Southern Illinoise University Athletics
TSN Names Karim National Offensive Player of the Week
10/12/2009 | 12:00:00 | Football
Oct. 12, 2009
By Jason Clay
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The honors for Southern Illinois senior running back Deji Karim continue to roll in, as he was named the FCS National Offensive Player of the Week on Monday by the Sports Network.
In SIU's 43-23 victory over Illinois State, Karim had 273 yards rushing with three touchdowns on 28 carries. His 273 yards rushing are the third most in a single-game in school history and the sixth most in league history. It was his second 200-yard rushing game of the season.
"Deji Karim has been one of those success stories that is truly inspiring," head coach Dale Lennon said. "After sitting out last year with a potentially career ending injury, Deji's future was in question and no one really knew what to expect for this season.
"Once the season started, however, it didn't take long for Deji to make an impact. Deji has consistently performed at a high level as our featured running back and has complimented his overall game by being productive as a receiver and kickoff return specialist."
He had a 93-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, which was one yard further than his 92-yarder the week before at Western Illinois. Karim averaged 9.8 yards per carry and had four rushes that were 20 yards or longer, including all three of his touchdown runs. He had 310 all-purpose yards in the win over the Redbirds.
Karim leads the nation in both rushing yards per game (166.8), all-purpose yards (227.8) and his nine total touchdowns on the year are tied for the most in the country. He has rushed for 100 yards in four-straight games heading into Saturday's heavyweight bout with Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Salukis (4-1, 3-0 MVFC) moved up to No. 5 in both the FCS Coaches and the Sports Network Top 25 polls. UNI (5-1, 3-0) is ranked No. 2 in the Sports Network Poll, setting up Saturday's showdown between the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
