Southern Illinois quarterback D.J. Williams (1) was sacked three times Saturday in the Salukis’ 45-17 loss at North Dakota State. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Southern Illinois endured few stumbles over the first five games of the season.
“We haven’t had a lot of adversity,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “It’s not a good feeling.”
On Saturday in Fargo, N.D., Southern met adversity face to face when No. 1 North Dakota State gave the No. 8/9 Salukis their first FCS loss of the season, 45-17.
The game, which dropped SIU to 4-2 overall, 1-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, featured a competitive first half followed by a second half in which the Bison (6-0, 3-0) scored touchdowns on their first four drives to pull away.
“We’ve got to sit in this,” Hill said. “Competitors can let this fuel them.”
After forging a 10-10 second-quarter tie, SIU was driving before a fumble by quarterback D.J. Williams ignited NDSU, which ran off 21 consecutive points.
The turnover, and several other data points, were unique to SIU’s season but not uncommon when facing the Bison.
Williams was sacked three times. He had been sacked only five times in the previous five games combined.
Three turnovers occurred Saturday, yet Southern entered the game with only five (three fumbles, two interceptions).
The 45 NDSU points were 24 more than what SIU allows on average.
The Bison rushed for 264 yards – 95 more than the Salukis yielded per game this season before Saturday – and two NDSU quarterbacks combined to complete 84% of their passes. SIU was allowing opposing QBs to complete 64% of their throws.
Despite the statistical challenges, Hill said his team’s strong first-half effort was among several things he was pleased with.
“There’s going to be a lot of good on the film,” he said. “We’ve got to build on that.”
The Salukis have little time to worry about NDSU. They face No. 13/12 North Dakota (4-2, 2-0) at 2 p.m. Oct. 18 in Carbondale.
“We can’t let this (NDSU game) define our season,” Hill said. “We can’t let this loss beat us again.”
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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