highlighted by a 63-pass play from Williams to wide receiver Fabian McCray, the drive culminated with fellow wideout Ryan Schwendeman’s four-yard TD catch.
The Salukis wouldn’t score again until the 7:41 mark of the fourth quarter, when a 53-yard field goal by Paul Geelen set the final score.
“We came out firing. Coach had a great game plan for us, as far as openers,” wide receiver Vinson Davis said. “I feel like we just need to take that momentum to the next game and keep going.”
Davis, who had a team-high five receptions, attributed the hot start to “playing with no fear.”
Williams finished 20-for-33 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 19 yards and being sacked three times.
“I feel like he played a great game,” Davis said.
Purdue running back Devin Mockobee carried the ball 32 times for 126 yards and two TDs.
SIU defensive back Vinny Pierre grabbed a third-quarter interception and linebacker Andrew Behm led all players with 16 tackles.
“It was just trying to fight to get back in the game,” Behm said of SIU’s second-half performance. “(Mockobee) is definitely a hard runner. We were just trying to get as many people to the ball as you can.”
Game changers
5:08, 2nd quarter: Schwendeman caught a 4-yard pass from Williams for a 14-7 SIU lead.
1:21, 2nd quarter: Mockobee’s 1-yard TD run put the Boilermakers up by 10 points at halftime.
11:48, 4th quarter: Mockobee scored on his second 1-yard TD run of the night to give Purdue 27 unanswered points.
Standout Salukis
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three players in Saturday’s game:
Behm, LB: The Saluki senior piled up a whopping 16 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss.
Vinson Davis III, WR: The senior led the team with five receptions in the game.
Paul Geelen, K: The SIU kicker’s 53-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter was the second-longest in school history.
What it means
The Salukis fell to an FBS opponent for the second consecutive season. SIU is the last Illinois FCS to beat an FBS foe, when the Salukis won, 31-24, at Northwestern in 2023.
What’s next
Southern continues its three-week road swing with a visit to UT Martin. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. Sept. 13.
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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