Southern Illinois University
2-1
William Penn University (Iowa)
1-3
Football Tops William Penn 59-9
09/18/2004 | 12:00:00 | Football
Sept. 18, 2004
By Scott Mees
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The William Penn University football team were the unfortunate recipients of a 59-9 thrashing Saturday, courtesy of the Southern Illinois University Salukis at McAndrew Stadium.
Running backs Arkee Whitlock and Brandon Jacobs scored two touchdowns apiece, in the first half, and SIU never let up.
Second-ranked SIU, led the entire way, and numerous players received some quality playing time.
"We did win the game, and we had some very bright spots," said Southern Illinois University head coach Jerry Kill. "I pulled the redshirt off Craig Turner, and he made me look very intelligent tonight."
Turner, a freshman, ran 54 yards for a touchdown, with 3:42 left in the third quarter, to make it 45-9 in favor of SIU (2-1).
Turner led the Salukis with 93 yards on only seven carries, a stunning 13.3 yards-per-rush average.
"Coach told me a few days before `we might need you to fill in,'" Turner said.
The Salukis amassed 604 total yards on offense, just two yards shy of the school record of 606 yards against West Virginia Tech in 2002.
Backup quarterback Jon Cairns threw a 79-yard touchdown strike to Quorey Payne, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, for a 52-9 SIU advantage.
"They put me in, and I just wanted to pick up the tempo and get the offense going," Cairns said.
Cairns ended up with 127 passing yards on 4-of-5 passing. Besides the touchdown, Cairns was also picked off.
Joel Sambursky, the SIU starting quarterback, was thrilled that three other quarterbacks got some playing time.
"To see the light coming from their faces when Jon (Cairns) threw a touchdown, and Curtis (Holley) ran for a touchdown, is always a great feeling," Sambursky said.
William Penn had already burned a timeout just 53 seconds into the game. The plan backfired as Saluki safety Frank Johnson intercepted quarterback Kentrell Jones and returned the ball 16 yards to the WP 19.
On first-and-goal, Whitlock wrapped to the outside and outran defenders for a touchdown, and a 7-0 lead 93 seconds into the football game.
Whitlock carried the ball 12 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore also had a 95-yard kick return called back after a penalty.
Late in the first quarter, Jacobs rumbled 23 yards to the end zone - while stiff-arming a defender - to make it 14-0 SIU.
Jacobs finished with 101 total yards - 63 rushing and 38 receiving.
William Penn alternated quarterbacks between Jones and Jared Jensen.
SIU free safety Alexis Moreland picked off Jones at 2:16 of the second quarter; Moreland returned the ball four yards to the WP 16. Jacobs followed by running the ball five straight times resulting in a 3-yard touchdown, that put the Salukis up 21-6.
Late in the first half, Sambursky hit Brent Little 40 yards down the sideline for a touchdown, and a 35-6 advantage at halftime.
Curtis Holley, the Salukis' third-string quarterback, ran for a five-yard touchdown with 8:50 remaining in the game. SIU's Brad Walker, fourth on the quarterback chart, entered the game in the fourth quarter and was 0-for-1 passing.
It wasn't an entirely perfect first half for SIU, including Sambursky being intercepted. The starting quarterback finished 8-for-10 with one interception and one touchdown. Sambursky totaled 126 passing yards.
"We made some mistakes here and there," Sambursky said. "The great thing is now we have an opportunity to learn from them."
There was some generally sloppy play, which Kill addressed.
"We've had two weeks in a row where we had no headsets, and we are a Division I-AA program," Kill said. "We've struggled with that, and that's why our defensive staff was on the field. I did not handle that situation very good."
Kill went on to add that his players were not at fault for some of the early-game miscues.
"I was very frustrated," Kill said. "So I'm going to take full credit for the first half performance, not the players. It was all Coach Kill."
Top-ranked Montana, in both I-AA polls, lost late Saturday night at Sam Houston State, 41-29. The Salukis could potentially be the No. 1 team in I-AA on Monday.
SIU is on the road next Saturday to face Delaware State for a noon game.
Team Stats
WP 0, SIU 7
SIU - Arkee Whitlock 6 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 2 plays, 19 yards, TOP 0:29
WP 0, SIU 14
SIU - Brandon Jacobs 23 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:26
WP 6, SIU 14
WP - James Fountaine 24 yd pass from Kentrell Jones (Steven Quintero kickblocked) 4 plays, 46 yards, TOP 1:16
WP 6, SIU 21
SIU - Brandon Jacobs 3 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 5 plays, 16 yards, TOP 2:38
WP 6, SIU 28
SIU - Arkee Whitlock 22 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 6 plays, 77 yards, TOP 1:45
WP 6, SIU 35
SIU - Brent Little 40 yd pass from Joel Sambursky (Craig Coffin kick) 1 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:06
WP 6, SIU 38
SIU - Craig Coffin 19 yd field goal 9 plays, 79 yards, TOP 4:31
WP 9, SIU 38
WP - Steven Quintero 24 yd field goal 6 plays, 17 yards, TOP 1:52
WP 9, SIU 45
SIU - Craig Turner 54 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 7 plays, 88 yards, TOP 3:10
WP 9, SIU 52
SIU - Quorey Payne 79 yd pass from Jon Cairns (Craig Coffin kick) 3 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:32
WP 9, SIU 59
SIU - Curtis Holley 5 yd run (Craig Coffin kick), 4 plays, 36 yards, TOP 1:42