Saturday, November 5
Carbondale, Ill.
2:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
3-6 , 1-5
35
vs
28
South Dakota
4-5 , 3-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
South Dakota
0
7
7
14
28
Southern Illinois
7
14
7
7
35
Salukis hold off South Dakota, 35-28
11/05/2016 | 6:33:00 | Football
Photo GalleryÂ
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois football program made back-to-back goal line stands in the final 10 seconds to hold on for a 35-28 win over South Dakota on Saturday afternoon at Saluki Stadium. The Salukis (3-6, 1-5 MVFC) led 35-14 in the fourth quarter, but South Dakota got within 10 yards of tying the game in the final 10 seconds. Southern's defense got three-straight stops to preserve the win.
"Man it feels good to be in the locker room like that," head coach Nick Hill said. "We've talked about it, (four) straight losses by one possession, a group of guys that just have committed to keeping on getting better for the program, and a senior group that isn't going to go out the way they want. I think (the win) speaks a lot about the program the coaches that we have."
After a five-game losing streak, head coach Nick Hill changed his starting quarterback for the game. Sam Straub, a third-year sophomore, and fifth-year transfer Josh Straughan had battled for the starting job all through spring ball and most of fall camp. Straughan won the job in fall camp and averaged more than 300 yards per game through eight games. But after a five-game losing streak, Hill gave Straub the start this afternoon, and Straub responded with 339 yards and 407 yards of total offense.Â
"I wrote Sam a letter before the first game telling him how proud I was of him," Hill said. "I've been there before. I've been a backup when I felt like I could play, but you have to come to work every day. There are tougher things in life than not playing quarterback or being a backup. And when your time is called, you have to be prepared and do what he did today."
Southern's defense was outstanding for most of the afternoon. During one stretch in the first half, SIU allowed only 23 yards in a three-series stretch, allowing the offense to grab a 21-7 halftime lead. In the second half, the Dawgs allowed just 28 yards during a separate three-series stretch, and the Salukis pulled all the way out to a 35-14 lead.
Then, South Dakota made it interesting. The 'Yotes scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the last two minutes to get within a score. They got the ball back and drove inside Southern's five-yard line. With three seconds left, SIU forced an incomplete pass and the clock ran out. Both teams shook hands and started to leave the field before the officials announced they would review the play. Southern's coaches had already left the press box, and a few players from both teams were already in the locker room.
"I've seen games where they go down to the end, but not the ending of taking the players off the field," Hill said. "I had a conversation with coach Bob Nielson, coach Bill O'Boyle, who I became very close with, and talked to players I knew on the team. Then I came over and got the team and started to sing the school song. That's a lot of time to run off and then say you have to come back and play another play."
After a six-minute delay, Southern's defense made a second-straight stop to preserve the win. SIU, which had five of its six losses come in heartbreaking fashion by one possession, made the plays to win the game. The defense came up with two turnovers and five 3-and-outs; Straub didn't turn it over in his first start; the Dawgs controlled the clock with 60 rush attempts and a 13-minute edge in time of possession; Nicholas Neidig, punting in his first game of the year, pinned three inside the 20; and three players had at least 50 yards rushing and five players had at least 45 yards receiving.Â
"I thought it was the most balanced we've been all year," Hill said. "I thought we played smart football at the end as an offense. (Punter) Nick Neidig had a good game. He really flipped the field a few times for us. I thought we got pressure on the qb a lot without blitzing. I'm proud of the entire group and the coaches. This is a group of coaches that comes in every day with the same energy and the same focus that they had in week one. The expectation is to go on the road next week to Youngstown and get another one."
SIU goes to Youngstown State next Saturday, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. CT. After that, the season ends with Senior Day on November 19 against Western Illinois.Â
NOTES: Chase Allen's nine tackles makes him the 14th player in program history with 300 career tackles, and the first since 2009…Billy Reed now has 104 career receptions, becoming the 13th player in program history to eclipse 100 career catches…SIU's 574 yards of total offense is a new season-best and marks the fourth time this season the Salukis have gained at least 500 yards of total offense…Southern's 60 rushing attempts is its most in a single game since Oct. 2, 2010 when SIU handed the ball off 64 times at Illinois State…SIU improves to 2-0 at home against South Dakota…Sam Straub's 407 yards of total offense is the seventh-most in a single-game in Saluki history.
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois football program made back-to-back goal line stands in the final 10 seconds to hold on for a 35-28 win over South Dakota on Saturday afternoon at Saluki Stadium. The Salukis (3-6, 1-5 MVFC) led 35-14 in the fourth quarter, but South Dakota got within 10 yards of tying the game in the final 10 seconds. Southern's defense got three-straight stops to preserve the win.
"Man it feels good to be in the locker room like that," head coach Nick Hill said. "We've talked about it, (four) straight losses by one possession, a group of guys that just have committed to keeping on getting better for the program, and a senior group that isn't going to go out the way they want. I think (the win) speaks a lot about the program the coaches that we have."
After a five-game losing streak, head coach Nick Hill changed his starting quarterback for the game. Sam Straub, a third-year sophomore, and fifth-year transfer Josh Straughan had battled for the starting job all through spring ball and most of fall camp. Straughan won the job in fall camp and averaged more than 300 yards per game through eight games. But after a five-game losing streak, Hill gave Straub the start this afternoon, and Straub responded with 339 yards and 407 yards of total offense.Â
"I wrote Sam a letter before the first game telling him how proud I was of him," Hill said. "I've been there before. I've been a backup when I felt like I could play, but you have to come to work every day. There are tougher things in life than not playing quarterback or being a backup. And when your time is called, you have to be prepared and do what he did today."
Southern's defense was outstanding for most of the afternoon. During one stretch in the first half, SIU allowed only 23 yards in a three-series stretch, allowing the offense to grab a 21-7 halftime lead. In the second half, the Dawgs allowed just 28 yards during a separate three-series stretch, and the Salukis pulled all the way out to a 35-14 lead.
Then, South Dakota made it interesting. The 'Yotes scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the last two minutes to get within a score. They got the ball back and drove inside Southern's five-yard line. With three seconds left, SIU forced an incomplete pass and the clock ran out. Both teams shook hands and started to leave the field before the officials announced they would review the play. Southern's coaches had already left the press box, and a few players from both teams were already in the locker room.
"I've seen games where they go down to the end, but not the ending of taking the players off the field," Hill said. "I had a conversation with coach Bob Nielson, coach Bill O'Boyle, who I became very close with, and talked to players I knew on the team. Then I came over and got the team and started to sing the school song. That's a lot of time to run off and then say you have to come back and play another play."
After a six-minute delay, Southern's defense made a second-straight stop to preserve the win. SIU, which had five of its six losses come in heartbreaking fashion by one possession, made the plays to win the game. The defense came up with two turnovers and five 3-and-outs; Straub didn't turn it over in his first start; the Dawgs controlled the clock with 60 rush attempts and a 13-minute edge in time of possession; Nicholas Neidig, punting in his first game of the year, pinned three inside the 20; and three players had at least 50 yards rushing and five players had at least 45 yards receiving.Â
"I thought it was the most balanced we've been all year," Hill said. "I thought we played smart football at the end as an offense. (Punter) Nick Neidig had a good game. He really flipped the field a few times for us. I thought we got pressure on the qb a lot without blitzing. I'm proud of the entire group and the coaches. This is a group of coaches that comes in every day with the same energy and the same focus that they had in week one. The expectation is to go on the road next week to Youngstown and get another one."
SIU goes to Youngstown State next Saturday, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. CT. After that, the season ends with Senior Day on November 19 against Western Illinois.Â
NOTES: Chase Allen's nine tackles makes him the 14th player in program history with 300 career tackles, and the first since 2009…Billy Reed now has 104 career receptions, becoming the 13th player in program history to eclipse 100 career catches…SIU's 574 yards of total offense is a new season-best and marks the fourth time this season the Salukis have gained at least 500 yards of total offense…Southern's 60 rushing attempts is its most in a single game since Oct. 2, 2010 when SIU handed the ball off 64 times at Illinois State…SIU improves to 2-0 at home against South Dakota…Sam Straub's 407 yards of total offense is the seventh-most in a single-game in Saluki history.
Team Stats
USD
SIU
Total Yards
444
574
Pass Yards
219
339
Rushing Yards
225
235
Penalty Yards
45
126
1st Downs
25
25
3rd Downs
1
11
4th Downs
3
0
TOP
23:23
36:37
1st Quarter
USD 0, SIU 7
SIU - Carmien, Hans 7 yd pass from Straub, Sam (Sotiropoulos, M kick) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:54
2nd Quarter
USD 7, SIU 7
USD - Brooks,Alonge 57 yd pass from Streveler,Chris (Bergner,Miles kick) 2 plays, 59 yards, TOP 0:41
USD 7, SIU 14
SIU - Walter, Cameron 1 yd run (Sotiropoulos, M kick), 7 plays, 64 yards, TOP 2:27
USD 7, SIU 21
SIU - Mixon, Jonathan 1 yd run (Sotiropoulos, M kick), 4 plays, 46 yards, TOP 1:05
3rd Quarter
USD 14, SIU 21
USD - Streveler,Chris 5 yd run (Bergner,Miles kick), 7 plays, 88 yards, TOP 2:15
USD 14, SIU 28
SIU - Lamprakes, Isra 31 yd pass from Straub, Sam (Sotiropoulos, M kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:13
4th Quarter
USD 14, SIU 35
SIU - Straub, Sam 2 yd run (Sotiropoulos, M kick), 14 plays, 80 yards, TOP 6:36
USD 21, SIU 35
USD - Fredrick,M. 34 yd run (Bergner,Miles kick), 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 2:01
USD 28, SIU 35
USD - Brooks,Alonge 27 yd pass from Streveler,Chris (Bergner,Miles kick) 9 plays, 82 yards, TOP 2:17
Game Leaders
CMP
19
TD
2
YDS
339
INT
0
Players Mentioned
ILB
/ Football
P
/ Football
WR
/ FootballQB
/ Football
QB
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