The North Dakota defense smothered SIU’s ground game, allowing only 41 yards in the first three quarters during a 38-19 victory against the Salukis. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
CARBONDALE – As the Southern Illinois football team exited Saluki Stadium at halftime Saturday, scattered boos sent the team to the locker room.
SIU head coach Nick Hill shared that frustration as a disastrous first half that featured two turnovers, less than 140 total yards of offense and a four-touchdown deficit was too much to overcome in 12th-ranked Southern’s 38-19 Missouri Valley Football Conference loss to No. 9/11 North Dakota.
“The first half is inexcusable,” Hill said. “We got outplayed. We got outcoached. That’s a good football team, but we did not put our best effort out there.
“If I was a fan, I would’ve been booing too,” he said. “I did not feel like the attention to detail on the things we need to do to be a good football team was there, and that’s ultimately my responsibility.”
North Dakota (5-2, 3-0) went up 7-0 just over 5 minutes into the game on Sawyer Seidl’s 28-yard rushing touchdown. After the teams traded punts, SIU (4-3, 1-2) went for a fourth-and-10 on the UND 41. Quarterback D.J. Williams could not step out of a sack on the 15th play of the SIU drive and lost 18 yards.
The Fighting Hawks needed only four plays to go 41 yards for a touchdown, a 16-yard rushing score by Seidl, who tallied four total touchdowns.
The Salukis later advanced the ball into the North Dakota red zone, but running back Eddie Robinson fumbled at the 4-yard line after an 11-yard reception early in the second quarter. Quarterback Jerry Kaminski scored on a 2-yard run to give the Fighting Hawks a 21-0 lead just 5 minutes later.
Right before halftime, Williams was intercepted by North Dakota safety Zach Lewis along the sideline with 20 seconds left in the second quarter. One play later, Seidl scored from 21 yards out for a 28-0 lead.
“From the start, we just missed too many opportunities,” SIU linebacker Colin Bohanek said. “It came back to bite us in the butt. It was just not executing our responsibilities. We need 11 guys doing their job. We didn’t have that enough times today.”
Southern, which was without injured starting linebackers Andrew Behm and Chris Presto, allowed 311 yards on the ground.
The two turnovers Saturday gave SIU five in the past two weeks, which were both losses.
“The turnovers, we’ve got to figure it out,” Hill said. “We have to value the football. It’s just not a winning formula.”
While Seidl rushed for 108 yards, SIU was limited to 79 yards on the ground against UND, the top rushing defense in the MVFC. Chandler Chapman (68 yards, TD) was the leading rusher for the Salukis.
Williams finished 29-for-46 for 258 passing yards and scored a rushing and a passing TD.
“We didn’t execute the best,” said SIU wide receiver Vinson Davis III, who had a team-high seven catches. “It’s a different ball game if we don’t turn the ball over.”
The Salukis lost safety Cejai Parson to injury in the first half while making a tackle. He spent the second half on the sidelines in street clothes.
Game changers
14:51, 2nd quarter: North Dakota sacked Williams for a loss of 18 yards on fourth down. The Fighting Hawks scored four plays later on a 16-yard Seidl run.
0:20, 2nd quarter: Trying to connect with Davis on the sideline, Williams was intercepted by UND safety Zach Lewis. One play later, Seidl ran 21 yards for a TD and a 28-0 UND lead.
10:02, 3rd quarter: Less than 5 minutes into the second half, Chapman scored on a 4-yard run to put SIU on the board for the first time.
Standout Salukis
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Southern Illinois players in Saturday’s game:
Chapman, RB: The junior college transfer accounted for 68 of SIU’s 79 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on the ground.
Ben Fiegel, LB: The sophomore filled in admirably with two starters out, collecting 13 total tackles, including a tackle for loss.
Williams, QB: Despite a slow start, the senior was 29-for-46 passing for 258 yards and accounted for two TDs.
What it means
The loss to a Top 10 team denied SIU of a big potential boost in the eyes of the FCS playoff committee. It was SIU’s second loss in a row after last week’s defeat at North Dakota State.
What’s next
The Salukis host Northern Iowa (2-5, 0-3) at 2 p.m. on Oct. 25 for homecoming. The Panthers lost, 17-14, to South Dakota in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Saturday.
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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