Southern Illinois tight end Ryan Schwendeman caught his first touchdown pass in nearly a year when he hauled in a 4-yard scoring pass last weekend against Purdue. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Southern Illinois tight end Ryan Schwendeman has always embraced the physical nature of sports, even when he wasn’t playing football.
“I was a basketball player growing up,” he said. “My favorite thing about football is that they couldn’t call me for a charge. I’ve always loved hitting people.”
Schwendeman, a junior, also loves being back on the field. He was one of more than a dozen players who missed the bulk of last season with an injury for SIU. In Week 4 last season, he tore a knee ligament against Southeast Missouri, which sent him to the sidelines.
“It’s an unpredictable sport,” Schwendeman said. “As a whole team, we felt like we got a little wronged last year. But it’s just the sport we play.”
Last weekend at Purdue, nearly a year after his injury, Schwendeman caught a touchdown pass for the first time in 51 weeks.
“That’s the best part about football, when you get in the end zone,” he said. “It’s always nice when you’re the guy who gets the score.”
Tight ends coach Nate Griffin is glad to have Schwendeman back on the field for numerous reasons.
“He’s an intelligent kid. He’s very thorough,” Griffin said. “He goes through the game plan the night before to make sure he knows his everything, double-checking his assignments, asking any questions.”
Schwendeman and the tight ends also play a key role in the run game.
“Those guys will continue to lead the way for us,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “The run game is where it starts. Can you physically play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference? I’d say if you can’t do that, you’re not going to find yourself on the field.”
Though Schwendeman has always embraced the physicality of football, his technique wasn’t always sound.
“When I first came in, I was a little too aggressive,” he said. “My hands would always be out wide.”
Former SIU tight ends coach Pat Poore used a funny description that stuck with Schwendeman. “Coach Poore used to say it looked like I had chicken wings.”
Griffin said Schwendeman’s thorough approach to football has paid dividends as a blocker.
“The more you do anything, the better you get at it and the more confident you get,” Griffin said. “He learned how to be under control but still have that violence when you make contact. “
This week’s opponent
UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said several SIU players, led by quarterback D.J. Williams, jumped out to him on film. “The quarterback and several skill guys catch my attention,” he said. “(Williams) is physically bigger, he’s stronger. I don’t know that he’s faster, but he’s fast. He’s probably the best player we’ve played against because he touches it every snap.” … The Skyhawks are 0-2 but have lost to a pair of FBS foes on the road – Oklahoma State in Week 1 (27-7) and UTEP in Week 2 (42-17). … Inconsistencies on offense have hampered UT Martin in their first two games. In the opener against Oklahoma State, “It was 17-7, we’re really competing and offensively we just couldn’t make enough things happen,” Simpson said. “This week, we moved the ball fairly well offensively (vs. UTEP) but struggled in the short down and distance.” For the season, Martin is 2-for-4 in red zone opportunities and is converting on third downs at only a 31% success rate. … Defensive end Jabaree Dawkins set career highs against UTEP with nine tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. As a team, Martin ranks 13th in FCS with 7.5 TFLs per game. … Simpson is the father of FBS Alabama starting quarterback Ty Simpson. … Martin was burned last weekend by big plays at UTEP. The Miners, who put up 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, scored on a 94-yard run and pass plays of 48 and 74 yards. “We didn’t tackle very well in space,” Simpson said. “I think we gave up 300 yards on six plays.”
Kickoff: 6 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: CILfm.com
Key matchup to watch
SIU offense vs. Martin LBs Shamari Weir and Keyshawn Johnson: The Martin duo has combined for 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in the team’s first two games. Blocking the two linebackers will be critical for SIU to get its offense rolling.
What’s at stake?
Winning at Martin – which has won at least a share of the last four OVC-Big South Football Association titles – would be a nice feather in SIU’s cap and could boost their resume later in the season in the eyes of the FCS playoff committee.
Quick hits
SIU’s defense has been a bright spot this season, ranking 23rd nationally in scoring defense by allowing 18.5 points a game. Hill said one area of improvement is on third downs. The Salukis have allowed opponents to convert at a 41% success rate. “(Purdue) had a lot of third-and-medium and third-and-shorts,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way to get off the field.” … Williams ranks second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in passing yards per game (214.5). He’s thrown four touchdowns with no interceptions and has completed 67% of his passes. … Southern wide receiver Fabian McCray leads the MVFC in yards per catch at 23.25 per reception. … The Salukis are a perfect 9-for-9 in red zone trips this season, scoring eight touchdowns and one field goal. Of 35 FCS teams who are perfect in the red zone this fall, only eight have more red zone trips than Southern. … SIU linebacker Andrew Behm is tied for 13th nationally with 11 tackles per game after his 16-tackle performance at Purdue. … Southern has dominated its series with Martin. The Salukis are 8-1 all-time against the Skyhawks, including 3-0 on the road. SIU won the last meeting, 28-14, in Carbondale during the 2019 season.
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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