Salukis fall to fourth straight in Homecoming Weekend – The Daily Egyptian

SIU concluded its homecoming week celebration with a football game against No. 2 North Dakota State University (NDSU) on October 12, but a final score of 24-3 marked the Salukis' fourth straight loss of the season, leaving them tied for No. 1 2-5.

Against the strong nine-time national champions, the Salukis wanted to set the tone by scoring first. It looked like they were going to do just that as their first drive pushed deeper into Bison territory, but a mistake by the defense ended the drive and set the tone for the rest of the game.

“Looking back, it was a tough game,” said head coach Nick Hill.

The Salukis got the ball first on a sunny Saturday afternoon, with true freshman Jake Curry under center. The Dawgs would move into Bison territory with some help from three penalties on defense. Curry completed a pass to Allen Middleton, who was immediately fumbled and cuffed by an NDSU defender.

Curry started his career with 15 completions for 152 yards. The freshman found himself in the starting lineup after the Salukis lost both quarterbacks DJ Williams and Hunter Simmons to injuries early in the season.

“I was proud of Jake,” said Hill, “18 years old, starting for the first time against this defense, a tough task.”

After a few short gains, NDSU quarterback Cam Miller found a wide-open Joe Stoffel for a gain of 37 to advance into Saluki territory. Two runs from CharMar Brown allowed Barika Kpeenu to hit the ball from 6 meters away.

Looking for an answer, SIU was unable to get anything going and punt. The Bison responded with a series of mistakes of their own and hit the ball right back. The Salukis were able to secure two first downs before the NDSU defense put an end to the drive.

A well-placed punt from Paul Geelen had the Bison starting from their own five. NDSU made it to their own 36, but an offensive pass interference took away the momentum and forced another Bison punt.

On the next SIU possession, Curry found Middleton for an 18-yard pickup and Vinson Davis for a 24-yard gain to move into Bison territory. The drive would end with a 50-yard field goal by Geelen to put the Dawgs on the field.

“I would say I have a pretty good connection with all the receivers,” Curry said. “Sometimes you kind of notice it.”

NDSU responded to the score with its running game, gaining 53 yards on nine carries before Miller connected with Chris Harris for a touchdown.

With 31 ticks to go before halftime, the Salukis tried to respond, but only got just past midfield as the clock reached zero.

Coming out of the break, NDSU quickly moved into SIU territory, but the Dawgs responded just as quickly, forcing three short gains to make it fourth-and-1. Two Saluki defenders got into the backfield on the attempt and made a tackle to get the ball back to their offense.

SIU was unable to build momentum after the stop and kicked the ball back to NDSU.

The Bison brought the ball downfield in small increments to get into the red zone. The Saluki defense held its own and forced a field goal to tie the game at 14 points.

In contrast, the Salukis responded with big plays, scoring at least 10 points on five of their first seven plays. A Bison pass interference would result in the Dawgs knocking on the door of the end zone. NDSU's defense stood firm and forced a field goal attempt that missed to left.

After the miss, the SIU defense stood firm and forced a three-pointer and the game out. The Bison forced a punt to get the ball right back. A major success for Bryce Lance brought the bison into Saluki territory. NDSU then moved the ball in bits before Brown scored a 9-yard touchdown.

The Bison got the ball back after Curry missed his man on the run and threw the ball right into a defender. NDSU ran out the rest of the clock to complete the 24-3 victory.

The 24 points scored by the Bison are the fewest points they have scored in a game all season.

“I felt like (the defense) played well as a group,” Louis Wilbert said. “But we still have some work to do.”

SIU has a bye week next Saturday before facing the Indiana State Sycamores on October 26th.

Sports reporter Nick Pfannkuche can be reached at (email protected). To stay up to date on all the news from Southern Illinois, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook and X @dailyegyptian.