Right guard Derek Harden Jr. (68) and center Noah Fenske (53) have been two mainstays this season on the Southern Illinois offensive line. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
In a season loaded with injuries in 2024, Southern Illinois used 12 different offensive linemen in various combinations.
This fall, the Salukis have benefitted from good health and an offensive line in which four players have started every game.
“If you would ask any offensive line coach, continuity is everything,” SIU line coach Dan Clark said. “It’s knowing what your guy is doing next to you, and you don’t have to say a thing. But I’m always going to knock on wood. Last year was tough.”
Center Noah Fenske is a returning starter now in his seventh year of college football. Right guard Derek Harden Jr. is a sixth-year player, while right tackle Cameron Dye and left guard Aiden Logan are fifth-year players. The quartet will be on the field again Saturday, Nov. 1 when the No. 16/17 Salukis (5-3 overall, 2-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) travel to Murray State (0-8, 0-4).
With four games remaining, the Salukis are focused on strengthening their resume for a potential FCS playoff berth.
“There’s really not a position group on the field that has to be playing together more than the offensive line,” SIU 10th-year head coach Nick Hill said. “It’s a unit. It’s a group that has to be in sync. These guys have played at a really high level. It’s as good of a job as an O-line has done here in my time.”
After playing guard at Iowa and Colorado then tackle early in his SIU tenure, Fenske has settled in at center this fall, a position he has embraced.
How has he thrived in a new spot?
“I’m really old,” Fenske joked. “When I started playing college football, Coach Hill was only in his third year here.”
To Clark, Fenske’s leadership and communication skills make him a good fit.
“It’s got to be the quarterback of the group, the alpha dog in the room, a leader, your vocal guy,” Clark said. “Noah has slid right into that role, and the guys respond to him. He’s playing his best ball right now. That’s contagious.”
Thanks to the O-line and dynamic quarterback D.J. Williams, the Salukis ranked 20th nationally in total offense (438.8 yards per game) and 14th in rushing offense (204.3).
Fenske credited the offensive line’s bond with building strong continuity. He regularly has teammates over to his apartment for social gatherings.
“We’re a group that doesn’t just play football together,” he said. “We do basically everything together. The four of us who’ve started every game came back because we believed in the room, we believed in Coach Clark and we believed in ourselves.”
In his seven years of college football, Fenske said he remembers only one group as close as this year’s SIU unit – the 2022 offensive line at Colorado, which featured team captain and close friend Casey Roddick.
“I try to do a lot of similar things that he did (to build camaraderie),” Fenske said. “I look up to him to this day.”
Those lessons shaped how Fenske and his teammates have built bonds.
“We really wanted to make sure that this wasn’t a cliquey group,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the best guy in the room or the worst guy in the room. You’re equally as important.”
The entire group, including sophomore left tackle Blaine Halley – who has started the past four games in place of injured fifth-year senior Coleon Smith – also stick together for additional film study and preparation.
“As a group, we probably put in an extra three to four hours a week of extra prep that’s not required,” Fenske said. “We really enjoy playing together.”
This week’s opponent
Racers quarterback Jim Ogle has thrown for the fourth-most yards in the MVFC this season (1,643) and ranks third among QBs with 209.6 yards a game in total offense. However, he has thrown for eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. … Junior safety Dylan Rowsey ranks third in the nation with 12 tackles per game. The junior college transfer has six games with double-digit tackles, including 18 in the season opener against East Tennessee State. … Kentucky transfer Darius Cannon, a redshirt sophomore wide receiver, ranks sixth in the nation with 6.5 receptions per game. Cannon opened the season with 11 catches against ETSU. … Head coach Jody Wright is in his second season with the Racers after coaching at six different FBS program and two NFL teams (Cleveland and New York Giants). He was the tight ends coach at FBS South Carolina in 2022 and 2023. … Murray State took a 7-0 lead last weekend against Youngstown State but allowed 38 consecutive points in a 51-17 loss. The fewest points Murray has allowed in a game this season is 35. Opponents have outscored the Racers, 203-61, in the first half this season.
Kickoff: 4 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: CILFM.com
Key matchup to watch
SIU ground game vs. Murray State defense: This could be a field day for Saluki running backs. The Racers rank last in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 268.1 yards a game. Murray’s 27 rushing TDs allowed are the most in the nation.
What’s at stake?
A win helps the Salukis maintain their momentum before they face three MVFC opponents to end the season (Youngstown State, South Dakota and Illinois State) that are all trying to strengthen their postseason resumes.
Quick hits
Southern owns the nation’s 14th-ranked rushing offense and is one of three MVFC teams averaging more than 200 yards a game (204.3). Along with a veteran offensive line, the Salukis have thrived thanks to a bevy of capable runners. Williams leads the way with 479 yards and 11 TDs on the ground. In the backfield, Chandler Chapman has 396 yards and six scores, while Eddie Robinson has contributed 289 yards and a TD and Lem Wash has 96 yards and one score. LaShaun Lester Jr., who has been hampered by injuries, returned last week. He has 194 yards and two TDs. “They’re all a little different,” Hill said of his running backs. “Chandler is physical, with a lot of yards after contact. Ed has got a little bit of everything in him. He’s slippery. He’s pretty explosive. Lem can be utilized in a lot of different ways. It’s a good rotation. When you’ve got three or four guys who are taking reps, it’s got to be unselfish.” … Wide receiver Vinson Davis III leads the MVFC with 653 receiving yards and 81.6 yards per game, which are both career highs. His three TD catches also matches his career-best total. With six more receptions, he will surpass his previous best of 47 from last season. … Defensive ends Vontrell Chairse (four) and Donnie Wingate (three) both rank in the MVFC’s top 10 sack leaders. … SIU’s four sacks against Northern Iowa was its most in a single game since September. The defense managed just three sacks in the previous three weeks. “We probably pressured less (against UNI) than we did in the last couple weeks,” Hill said. “Sacks are really explosive plays for the defense.” … The SIU offense has the second-best third-down conversion rate in the MVFC at 48.9%.
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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