Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU vs. Taylor postgame notes
08/30/2014 | 12:00:00 | Football
Aug. 30, 2014
Saluki Stadium | Carbondale, Ill. | Attendance: 7,384
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Saluki Stadium | Carbondale, Ill. | Attendance: 7,384
- SIU won its season opener for the first time since 2011 after dropping each of the last two season openers. SIU topped Southeast Missouri 38-10 in 2011 to start that season 1-0.
- SIU won its home opener for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons. Southern's only home-opening loss was last year's double-OT loss to Eastern Illinois, which the Salukis will face next week.
- Southern Illinois improved its record in season openers to 17-15 and its record in home openers to 24-9 since transitioning to the FCS in 1983.
- SIU improved its record in home night games since 2002--when lights were reinstalled at McAndrew Stadium--to 24-6.
- Southern Illinois' defense pitched a shutout in its first game with head coach Dale Lennon serving as defensive coordinator. The shutout was the fifth overall in Lennon's 71 games as SIU's head coach.
- Going back to Lennon's days as a defensive coordinator for North Dakota from 1990-96, Thursday's 45-0 win was the seventh shutout Lennon has pitched as a DC.
- The Saluki defense recorded five sacks, the 51st time in the last 53 games SIU's defense has recorded at least one sack.
- With its eight tackles for loss, the SIU defense posted at least five tackles for loss for the 18th time in the last 23 games.
- Southern's D only allowed only 74 yards rushing by the Trojan ground game. SIU has held opponents under 100 yards rushing in 44 of Lennon's 71 games at SIU. Dating back to the end of the 2012 season, SIU has held nine of its last 15 opponents under 100 yards rushing.
- Only one opponent has rushed for more than 200 yards on SIU in the last 40 games. By comparison, SIU has eclipsed 200 yards rushing 15 times in that span.
- SIU forced a turnover for the 26th time in the last 27 games. By comparison, SIU's offense has gone without a turnover four times in that span.
- SIU posted five plays of 40 or more yards; in all 12 games last year combined, SIU only had six plays of 40 or more yards.
- Malcolm Agnew took a handoff on the game's opening play 65 yards for a touchdown. By scoring just 15 seconds into the first game, SIU scored the fastest recorded touchdown of any season in school history.
- Agnew's 145 yards rushing were the most by a Saluki in a season opener since Larry Warner had 151 yards against Hampton in 2008.
- Last year, Agnew's didn't record a rush or reception longer than 27 yards. He recorded three plays of 45 or more yards on Thursday.
- With 51 punt return yards, LaSteven McKinney vaulted into fourth in school history in career punt return yardage with 473. He passed Ed Wallner (435 yards, 1968-69) and Gerald Wilson (458 yards, 1970-71). He is 206 yards away from third place (Reggie Fowler, 679 yards, 1994-97).
- With his 38-yard punt return, McKinney recorded the longest punt return for SIU since Larry Warner took one 47 yards in 2008.
- MyCole Pruitt had 37 yards on four receptions. His 37 yards gave him 1777 receiving yards for his career, inching him closer to third place on SIU's all-time list. He needs 32 more yards to catch Justin Roebuck (1989-92) for third place on SIU's career receiving yards list.
- McKinney jumped into the top 20 in school history in career receiving yards. With 42 yards on Thursday, McKinney now has 1,072 yards, good for 19th on the all-time list and passing Dave Smith (1,069 yards, 1993-96) and Mark Shasteen (1,060 yards, 1998-01).
- Pruitt had four catches on Thursday, marking the 32nd time in 33 career games he has caught at least one pass. It was Pruitt's 18th-straight game he caught at least two passes.
- Mark Iannotti won his first career start. Going back to Joel Sambursky's first career start, SIU is now 6-1 when a quarterback is making his first career start.
Players Mentioned
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