Southern Illinois University
2-0
Northern Illinois
0-2
Football stuns Northern Illinois, 34-31
09/08/2007 | 12:00:00 | Football
Sept. 8, 2007
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
DeKALB, Ill. - No. 10 Southern Illinois University (2-0) scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull off a stunning 34-31 win over intra-state rival Northern Illinois (0-2) earlier tonight in front of a crowd of 24,182 at Huskie Stadium.
NIU learned a valuable lesson tonight. Don't ever count out the Salukis.
SIU trailed by 21 points midway through the third quarter, but found its rhythm at the right time to pull off one of the most thrilling comebacks in school history.
"We have a never-say-die attitude," said Saluki head coach Jerry Kill. "We never quit. It was a great game. I was proud of the way we battled back."
The Huskies led, 28-7, with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter, but suddenly went on cruise control, and the Salukis made them pay.
Alan Turner hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Nick Hill to cut the lead to 28-14 later in the third quarter.
Three minutes and 19 seconds later, Chris Nendick connected on a 46-yard field goal to give NIU a 31-14 lead.
Then came the onslaught.
Brandon Williams intercepted Dan Nicholson's pass and ran 52 yards for a touchdown to ignite the fourth quarter scoring spree.
Justin Anderson fumbled on a 4th-and-1 and Chris Arthurs recovered, as SIU took over on downs at its own 16 with 4:01 left to play.
The Salukis proceeded to go 84 yards on 15 plays behind their poised quarterback.
Hill threw the ball 13 times during the drive and completed two big fourth-down passes along the way. He delivered a 14-yard pass to Phil Goforth on a 4th-and-6 and hooked up with Turner for a 5-yard completion on a 4th-and-2.
Hill capped the impressive march with a 26-yard touchdown strike to Ryan Kernes which narrowed the gap to 31-28 with 1:01 on the clock.
On the next play, true freshman kicker Kyle Dougherty attempted an on-side kick and Clayton Johnson came up with the ball at the SIU 43.
Three plays later, SIU faced a 4th-and-3 at its own 48.
Immediately following a timeout, Hill completed a 20-yard pass to Kernes for a first down at the NIU 30.
After that, Hill found Justin Allen for the game-winning 30-yard TD with 22 seconds left.
"Everything just happened so fast," said Allen. "I ran my route, found a hole in the defense and Nick threw a great ball to me. This game symbolized how our hard work has paid off."
Hill completed 21-of-33 passes for a career-high 238 yards and three touchdowns. He moved to eighth all-time in career touchdown passes (23) at SIU.
Receiving wise, Kernes set career-highs in both catches and yards. He caught six passes for 69 yards and one touchdown.
"Our quarterback executed well at the end and our receivers made some big plays," said Kill.
Defensively, the Salukis registered six takeaways, including three fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
Williams (52 yards) and defensive tackle Larry Luster (55 yards) each returned interceptions for TDs. It was the first time two Salukis returned interceptions for touchdowns in a game since 1985.
The Salukis knocked off a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly IA) opponent in back-to-back years for the first time in school history. The Salukis also became the first team in Gateway Conference history to beat separate FBS opponents (Indiana, NIU) in consecutive years.
NIU, which starts a season at 0-2 for the third year in a row, was led by Nicholson, who finished with 223 passing yards and two TDs.
SIU returns to action at Southern Utah on Sept. 15.
Notes: SIU has intercepted a pass in five of its last six games...The Salukis won in DeKalb for the first time since 1979...SIU's last five games against FBS opponents have been decided by no more than seven points...The Dawgs won for the third time in 23 meetings with FBS schools...Nick Hill threw a combined seven touchdown passes -- four vs. Indiana in 2006; three vs. NIU tonight -- to lead SIU to its last two wins vs. FBS foes...Alan Turner moved to ninth in career receiving touchdowns at SIU...He now has 10...Craig Turner surpassed 1,000 kick return yards in his career...His 1,031 yards rank fifth all-time in school history.
Team Stats
SIU 7, NIU 0
SIU - Luster, Larry 55 yd interception (Dougherty, Kyle kick)
SIU 7, NIU 7
NIU - CLANTON, M. 59 yd run (NENDICK, Chris kick), 4 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:16
SIU 7, NIU 14
NIU - ANDERSON, J. 23 yd pass from NICHOLSON, Dan (NENDICK, Chris kick) 11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 5:21
SIU 7, NIU 21
NIU - ANDERSON, J. 22 yd pass from NICHOLSON, Dan (NENDICK, Chris kick) 4 plays, 37 yards, TOP 0:27
SIU 7, NIU 28
NIU - ANDERSON, J. 1 yd run (NENDICK, Chris kick), 13 plays, 78 yards, TOP 6:04
SIU 14, NIU 28
SIU - Turner, Alan 26 yd pass from Hill, Nick (Dougherty, Kyle kick) 7 plays, 64 yards, TOP 2:52
SIU 14, NIU 31
NIU - NENDICK, Chris 46 yd field goal 8 plays, 43 yards, TOP 3:11
SIU 21, NIU 31
SIU - Williams, B. 52 yd interception (Dougherty, Kyle kick)
SIU 28, NIU 31
SIU - Kernes, Ryan 26 yd pass from Hill, Nick (Dougherty, Kyle kick) 15 plays, 84 yards, TOP 3:05
SIU 34, NIU 31
SIU - Allen, Justin 30 yd pass from Hill, Nick (Dougherty, Kyle kickfailed) 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 0:36