SIU vs. SEMO: Notes & Links

Saturday, September 10

Carbondale, Ill.

6:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

Southeast Missouri

09/06/2016 | 2:52:00 | Football

Southern Illinois (0-1, 0-0 MVFC) vs. Southeast Missouri (0-1, 0-0 OVC)
Date & Time	Sept. 10, 2016 \| 6 p.m. CT
Location	Carbondale, Ill. \| Saluki Stadium (15,000 // FieldTurf)
Tickets	877-SALUKIS \| SIUSalukis.com \| Promotions
Video Stream	None
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Radio	Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis (play-by-play), Gene Green (analysis) and Connor James (analysis)
Audio Stream	Saluki All-Access (Free all season)
Southern Illinois	Game Notes \| Stats \| Media Guide
Southeast Missouri	Game Notes \| Stats \| Media Guide
MVFC	Weekly Notes \| Stats
All-Time Series	Overall: SEMO leads, 40-35-8 \| In Carbondale: SEMO leads 21-17-4 \| Streak: SEMO W1 \| Last Meeting: SEMO 27, SIU 24
Social Media	@SIU_Football \| @SIUSalukis \| Saluki Football

QUICK HITS

Southern Illinois hosts Southeast Missouri in a regional rivalry game at Saluki Stadium on September 10 at 6 p.m. CT.
First-year SIU head coach Nick Hill will be making his home debut.
Quarterback Josh Straughan earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week after his first career start. He threw for 367 yards at Florida Atlantic in the season opener. His 367 yards were fourth-most in the FCS in Week 1.
SIU is 28-7 in home night games since 2002. The Salukis have won seven of their last eight home night games, including a 3-0 mark last year.
Southeast Missouri head coach Tom Matukewicz was an assistant coach at SIU when current Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill was a quarterback for the Salukis.
In the season opener, SIU put up 530 yards at Florida Atlantic and outgained the Owls by 73 yards.

SALUKIS FACE SEMO IN HILL'S HOME DEBUT

SIU hosts Southeast Missouri at 6 p.m. on September 10 at Saluki Stadium.
The game marks the home debut for first-year SIU head coach Nick Hill.
The SIU-SEMO rivalry dates back to 1909. SEMO leads the all-time series 40-35-8, and the Redhawks lead the series in Carbondale, 21-17-4.
SIU has won eight of the last 10 meetings with SEMO and three of the last four games in Carbondale.
The game is a Maroon Out. Fans are encouraged to wear maroon to support the Salukis.
First-year SIU students have the opportunity to run the field prior to kickoff in the Saluki Sprint.
SIU will have a fireworks display at the conclusion of the game.
Southern will have a 9/11 tribute.
The last SIU head coach to make his home debut vs. SEMO was William O'Brien in 1952.

SALUKIS IN THE SEASON OPENER

SIU dropped its season opener at Florida Atlantic last weekend, 38-30.
SIU put up 530 yards of total offense and outgained the Owls by 73 yards.
SIU had a 24-21 halftime lead, but FAU started the second half with 17 unanswered points to get the win.
Josh Straughan was stellar in his debut as a starting quarterback at SIU, going 36-for-51 for 367 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
Straughan earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week for his performance in Week 1.
Wide receiver Connor Iwema had career highs with eight receptions and 103 receiving yards.
Billy Reed had eight receptions for 69 yards. He surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards during the game.
Reed also jumped into the top-20 in SIU career receptions. His 81 career receptions rank 18th in SIU history. Sixty-four of those 81 catches have come in the last 12 games.
Chase Allen had a game-high 11 tackles. He became the 21st player in program history to surpass 250 career tackles during the game.
Daquan Isom ripped off a 69-yard touchdown run to give SIU the halftime lead.
Dating back to the final game of last season, Daquan Isom has 221 yards rushing in his last 11 carries. That includes touchdown runs of 61, 69 and 72 yards.

STRAUGHAN SHINES IN FIRST SIU START

Graduate transfer Josh Straughan won a year-long battle for the starting quarterback position.
Straughan transferred to SIU from Division II Stillman College, where he was a three-year starter before losing his senior season to injury in 2015.
Straughan threw for 5,470 yards and 53 touchdowns in 24 games at Stillman.
Straughan grew up in a small town in Washington and played eight-man football in high school.
Straughan threw for 367 yards in his first start at SIU, a program record for passing yards in a Saluki debut.
His 367 yards also rank eighth in SIU single-game history.
Straughan earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week after Week 1.

SALUKI OFFENSE PICKING UP RIGHT WHERE IT LEFT OFF

Last year's offense was among the best in the FCS. SIU led the MVFC in total offense, completion percentage, passing offense and scoring offense. In all four categories, SIU ranked in the top-11 of the FCS.
If SIU's worst total offense game last season (390 yards) was its average, the Salukis would still have ranked in the top half of the country (FCS) in total offense per game.
Since the start of last year, SIU has recorded 200 or more yards of total offense in 21 of 24 halves of play, including 394 yards of total offense in the first half at Indiana and 408 in the first half vs. Missouri State.
North Dakota State had given up 29 points just twice in its previous 68 games before SIU scored that many against the Bison.

OFFENSE QUICK HITS

Dating back to the final game of last season, Daquan Isom has 221 yards rushing in his last 11 carries. That includes touchdown runs of 61, 69 and 72 yards.
True freshman D.J. Davis piled up 164 all-purpose yards in his collegiate debut. Among all freshmen in the FCS, that ranks second nationally.
Connor Iwema had career highs with eight receptions for 103 yards.
Iwema was won of only two receivers in the MVFC to record 100 yards receiving in Week 1, joining SDSU's Jake Wieneke.
Billy Reed also had a game-high eight receptions at FAU. Reed and Iwema tied with South Dakota State All-American Jake Wieneke for more catches in the MVFC in Week 1.
Iwema's 54-yard receptions from Josh Straughan was the second-longest pass in the MVFC in the opening week.
Kicker Austin Johnson hit a 48-yard field goal at Florida Atlantic, the second-longest field goal in the MVFC this season.

CHASE ALLEN: ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE

Senior linebacker Chase Allen is among the nation's best linebackers.
Against Southeast Missouri last year, Chase Allen had 19 tackles. Allen's 19 tackles were the most in the MVFC last season and the most by a Saluki since All-American Alexis Moreland in 2002.
Allen's 120 tackles in 2016 were the third-most by any Saluki player since 2000, trailing only All-Americans Alexis Moreland and Bart Scott.
Allen earned second-team All-MVFC after the 2015 season. He ranked third in the MVFC in tackles per game with 10.9.

COACH KILL CONNECTION

Head coach Nick Hill played for former SIU and Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill from 2005-07 while Kill was at SIU.
In Hill's senior season, 2007, SIU advanced to the national semifinals of the FCS Playoffs, when the Salukis lost to Joe Flacco and Delaware in Carbondale.
Four assistant coaches on Southern's staff have direct ties to Coach Kill.
Safeties coach Marty Rodgers played for Kill at SIU in his first two seasons, 2006 and 2007.
Offensive line coach Trevor Olson played for Kill at Northern Illinois.
Olson, running backs coach Nate Griffin and tight ends coach Jay Nunez were on the quality control staff under Kill at Minnesota before Hill hired them at SIU.
Defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson coached against Kill and Hill in 2006. Paulson was the defensive coordinator at Montana, leading it to a 20-3 win over the Salukis in the second round of the 2006 FCS Playoffs.