Southern Illinois freshman kicker Weston Schofield is 8-for-8 this season on field goals, including his game-winning kick against Northern Iowa. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Weston Schofield’s freshman season of college football has provided plenty of opportunities.
He’s part of a kicking duo with Southern Illinois teammate Seth Adams and has made all eight of his team-leading field-goal attempts.
Two weeks ago against then-No. 21 Northern Iowa, Schofield enjoyed one of the biggest moments of his entire career when he kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired in SIU’s 20-17 victory in Carbondale.
“That’s the first game-winner I’ve ever had,” he said. “It was super special. It’s definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Schofield and the Salukis (4-5 overall, 2-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for a 5 p.m. Saturday game against Indiana State (2-7, 0-5).
The 5-foot-8, 155-pound freshman has seen the field plenty this season, kicking in situations within his range, which he said is around 45 yards and in. (Adams has handled longer kicks.) Schofield is 8-for-8 this season with a long of 36 yards.
“I’ve always had the mindset of having something to prove,” Schofield said. “I knew I’d have to compete. One of the things (head coach Nick Hill) says is that consistency is a superpower. With kicking, especially, consistency is a big thing with the field goal unit.”
His competitive drive made Schofield feel right at home in a game-winning situation. Teammates who strongly encouraged him before the UNI kick only fueled his belief.
“I could feel the positivity and the confidence of everybody on the sideline,” he said. “That gave me the confidence I needed to go out there.”
Schofield also had two other important people in his corner – long snapper Ryan Algrim and holder Jace Clark.
“They gave me even more confidence,” Schofield said. “Ryan is a very consistent snapper and Jace always gets it down, laces out. I have full confidence in them, especially since the two of them worked together last year with (former SIU kicker Paul Geelen).”
The Salukis are clinging to FCS playoff hopes with three games left in the season.
“We need to keep winning. That’s the focus,” Hill said. “We’ve got to be detailed on the things we can control and not focused on the what ifs or the future or anything like that. We’ve got three games left in the regular season, and we’ve got to take care of business one game at a time.”
Kickoff: 5 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: CILfm.com
Key matchup to watch
SIU secondary vs. ISU WR Jayden Reed: A freshman from St. Louis, Reed could make the day difficult for SIU’s secondary. The true freshman was named to the Jerry Rice Award Midseason Watch List. The Rice award is given to the best freshman in FCS. Reed is coming off back-to-back games of nine receptions against Illinois State and Northern Iowa. Over the past five weeks, he has three 100-yard games, 37 receptions and three TDs.
What’s at stake?
If the Salukis consider themselves a playoff team, they have no margin of error left. The options are to win three in a row and hope the playoff committee finds them worthy or look ahead to next season.
Quick hits
Hill said “there’s a chance” center Ethan Goodin, who was injured Oct. 10 against South Dakota, will return Saturday. “Ethan practiced (Sunday night). We’ll see. With Ethan, the bye week was big for him. I expect him to practice in full throughout the week,” Hill said. Tackle Blaine Halley, who was injured on the same play as Goodin at South Dakota, is not likely to return soon. “Blaine will be out for a significant amount of time,” Hill said. … Defensive end Abe Sanogo leads the MVFC in tackles for loss (14) and ranks second in sacks (7.5). The Albany transfer also has displayed leadership and emotional support for the Salukis during a difficult season. “Abe’s been a 10 out of 10,” Hill said. “He’s one of the best transfers we’ve taken here. He’s lifted my spirits at times. He’s made up of the right stuff. He’s been incredible for our team.” … Since returning to the team in late September after a court ruling gave him a fifth year of eligibility, wide receiver/kick returner Tae Marrero Jr. is averaging 22.4 yards per punt return. … Wide receiver Kyle Thomas needs 210 yards over the season’s final three games to become only the 10th player in SIU history to have 800 receiving yards in a season. … Running back Chandler Chapman ranks fourth in the MVFC with 587 yards on the ground, an average of 65.2 yards a game, but does not have a rushing touchdown this season.
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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