SIU at EIU: Game Notes and Links

09/01/2014 | 12:00:00 | Football

Sept. 1, 2014

No. 25/RV Southern Illinois (1-0) at No. 14/16 Eastern Illinois (0-1)
Date	Sept. 6, 2014
Time	6 p.m. CDT
Location	Charleston, Ill. -- O'Brien Field (10,000)
Tickets	Via EIU \| Seating Map
Live Stats	Via EIUPanthers.com
Radio	Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis (play-by-play), Gene Green (analysis) and Connor James (analysis)
Video Stream	OVC Digital Network (Free)
Audio Stream	Via SIUSalukis.com (Free)
Game Notes	Southern Illinois \| Eastern Illinois \| MVC
Season Stats	Southern Illinois \| Eastern Illinois \| MVC
All-Time Series	Overall: SIU leads 40-27-1 In Charleston: SIU leads 16-15-1
Series Streak	EIU W2
Social Media	@SIU_Football \| @SIUSalukis \| Saluki Football

QUICK HITS

No. 25/RV Southern Illinois travels to Charleston, Ill., to take on No. 14/16 Eastern Illinois in O'Brien Field (10,000) at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.
SIU is ranked No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Poll, marking the first time the program has been ranked in either poll since they were ranked in both polls on Oct. 3, 2011.
SIU pitched a shutout in the season-opening 45-0 win over Taylor. SIU was one of only four teams in the FCS to hold its opponent scoreless in week one. The shutout was the fifth in head coach Dale Lennon's tenure at SIU.
Going back to include his tenure as defensive coordinator at North Dakota from 1990-96, Lennon has called seven shutouts as a defensive coordinator.
Running back Malcolm Agnew took a handoff on the first play of the game and took it 65 yards for a touchdown. By scoring in just 15 seconds into the season opener, Agnew scored the fastest recorded touchdown of any season in school history. Agnew's run was also the longest run by an SIU back since 2011.

SALUKIS VS. PANTHERS

SIU opens FCS play against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Ill.
SIU leads the all-time series with Eastern Illinois, 40-27-1 overall and 16-15-1 in games played in Charleston, Ill.
SIU has lost to EIU each of the last two years after winning four straight between 2005 and 2011.
SIU lost to then-No. 14 Eastern Illinois 40-37 in double-overtime last year. Eastern eventually rose to No. 2 in the national rankings, and SIU's game was the only FCS opponent to stay within 18 points of Eastern last year before the Panthers lost to Towson in the FCS playoffs.
The last time SIU and EIU met when both teams were ranked was Southern's 48-7 win in the 2009 FCS Playoffs.
SIU is going for its first 2-0 start since 2007.

RETURNING PLAYERS

Southern has 18 starters returning from 2013.
The Salukis have seven starters returning on offense, losing QB Kory Faulkner, WR John Lantz, FB Ray Agnew and OL Jarien Moreland.
On defense, Southern Illinois returns nine starters, losing only LB Bryan Presume and CB Terrell Wilson.
Southern returns 15 of the 22 players on last year's defensive two-deep, including all six defensive linemen.
Sixteen of SIU's top 23 tacklers from 2013 return for the 2014 season but lost top tackler Bryan Presume (104 tackles).

TEAM ROAD SUCCESS

Southern Illinois has excelled in road games under head coach Dale Lennon. SIU is 18-15 overall on the road in Lennon's six seasons. If you take out SIU's six FBS opponents in that time, Lennon's squads have gone 18-9 in road games.
SIU went 4-0 in road games against FCS opponents last year, including back-to-back road wins over top-10 opponents with a 27-24 win over South Dakota State and a 24-17 overtime win over Northern Iowa last year.
SIU is 8-4 on the road against ranked teams in head coach Dale Lennon's tenure at SIU.
The Salukis are 7-1 in MVFC road games the last two years and are 4-1 against ranked MVFC teams on the road.
Southern's only conference road loss in the last two seasons was at North Dakota State in 2012, and SIU led the eventual national champions in that game entering the fourth quarter.
The Salukis shut out No. 9 Illinois State in Normal, Ill., 17-0 in 2012 and beat No. 25 Youngstown State by 17 on the road that year.
Under Lennon, SIU is 16-8 in MVFC road games, and six of his eight road losses were in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. In his other four seasons, SIU is 14-2 in MVFC road games, with both losses coming at the Fargodome against North Dakota State.
Since 1997, the home team in the UNI-SIU rivalry is 15-2. Lennon has coached both teams that have won on the road. His 2009 squad beat No. 2 UNI at the UNI-Dome and last year's team topped No. 4 UNI on the road.
SIU has won five games against top-10 teams on the road under Lennon and seven games against ranked opponents away from Carbondale.

SIU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS SUCCESS

SIU is 11-10 against top-25 opponents under head coach Dale Lennon.
The Salukis have won five games against top-10 opponents in the last six seasons, and all five have been on the road.
Southern is 28-11 (.718) against non-ranked teams and is 25-12 (.676) as a ranked team.
Southern has won at least one game against a ranked team in all six of Lennon's seasons in Carbondale.

NIGHT GAMES

SIU is playing a school-record five home night games (6 p.m. or later start times) in 2014.
With Saturday's 6 p.m. game, SIU has six night games currently on the schedule for 2014. At least five of the first six games on SIU's schedule will be night games. The Purdue game time has not been announced.
The Salukis are 10-7 in night games under head coach Dale Lennon and 10-5 against FCS opponents in night games.

SALUKIS CRACK TOP 25

The Salukis are ranked No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Poll, the first time SIU has been ranked in either poll since Oct. 3, 2011.
No teams dropped out of the top 25 in The Sports Network media poll. SIU remained as the top team receiving votes outside of the top 25.
SIU is 86-33 all-time when ranked in the top 25 in the coaches poll, including a 25-12 mark under head coach Dale Lennon.
Southern was picked fifth in the preseason MVFC poll. The Salukis have finished tied for third or better in the league nine times in the last 11 seasons.

SALUKIS DOMINATE OPENER

SIU dominated Taylor 45-0 in the season opener on Aug. 28.
Senior captain Malcolm Agnew started the season off on a great note for SIU. He took the game's opening play 65 yards for a touchdown. By scoring just 15 seconds into the opening game, Agnew scored the fastest recorded touchdown in SIU history.
Agnew scored a 45-yard touchdown three carries later and took a screen pass 62 yards for a touchdown later. Playing in only the first half, Agnew finished with 207 yards on only eight touches in the game.
SIU was one of only four FCS teams to pitch a shutout in week one.
The shutout was the fifth shutout in head coach Dale Lennon's tenure.
Lennon took over defensive coordinator duties for the 2014 season after Bubba Schweigert left to become the head coach at North Dakota. Dating back to his DC days at North Dakota from 1990-96, this year's season opener was the seventh shutout Lennon's teams have pitched with him as the DC.
SIU posted five plays of 40 yards or longer in the opener. SIU only had six plays of 40 yards or longer during the 2013 season.

PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL HONORS

Tight end MyCole Pruitt and kicker Thomas Kinney were both named preseason first-team All-Americans by The Sports Network.
Pruitt was a consensus All-American last year and a third-teamer as a sophomore in 2012.
Kinney was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer team last year after making 18 field goals, the second-highest single-season total in school history. He also hit a 52-yarder against Western Illinois, the second-longest field goal in the FCS in 2013.
Pruitt is on the 20-man Walter Payton Award Watch List. The Payton Award goes to the most outstanding player in the FCS after the season.
Kinney was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List, which is given to the most outstanding placekicker after the season.
Six SIU players have been named to College Football Performance Awards Watch Lists at their respective positions: Malcolm Agnew (running back), Thomas Kinney (placekicker), LaSteven McKinney (punt returner and return specialist), MyCole Pruitt (tight end), Tyler Williamson (linebacker) and Tay Willis (kick returner).
Pruitt earned the CFPA's FCS Tight End of the Year award last year, becoming Southern's second CFPA Award winner (Korey Lindsey, Defensive Back Award, 2010).

SIX NEW COACHES

Southern Illinois has six new coaches on staff for the 2014 season, the most coach turnover for SIU since head coach Dale Lennon was hired before the 2008 season.
Southern lost last year's offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer to the same job at Eastern Michigan, and last year's defensive coordinator, Bubba Schweigert, left to become the head coach at North Dakota.
Lennon added defensive coordinator to his head coaching duties and promoted offensive line coach Bill O'Boyle to offensive coordinator.
Lennon served as the defensive coordinator at North Dakota for seven years from 1990-96.
O'Boyle was the offensive coordinator at Division II Chadron State from 1999-04 before becoming Chadron State's head coach from 2005-11. O'Boyle was the Division II National Coach of the Year in 2007.
In addition to O'Boyle, Austin Flyger (defensive line) and Travis Stepps (outside linebackers) are the only other coaches returning from last year's staff. The new coaches are Ashton Aikens (wide receivers), Todd Auer (inside linebackers), David Elson (secondary), Nick Hill (quarterbacks), Keith Murphy (tight ends/fullbacks) and Larry Warner (running backs).
Hill and Warner were both players at SIU. Hill remains SIU's single-season passing leader with 3,175 yards in 2007, and Warner was an All-American running back in 2008.
Hill and Warner coached together at Carbondale High School before becoming assistants at SIU.

TEAM DEFENSIVE NOTES

The Salukis have recorded at least one sack in 51 of the last 53 games.
The Salukis had a streak of 36-straight games with a sack snapped last year against Illinois State.
SIU has also recorded at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 18 of the last 23 games.
Southern has allowed 100 or more yards rushing in only 27 of head coach Dale Lennon's 71 games coached at Southern Illinois.
SIU extended both streaks against Taylor. SIU had five sacks among its eight tackles for loss. SIU also held Taylor to just 74 yards rushing.
The Salukis ranked second in the MVFC and 17th nationally last year in rushing defense at 122.8 yards per game.
Southern held six opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing and five opponents to 53 yards or fewer on the ground in 2013.
Only one opponent in the last 40 games has rushed for more than 200 yards against the Saluki defense; the Saluki offense has eclipsed 200 yards rushing 15 times in that span, including four times last year.

TEAM OFFENSIVE NOTES

SIU's 45 points against Taylor were the most Southern has scored since putting up 45 in a 45-28 win over Eastern Illinois in the first-ever Black Out Cancer game on Nov. 12, 2011.
SIU had 284 yards rushing and 262 yards passing against Taylor. Southern posted three-straight 200-200 games last year vs. Eastern Illinois, Charleston and SEMO. On offense, the Salukis return 87 percent of their rushing attack from 2013 (1,599 of 1,837 yards).
The only departing rushers on the team: 2013 starting quarterback Kory Faulkner had 237 yards and wide receiver John Lantz had one yard on one carry.
SIU also returns five offensive linemen who started at least six games last year, Corey Boemer (all 12 games), Tanner Crum (all 12 games), Jake Notario (6 games), Jamarcus Robinson (6 games), and Ethan Wirth (11 games).
Jarien Moreland (10 games) is the only departing lineman with more than six starts last year.
Southern also returns both tight ends from last year, consensus All-American MyCole Pruitt and Adam Fuehne.
The Salukis led the MVFC in passing in 2013 at 231.8 yards per game but lost starting quarterback Kory Faulkner, top receiver John Lantz and offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer.
After Lantz, the Salukis return their next top seven pass catchers, including speedsters Tay Willis and LaSteven McKinney and All-American MyCole Pruitt.
True freshman Jimmy Jones and redshirt freshman Cameron Walter made their SIU debuts in the season opener. Jones had two catches and two rushes, while Walter had 17 yards on seven carries. Jones is one of three true freshmen who have played in 2014.

INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE NOTES

Linebacker Tyler Williamson is SIU's top returning tackler. Williamson ranked second on the team in tackles in 2013 with 66. He led the team in tackles for loss with 13.0, which ranked fifth in the MVFC.
Williamson also tied for the team lead in sacks last year with 4.0. Jordan Poole and Brandon Williams also had 4.0 sacks last year, and both players return.
The trio accounted for half of SIU's 24 sacks last season.
Southern returnees accounted for 19 of the team's 24 sacks last year (79.2 percent), losing only Bryan Presume's three sacks and Carl Bivens' two sacks. Starters D.J. Cameron and Anthony Thompson tied with Chris Davis for the team lead in interceptions last year with two. SIU returnees accounted for seven of the team's 10 interceptions last year.
Williamson has forced six fumbles in his two seasons in Carbondale, which is tied for the school's career record and the most forced fumbles by any player at SIU in 35 years.
With one more forced fumble, Williamson would break his tie for career forced fumbles he holds with Ron Geels (1976-79) and John Palmero (1977-79)
Anthony Thompson is sixth in SIU history with 133 career interception return yards.
Thompson had a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in 2012 at Youngstown State.

INDIVIDUAL OFFENSIVE NOTES

Senior MyCole Pruitt returns for his senior season after earning consensus first-team All-American honors in 2013.
Pruitt was also an honorable mention All-American in 2012. If he earns All-America honors again in 2014, he will be the third three-time All-American in school history, joining Alexis Moreland (2002-04) and Korey Lindsey (2008-10).
Pruitt is second in SIU history in career receptions with 144. He needs 63 receptions in 2014 to catch Southern's all-time leader, Cornell Craig, who had 207 career catches from 1996-99.
Pruitt is also fourth in SIU history career receiving yardage with 1,777 career yards. He needs 427 yards to move into second place on SIU's all-time list. Craig had 3,508 career receiving yards, meaning Pruitt would need to more than double his career yardage in one season to break the record.
Pruitt is SIU's career leader in both receptions and receiving yards by a tight end.
Pruitt is also seventh on SIU's career receiving touchdowns list (13).
Pruitt has at least one reception in 32 of his 33 career games, and he has at least two catches in 18-straight games played.
LaSteven McKinney is eighth on SIU's career receptions list with 111. McKinney needs 27 receptions to move into third on the all-time list behind Craig and Pruitt. McKinney also needs 266 yards receiving to break into the top 10 in school history in career receiving yards.
Tay Willis made the transition from running back to wide receiver in the offseason. Willis was fourth on the team with 794 all-purpose yards in 2013: 321 rushing, 173 receiving and 300 in kick returns.
SIU will start Mark Iannotti at quarterback. Iannotti transferred from Eastern Michigan after last season and has been with SIU since the spring.
Iannotti attempted only one pass at Eastern Michigan, and his first completion at SIU will be the first of his career.
Dating back to Joel Sambursky, SIU quarterbacks who are starting their first career game are 6-1. (For more information on SIU quarterbacks making their first career start, visit page six).
Each of SIU's last three starting quarterbacks--Paul McIntosh, Kory Faulkner and Ryan West--made their first career start in the middle of the season. Iannotti was the first SIU QB to have his first career start be the season opener since Chris Dieker started the 2008 season opener.
Running back Malcolm Agnew was SIU's leading rusher in 2013 with 888 yards despite missing the season-opener at Illinois. Agnew was named to the MVFC's All-Newcomer team after the season.
Agnew averaged 4.9 yards per rush despite not breaking a rush for longer than 27 yards. He broke a 45-yard run and 65-yard run against Taylor.
Agnew had four 100-yard games last year: 127 yards vs. SEMO, 105 yards at South Dakota State, 113 yards at UNI and 107 yards vs. Western Illinois. He had 145 yards in this year's season opener vs. Taylor.
Agnew had at least 97 yards in all five games that he carried the ball at least 17 times in 2013.
Backup quarterback Ryan West started four games in 2013 when starter Kory Faulkner was out with an injury. West went 3-1 as a starter.
West went 53-105 (49 percent) with 567 yards (141.8 yards per game) in his four starts.

INDIVIDUAL SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

Placekicker Thomas Kinney has earned preseason first-team All-America and All-MVFC laurels after making 18 field goals in 2013, the second-highest single-season total in SIU history.
Kinney hit a 52-yard field goal against Western Illinois, the second-longest field goal in the FCS in 2013.
Kinney's performance against Western Illinois led to him being named MVFC and National Special Teams Player of the Week.
Kinney is on the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List, which goes to the top placekicker in the nation after the season.
Kinney also handled nearly half of SIU's kickoffs in 2013 and recorded 12 of the team's 15 touchbacks.
Despite playing only 13 games at SIU, Kinney only needs one more made field goals to crack the top 10 in school history in made field goals.
Kinney was a second-team All-MVFC selection in 2013 and was also named to the MVFC All-Newcomer team.
He ranked second in the conference in field goals made (18), field goals attempted (24) and points scored among placekickers (94).
Tay Willis was named to the CFPA Kick Returner Watch List for 2014. He returned the opening kickoff against Missouri State 92 yards for a touchdown.
LaSteven McKinney has been named an honorable mention All-MVFC return specialist in each of the past two seasons.
McKinney ranked second in the MVFC in his freshman season in yards per punt return.
McKinney is fourth in SIU history in career punt return yards with 473. He needs 207 yards to move into third.
McKinney is 10th in school history in career punt return average at 7.40 yards per return.
He is third in school history in career punt returns with 61.
Four-year starting punter Austin Pucylowski graduated. Since 2010, Pucylowski recorded all but five of SIU's punts. Kory Faulkner had one punt in both 2011 and 2012. Kyle Daugherty had three punts in 2010.
Nick Neidig is Southern's new starting punter. He averaged 50 yards on two punts in the opener.

BLACK OUT CANCER GAME

Southern Illinois will host the fourth annual Black Out Cancer game on Sept. 27 vs. Western Illinois.
Fans can bid on a jersey at SalukisBlackOutCancer.com. The top 80 bids will be able to choose a jersey number and place the name of their choosing on the back of the jersey, including the option to honor a cancer survivor or victim.
The jerseys will then be worn by the Salukis against the Leathernecks, and winning bidders will be presented with their jersey after the game.