Matthew McClelland, who missed last season at Southern Illinois with a knee injury, had one of two SIU interceptions last weekend against Youngstown State. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Watching game film has always carried a personal benefit for Matthew McClelland.
“I was used to watch film after each practice to see how I could get better,” said McClelland, a safety at Southern Illinois.
Last season changed all that after a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee sustained in a non-contact spring practice kept him off the field.
“Not playing wasn’t great, but I think I made the most of it,” McClelland said. “I was at every game. I helped out on the sidelines. It was a really good year developmentally. I got to see the game from an outside perspective.”
McClelland and No. 25 SIU (3-3 overall, 1-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference) travel to No. 10 South Dakota (4-2, 1-1) for a 1 p.m. game Saturday.
Film study last season, however, involved watching his teammates instead of himself.
“Once I got over that, I realized that I can still get better from it and learn things,” he said.
In last weekend’s loss to Youngstown State, McClelland had a season-high eight tackles and grabbed one of SIU’s two interceptions of YSU All-American quarterback Beau Brungard.
McClelland credits his performance this season — he ranks fourth on the team with 24 tackles — to lessons learned last fall.
“It’s helped me this year to have a better understanding of the defense in general,” he said. “Just understanding the why behind everything we do became really clear to me.”
McClelland, at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, said playing the strong safety position has helped him get more involved in SIU’s run defense while also supporting in coverage.
On Saturday, his coverage skills paid off with an interception, his first in an SIU uniform.
“I was kind of in the right place at the right time,” he said of his third-quarter pick near midfield. “My assignment was to the boundary. I looked back to see where I could help out and I saw him throw to the receiver coming across the field.
“He threw it a little behind him, it got tipped up and I was right there to make the play,” he said. “As a unit, we’ve played pretty solid the last couple of weeks. That helps our confidence.”
Kickoff: 1 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: CILfm.com
Key matchup to watch
Southern Illinois vs. The DakotaDome: South Dakota has won 17 of its last 19 games at home. The Salukis have lost four straight games against the Coyotes and are 2-4 in Vermillion, S.D. The two wins came in 2019 and during the 2021 FCS playoffs, when Southern earned a 22-10 victory. During his head coaching career, Hill is 3-6 vs. South Dakota.
What’s at stake?
A win would keep SIU in the FCS playoff conversation and provide them with a key road win against a ranked team.
Quick hits
SIU quarterbacks rank last in the MVFC and 109th nationally in completion percentage this season at 52.3%. Starter DJ Williams, who posted a 63% completion rate a season ago, is currently completing 54.5 of his passes. “We’ve got to complete balls at a higher clip,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “We’ve got to be in the high 60s, at minimum.” Hill explained that tracking the passing plays revealed some smart incompletions, such as throwing the ball away to avoid lost yardage. “Some of them are good incompletions, not putting the ball in harm’s way.” … SIU’s defense is tied for the national lead with 10 interceptions, thanks to three from safety Sebastian Vargas and two from cornerback Gavin Shepard. Five other Salukis have one interception each. … Junior kicker Seth Adams made a 44-yard field goal against Youngstown State and missed a 48-yarder. The previous week, SIU’s Weston Schofield earned MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week after connecting on all four attempts, from 29, 34, 27 and 36 yards. Hill said Adams has a bigger leg for longer distances and will be used in that role going forward. Schofield will handle shorter distances. … Wide receiver Kyle Thomas leads the team with 26 receptions, 457 receiving yards and three TDs this season. This week, he ranks 15th nationally in receiving yards. … South Dakota ranks sixth nationally in scoring (39 points per game) and has outscored opponents 144-40 in its three home games this season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Austyn Modrzewski has been impressive in his first season as the USD starter. He’s thrown for 18 touchdowns and became the school’s fastest QB to reach 1,000 passing yards (five games) since 2019. Modrzewski also is tied for the MVFC lead with five interceptions.
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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