Southern Illinois warms up to diverse running game as November chill arrives

SIU running back Chandler Chapman was part of a Saluki rushing attack Saturday at Murray State that carried the ball 50 times in rainy weather. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)

By Barry Bottino

Southern Illinois quarterback D.J. Williams has proven quite adept at powering the Salukis’ offense this season.

He ranks sixth in the nation in total offense at 288 yards a game.

In a relentless rain over the weekend at Murray State, Williams and the No. 15/16 Salukis showcased how much help Williams has around him as well.

“We needed, in this type of weather, to be able to turn around and hand the ball off,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “That was huge.”

That started with the team’s veteran offensive line, according to Hill.

“We saw the forecast,” he said. “I thought we could dominate the line of scrimmage. I challenged them to do that. We couldn’t shy away from what we want to do with this team. In November football, it’s a line of scrimmage game.”

While Williams rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, running back Eddie Robinson had an 18-carry workload and produced 109 yards. Fellow back Chandler Chapman had 10 carries for 32 yards in a game that produced 4.7 yards a carry on 50 rushing attempts.

The Salukis also came up big on third- and fourth-down conversions, going 9 for 16.

“In a sloppy game, we’ll take it,” Hill said.

When Southern (6-3 overall, 3-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) travels to No. 21/22 Youngstown State (5-4, 2-3) for a 1 p.m. game Saturday, the forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain and temperatures in the low 50s.

Hill knows that as his team’s playoff possibilities heat up – with games against YSU, South Dakota at home and at Illinois State — the conditions could easily provide a curveball.

“The next three weeks, we play at Youngstown, Bloomington and Carbondale,” he said. “In November, you don’t know what you’re going to get. The weather is going to change. It’s going to be cold.

“It’s going to be nasty,” he said. “It’s good to have a team that’s built to win however they come.”

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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