SIU at UNI: Game Notes & Links

Nov. 17, 2015

Southern Illinois (3-7, 2-5 MVFC) at No. 15 Northern Iowa (6-4, 4-3 MVFC)
Date & Time	Nov. 21, 2015 \| 4 p.m. CT
Location	Cedar Falls, Iowa \| UNI-Dome (16,324, Mondoturf)
Video Stream	ESPN3 with Scott Warmann (play-by-play), Danan Hughes (analysis) and Adam Seidel (analysis)
Live Stats	Via Northern Iowa
Radio	Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis (play-by-play), Gene Green (analysis) and Connor James (analysis)
Audio Stream	Saluki All-Access
Southern Illinois	Game Notes \| Stats \| Media Guide (PDF)
Northern Iowa	Game Notes \| Stats \| Media Guide
MVFC	Weekly Notes \| Stats
All-Time Series	UNI leads, 17-16 \| In Cedar Falls: UNI leads 12-4 \| Streak: UNI W1 \| Last Meeting: UNI 40, SIU 21 (11/15/14)
Social Media	@SIU_Football \| @SIUSalukis \| Saluki Football

QUICK HITS

SIU travels to Northern Iowa for the season finale on Nov. 21. Kickoff from the UNI-dome is set for 4 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed nationally through ESPN3.
The Salukis are 5-2 against Northern Iowa under head coach Dale Lennon, which includes wins at the UNI-dome in 2009 (27-20) and 2013 (24-17 in OT).
Ten of the last 12 meetings between SIU and UNI have been decided by seven points or fewer.
Seven consecutive games played in the UNI-dome between the two schools have been decided by seven points or fewer, dating back to 2001. The total scoring margin in those seven games combined is UNI +8.
SIU has lost five games by three points or fewer and six games by seven points or fewer this season alone. Both marks rank second in MVFC history. Eastern Illinois lost six games by a combined seven points in 1991, and Illinois State had seven losses of a touchdown or less in 2006.
Mark Iannotti already has secured the best per-game total offense average in MVFC single-season history. Even if he fails to gain a single yard against UNI, he will average 326 yards per game in 2015, more than 10 yards per game more than anyone else in conference history.

SALUKIS HEAD TO UNI FOR FINALE

SIU travels to Northern Iowa for the season finale on Nov. 21. Kickoff from the UNI-dome is set for 4 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed nationally through ESPN3.
The Salukis are 5-2 against Northern Iowa under head coach Dale Lennon, which includes wins at the UNI-dome in 2009 (27-20) and 2013 (24-17 in OT).
Ten of the last 12 meetings between SIU and UNI have been decided by seven points or fewer.
Seven consecutive games played in the UNI-dome between the two schools have been decided by seven points or fewer, dating back to 2001. The total scoring margin in those seven games combined is UNI +8.
The last time SIU and UNI played a game decided by more than seven points in Cedar Falls: Bill Clinton was president, "Unpretty" by TLC was the No. 1 song in America, and "The Sixth Sense" was breaking box office records.
SIU has lost five games by three points or fewer and six games by seven points or fewer this season alone. Both marks rank second in MVFC history. Eastern Illinois lost six games by a combined seven points in 1991, and Illinois State had seven losses of a touchdown or less in 2006.
SIU has won 10 of its last 11 season finales, with the lone exception being last year's 44-29 loss at Illinois State.

IANNOTTI'S CASE FOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Southern Illinois quarterback Mark Iannotti leads all active FCS players with 358.7 yards per game total offense.
He is on the 2015 STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Iannotti has more than 1,100 more yards total offense than anyone else in the conference.
He has already set an MVFC record for total offense yards in a regular season.
Even with zero yards vs. UNI, Iannotti would still average 326 yards per game, the best per-game average in MVFC history.
He leads the league in passing by more than 800 yards and touchdowns by three.
Two of the top 10 total offense games in MVFC history have been set by Iannotti in 2015. His 517 yards total offense against Indiana ranks second all-time, and his 471 yards at Indiana State ranks 10th all-time.
He is the only player in with two of the top-10 total offense games in MVFC history.
Iannotti individually averages more yards per game than 50 FCS teams.
He ranks in the top 11 nationally in completions per game (4th), completion percentage (11th), passing yards (5th), passing yards per game (5th) and points responsible for per game (5th).
Iannotti needs 69 yards to become the 15th player in MVFC history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. He needs 245 passing yards to break Nick Hill's single-season school record (3,175) set in 2007.
Of the 14 players that have passed for 3,000 yards in MVFC history, nine played in 12 games or more.
Iannotti's per-game passing average ranks third in MVFC history, behind Sean Payton (EIU, '86) and Ryan Helming (UNI, '99).
He leads the league in completion percentage (.660) and is on pace to place ninth in MVFC history in completion percentage.
He has 44 career touchdowns passes, joining Sean Payton as the only two-year players in league history to reach that mark.
Payton had 45 career TD passes. Iannotti needs two touchdown passes to pass that mark.
He also ranks seventh in the MVFC in rushing and has nine rushing touchdowns in 2015.

SALUKI OFFENSE AMONG NATION'S BEST

The Southern Illinois offense leads the conference total offense, scoring offense and passing offense. The Salukis also rank in the top-11 nationally in all three categories.
If SIU's worst total offense game this season (390 yards) was its average, the Salukis would still rank in the top half of the country in total offense per game.
The 2015 Salukis own two of the top four yardage games in school history. SIU had 659 yards of total offense at Indiana (4th) and 673 yards of total offense vs. Missouri State (3rd).
SIU has recorded at least 200 yards of total offense in 17 of 20 halves this year, including 394 yards of total offense in the first half at Indiana and 408 in the first half vs. Missouri State.
Both Youngstown State and North Dakota State entered their games against SIU ranked No. 1 in the MVFC in total defense. SIU averaged 430 yards and 33.5 points over the two game.
North Dakota State had given up 29 points just twice in its previous 68 games before SIU scored that many against the Bison.

O-LINE DOING WORK

The Southern Illinois offensive line has set the table for the explosive offensive numbers.
SIU's offensive line did not allow a sack in four-straight games earlier this year (vs. Liberty, @WIU, vs. MSU, @INS).
SIU has allowed just 11 sacks all season. That ranks 2nd in the MVFC and 21st nationally.
SIU has allowed the fewest sacks in the MVFC since assistant head coach Bill O'Boyle took over as the offensive line coach.
Since O'Boyle has been SIU's line coach (before 2013 season), the Salukis have given up 42 sacks, one fewer than any other team in the league.
Both of SIU's tackles have earned MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors this season.
Left tackle Austin Olsen earned his first career MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honor after SIU posted 673 yards of total offense vs. Missouri State.
Right tackle Ethan Wirth earned his second career MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honor after SIU put up 659 yards of total offense at Indiana in the season opener.

JAMES, ALLEN AND JACKSON AMONG MVFC TACKLE LEADERS

Junior Chase Allen and sophomores Kenny James and Markese Jackson are all among the MVFC and national tackle leaders.
James ranks ninth nationally with 11.4 tackles per game; Allen ranks 11th with 11.3 tackles per game, and Jackson ranks 32nd with 9.7 per game.
James and Allen both already have 100 tackles this year. For perspective, SIU has only had one player in the last seven years record 100 tackles in a season (Bryan Presume, 2013).
Against Southeast Missouri, Chase Allen had 19 tackles and Kenny James and 15 tackles. Allen's 19 tackles are the most in the MVFC this season and the most by a Saluki since All-American Alexis Moreland in 2002.
James followed that game up with 16 tackles against No. 10 Liberty. James' back-to-back 15+ tackle games were also a first since Moreland in 2002.
James had 16 more tackles against Youngstown State. He's the first Saluki with three 15+ tackle games since Moreland in '02.

SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYS

SIU ranks third nationally with seven blocked kicks in 2015.
Chase Allen and Brandon Williams are tied for fouth nationally with three blocked kicks apiece.
SIU has blocked four punts in 2015 and returned two for touchdowns.
Against Indiana, Chase Allen blocked a punt and Kenny James fell on it in the end zone for a TD. At Western Illinois, Brandon Williams blocked a punt, recovered it and ran in 27 yards for a touchdown.
Williams blocked another punt vs. Missouri State, and he blocked a field goal vs. Liberty.
Chase Allen blocked two kicks in the fourth quarter against Youngstown State.
Austin Johnson hit a 51-yard field goal at Western Illinois, tied for the fifth-longest field goal in SIU history.
Johnson became the seventh kicker in school history to hit a field goal from 50+ yards.
Johnson then hit a 50-yard field goal at South Dakota, becoming the second player in SIU history to hit two field goals of 50+ yards in a single season.

For a complete set of game notes in PDF format, click here.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Chase Allen

Mark Iannotti

Markese Jackson

Kenny James

Austin Johnson

Austin Olsen

Bryan Presume

Brandon Williams

Ethan Wirth

Scoreboard

Southern Illinoise University Athletics