Southern Illinois wide receiver Kyle Thomas had three touchdown receptions Saturday to help the Salukis improve to 5-5 with a 37-20 victory at Indiana State. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
The Southern Illinois offense turned the ball over on downs twice in the first quarter Saturday night.
The Salukis’ defense allowed a field goal on Indiana State’s first drive.
Both units, however, rebounded in a big way to roar past Indiana State, 37-20, in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game in Terre Haute, Ind.
The Salukis (5-5 overall, 3-3 MVFC) improved to .500 after losing three of their previous four games and kept their slim playoff hopes alive with two games left in the season.
“This was a game that we really need to win,” SIU junior wide receiver Kyle Thomas, who had three touchdown catches among his seven receptions, said in a postgame radio interview. “I felt like the offense needed to step up and everybody played a complete game.”
Thomas caught two first-half scores to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 17-3 advantage. The Salukis scored the first 17 points of the second half to roar to a 34-6 fourth-quarter lead.
SIU quarterback D.J. Williams threw four scoring passes as the Salukis scored on four of their five red-zone opportunities. Southern outgained the Sycamores (2-8, 0-6), 392-282.
Defensively, SIU gave up an field goal on Indiana State’s first drive, then forced six consecutive three-and-outs, holding the Syamores to minus-1 yard over a span of 18 plays.
“The defense played phenomenal for a lot of the game,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said.
Matthew McClelland and Sebastian Vargas each had an interception for the Salukis, who held ISU to 2-for-13 on third downs.
Wide receiver Tae Marrero Jr. caught three passes for 46 yards, but also shined in the return game, racking up 239 all-purpose yards. Marrero had 187 yards in the return game.
Game changers
7:55, 2nd quarter: Thomas caught an 18-yard TD pass from Williams, giving the Salukis a 17-3 lead, thanks to 17 unanswered points.
2:29, 3rd quarter: Thomas caught his third touchdown of the game, hauling in a 7-yard pass from Williams.
1:55, 4th quarter: Kicker Weston Schofield booted a 23-yard field goal for his second of the game, making him a perfect 10-for-10 this season.
What it means
The Salukis got back to .500 on the season and kept their faint playoffs alive.
Superb Salukis
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Southern Illinois players in the game:
Thomas, WR: The junior had his third 100-yard game of the season and grabbed three TDs.
McClelland, DB: The SIU safety had six total tackles and a key interception late in the third quarter.
Marrero Jr., WR: The fifth-year Saluki piled up 239 all-purpose yards, including 187 combined on kickoff and punt returns.
What’s next?
The Salukis play their final home game of the season, welcoming No. 5 South Dakota State (8-2, 5-1).
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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