Southern Illinois running back Eddie Robinson (left) ranks second on the team only to quarterback D.J. Williams in rushing yards. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Dan Verdun
He’s not concerned with what you call him or what number he wears. His focus remains on what it takes for Southern Illinois to make it to the FCS playoffs.
“Anything is fine. Eddie or Edward. They call me Ed sometimes,” the Saluki running back with the surname Robinson said in response to what he prefers for a first name.
Robinson transferred to SIU from Duquesne, where he wore No. 13, last spring. Given jersey No. 4 at SIU, he admitted to liking the single-digit numeral often given to key players.
But, then again, Robinson knows it’s performance that ultimately determines his contribution and success.
“At the end of the day, you make the number,” Robinson said. “I’m never too worried about a single digit. If Coach doesn’t feel like I’ve earned it, then I’m rolling with whatever is given to me.”
What’s been given to SIU is consecutive must-win Missouri Valley Football Conference games if the Salukis (6-4 overall, 3-3 MVFC) have a chance of making the 24-team FCS playoff field.
First up is a noon Saturday matchup at Saluki Stadium with South Dakota (7-4, 5-2). SIU closes the regular season at No. 13/14 Illinois State Nov. 22 at Hancock Stadium in Normal.
“I’m glad that we’re playing two really good teams to end the season,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “You want to be able to play big games in November, and we’re blessed with that opportunity this Saturday.”
“Right now, we just focus on one game at a time,” Robinson said. “We take it week by week.”
The Salukis are ranked No. 17 in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll and No. 21 in the American Football Coaches Association rankings. The Coyotes are No. 22 and No. 23 in those polls, respectively.
Robinson led SIU with 85 rushing yards on 11 carries last Saturday at Youngstown State. The redshirt sophomore caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring for the Salukis.
On the season, Robinson has run for 483 yards, second to only quarterback D.J. Williams. He has caught 13 passes for 78 yards.
“Overall, it’s been a good season for me,” Robinson said. “I’ve been able to show my skills catching the ball out of the backfield. I’ve been able to show my explosiveness with the run. It’s been a pretty solid season.”
This week’s opponent
South Dakota, coached by Travis Johansen, has won five of its last six games – all MVFC contests.
Running back L.J. Phillips Jr. is the No. 3 rusher in FCS with 1,461 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 games.
Senior quarterback Aidan Bouman has passed for 1,843 yards and 13 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Larenzo Fenney has 28 receptions for 638 yards. His eight TD catches tie him with Illinois State’s Daniel Sobkowicz on the MVFC leaderboard.
South Dakota ranks fourth in total defense among conference teams. The Coyotes have allowed 34 touchdowns this season and given up 348.1 yards per game.
South Dakota’s losses were to FBS Iowa State in the season opener and to ranked FCS teams.
Kickoff: Noon TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: Cilfm.com.
Key matchup to watch
SIU defense vs. Phillips
The Salukis rank eighth out of 10 MVFC teams in run defense, yielding 202.2 yards per game. In last week’s loss at Youngstown State, SIU was gashed for 303 yards on the ground.
Phillips averages 133.1 yards per game, third best in FCS.
What’s at stake
Southern Illinois needs a win to stay in contention for an at-large postseason berth.
Quick hits
Southern will honor 27 seniors prior to Saturday’s kickoff. … SIU quarterback D.J. Williams ranks 12th among FCS national passing leaders with 2,384 yards. He has thrown for 18 touchdowns against only four interceptions. Williams ranks 56th nationally in rushing with 624 yards. … Williams has run for the fourth-most yards among national leaders who play quarterback. Three of the four – Youngstown State’s Beau Brungard, North Dakota State’s Cole Payton and Williams – play in the MVFC. Eastern Washington QB Nate Bell is the other. … SIU senior receiver Vinson Davis III has already surpassed his single-season bests in yards (706) and touchdowns (four). He needs six catches to establish a career-best in that category. … Ten different Saluki receivers have caught TD passes this season, led by Davis and Jay Jones with four each. … Senior linebacker Colin Bohanek enters Saturday with 339 career tackles, 139 of which were in an SIU uniform. Bohanek amassed 200 tackles in three seasons at Eastern Illinois before transferring to Carbondale.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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