Salukis take step forward in second scrimmage of fall camp

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CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois football team held its second scrimmage of fall camp, a 94-play morning session in Saluki Stadium.

"I thought it was a good step," head coach Nick Hill said. "We're three weeks away, and we have a lot of getting better to do, but we're on the right path."

The offense took the early momentum with a 13-play, 74-yard drive. The drive showed off a well-rounded offense, with Sam Straub hitting Darrell James for a clutch fourth-down conversion, and Daquan Isom popping a 28-yard run on a worn-down defense.

"There were some longer drives, which I wanted to see, not only offensively, but also defensively," Hill said. "How many snaps in a row can a defensive lineman go? We have to learn all those things. What's his pitch count? If he's bad on plays 7-9, we can get him out."

The offense flashed a few more moments. Tanner Hearn guided a 53-yard drive; Straub's first unit finished a red zone trip with a D.J. Davis touchdown run; and Hearn hit Sam Thompson for a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal.

But the defense still won the day; of the 18 drives during the scrimmage, only three ended in points.

"There was good give-and-take," Hill said. "If we came out here and there was one dominating side, we'd be worried about the other. We have talented kids on both sides, and I knew there would be plays made on both sides."

Southern's backups and third-stringers got just as many drives as the starters, something Hill hopes will help the team build depth for a season in which the Salukis will play at least 11-consecutive weeks without a bye.

"We're building depth right now," Hill said. "That's why I wanted to see the 2's and 3's get a lot of reps. That's what we're doing in training camp. We probably know who the top 22 guys are right now—they have played, and they come out here and perform—but there's not a team in the country that is going to win a championship with 22 guys. We have to find out who those third and fourth strings are. Somebody in the country is going to play games with their third string quarterback. Somebody is going to win games with a fourth-straight tailback. We have to keep developing."

The Salukis are three weeks away from the season opener, which is Sept. 9 vs. Mississippi Valley State. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. CT in Saluki Stadium. SIU is hosting Scout Night and Hometown Heroes Night for the season opener.

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Players Mentioned

D.J. Davis

Tanner Hearn

Daquan Isom

Darrell James

Sam Straub

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