Kicker Weston Schofield is carried off the field Saturday by his teammates after a game-winning, 31-yard field goal. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
The Southern Illinois offense has stumbled, sputtered and struggled for most of the last month.
On Saturday, the Salukis leaned on a productive run game and kicker Weston Schofield’s right leg to upset No. 21 Northern Iowa, 20-17, which put an end to SIU’s three-game losing streak.
Schofield kicked a 31-yard field goal on the game’s final play and got a ride off the Saluki Stadium field on the shoulders of several teammates.
Quarterback D.J. Williams, who has battled injuries for most of the season, rushed for a season-high 89 yards and two touchdowns as Southern improved to 3-5 overall, 2-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
“It’s been rough the last couple of weeks,” Williams said in a postgame radio interview. “I’m happy to get a win, and happy to celebrate with my teammates. You’ve got to find a way to get out of that funk. We got in a rhythm and at the end of the day, we executed.”
UNI, which has wins against previously Top 5-ranked teams Illinois State and North Dakota, fell to 3-4, 2-2. The Panthers are 0-4 on the road this season.
SIU running back Chandler Chapman contributed 55 yards on the ground as SIU ran for 191 yards and 5.8 yards per carry.
The Saluki offense was 4-for-4 in the red zone.
Defensively, SIU limited the Panthers to 3.3 yards a carry while collecting three sacks.
“I was kind of emotional coming off the field,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “There’s nothing like winning. We needed a win in the worst way.”
Game changers
0:00, 2nd quarter: Schofield’s 21-yard field goal gave SIU a 10-7 halftime lead, its first lead since the second quarter of an Oct. 3 game against Youngstown State.
1:00, 3rd quarter: Williams ran seven yards for a TD, his second of the day, to put SIU up 17-10.
0:02, 4th quarter: Schofield’s 31-yard field goal and set off a Saluki celebration.
What it means
Southern snapped a three-game losing streak and gained some confidence amid their recent offensive struggles.
Standout Salukis
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Southern Illinois players in the game:
Williams, QB: The seventh-year SIU quarterback had two rushing TDs.
Schofield, K: The Salukis’ kicker won the game and was perfect on four kicks (two field goals, two PATs).
Charlie Whelpley, LB: The redshirt sophomore had 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
What’s next?
SIU is on a bye Oct. 31 before resuming its MVFC schedule Nov. 7 at Indiana State. Kickoff is at 5 p.m.
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.
Find us on social media!
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PSPigskin
Facebook: Prairie State Pigskin
Instagram: Prairiestatepigskin
Blue Sky: PSPigskin
Leave a Reply