South Dakota quarterback Jackson Proctor rushed for one of three Coyotes touchdowns on the ground Saturday against SIU. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Third-down conversions can give life to an offense.
On Saturday, 25th-ranked Southern Illinois went 3-for-13 on those downs and endured an inconsistent offensive performance in a 31-10 Missouri Valley Football Conference loss at No. 10/12 South Dakota.
SIU head coach Nick Hill said the lack of success on key downs continues to haunt the Salukis.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about third down and red-zone offense,” he said. “That’s where our offense is at right now. That’s all of us.”
The Salukis opened the game with a 12-play, 60-yard drive that ended on an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 at the South Dakota 15-yard line. South Dakota answered with a touchdown drive capped by backup quarterback Jackson Proctor’s 13-yard scoring run.
SIU, which fell to 3-4 with the loss (1-2 MVFC), followed with three consecutive three-and-outs and fell behind 14-0 before scoring 1 minute, 50 seconds before halftime on receiver Kyle Thomas’ 7-yard touchdown catch.
South Dakota (5-2, 2-1) scored a field goal and two TDs on drives of 61, 75 and 58 yards. Wide receiver Tennel Bryant scored on a 56-yard reception and a 44-yard run.
The Salukis also were 2-for-4 on red zone opportunities in the loss.
“That’s been a problem of ours all year,” Hill said. “Offensive football gets tougher in those areas of the field.”
The Salukis used running back Chandler Chapman extensively. He rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries.
“I feel like we established the run and proved that we can run the football,” Hill said.
South Dakota’s offense outgained the Salukis, 486-277, and got big games from running back Charles Pierre Jr. (138 yards, TD) and quarterback Austyn Modrzewski (16-for-20, 268 yards, TD).
SIU quarterback D.J. Williams finished 18-for-29 for 179 yards and a TD. He was sacked twice.
Game changers
8:43, 1st quarter: Williams threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2, turning the ball over to the Coyotes.
8:36, 1st quarter: On USD’s first play of the ensuing drive, Modrzewski hit a wide-open Bryant for a 57-yard TD.
14:09, 4th quarter: After converting on a fourth-and-2, South Dakota forged a 24-10 lead one play later on Bryant’s 44-yard TD run.
What it means
The Salukis dropped below .500 with five games left in the season, including three coming against ranked teams.
Standout Salukis
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Southern Illinois players in the game:
Chapman, RB: The Salukis’ No. 1 back rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries.
Thomas, WR: The 6-foot-3 junior caught his fourth touchdown of the season.
Andrew Behm, LB: The senior had five tackles and a sack for the Salukis.
What’s next?
The Salukis host No. 12/13 Illinois State, which had a bye this week, at 3 p.m. on Oct. 17. The game will be aired on ESPNU.
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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