Football notebook at Western Illinois; Salukis look to extend streaks

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois will look to extend its winning streak to five games when it plays at Western Illinois on Saturday, in a game that could prove critical for the team's playoff hopes. The Salukis (6-4, 4-2) are ranked No. 18 in this week's Massey Power Rankings and are edging closer to a spot in the Top 25 in two polls. The last time Southern was nationally ranked was 2014. Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN+.

Southern Illinois (6-4, 4-2) at Western Illinois (1-9, 1-5)
Date & Time	November 16, 2019 \| 1 PM CT
Location	Macomb, Ill. \| Hanson Stadium (16,368)
TV/Video Stream	ESPN+
Live Stats	Provided by Western Illinois
Radio	Saluki Radio Network Mike Reis, Gene Green, Connor James
Radio Stream	TuneIn (free)
Southern Illinois	Game Notes (PDF) \| Stats \| Media Guide
Western Illinois	Game Notes (PDF) \| Stats \| Media Guide (PDF)
MVFC	Weekly Notes (PDF) \| Stats
All-Time Series	Salukis trail, 23-36-4 (H: 13-18-1, A: 10-18-3)
Social Media	@SIU_Football \| @SIUSalukis \| Saluki Football
Video Channel	Vimeo

Series versus Western Illinois
Southern Illinois has won 13 of the last 17 meetings with Western Illinois, but the Leathernecks have won three of the last four. Last year, Western Illinois scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including a 33-yard game-winning field goal by Sam Crosa with 13 seconds left, to hand Southern Illinois a 34-31 loss in Carbondale.

Salukis look to extend win streaks
Two winning streaks are on the line for SIU on Saturday. The current four-game winning streak is the longest since winning 11-straight during the 2009 season. That was also the last time SIU made the playoffs. Southern also has a two-game road winning streak. A win at WIU would be the longest since 2013, when it won at UNI, Western Illinois and Indiana State.

The last time...
SIU won 7 games   2013 (7-5)
SIU won 5 MVFC games   2013 (5-3)
SIU won 4 road games   2013 (4-1)
SIU won 3 games in Nov.   2013 (3-1)
SIU won its final road game   2013 (at INS)

Salukis are one of three FCS teams with an FBS win
Southern Illlinois is one of only three FCS teams to beat an FBS opponent in 2019. The Salukis beat UMass, 45-20, on Sept. 7. The other FCS wins were Central Arkansas over Western Kentucky, and The Citadel over Georgia Tech.

SIU at No. 18 in Massey Power Rankings
Southern Illinois is No. 18 in this week's Massey Power Rankings. They have FCS wins over No. 29 UT Martin, No. 43 Youngstown State, No. 45 South Dakota, No. 70 Indiana State and No. 92 Missouri State. Their FCS losses came against No. 8 South Dakota State, No. 10 Illinois State and No. 17 SEMO.

S Jeremy Chinn invited to Senior Bowl
Preseason All-American S Jeremy Chinn (6-3, 212, Sr.) has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl on Jan. 25, 2020. He will be just the third player in school history, joining TE Damon Jones (1996) and DB Dennis Harmon (1963) to play in the postseason all-star game. Despite missing two games with a foot injury, Chinn has four interceptions this season and ranks fifth at SIU in career interceptions (13), second in pass breakups (27) and second in forced fumbles (6). A starter since his freshman season and with 33 career starts, Chinn was named the "Top FCS Target" by the Senior Bowl heading into the season. A year ago Delaware's Nasir Adderley earned the Senior Bowl's distinction and ended up as a San Diego Chargers 2nd round pick.

Javon Williams Jr. named to Jerry Rice award watch list — leads Division I freshmen with 15 touchdowns
RB Javon Williams Jr. (6-1, 239, rFr.) has scored 15 touchdowns on the season (13 rushing, 2 receiving) — the most by a freshman in Division I. He is tied with Memphis RB Kenny Gainwell. No other FCS freshman has more than 10 touchdowns. The 15 TDs is a freshman record at SIU. He also has throw two TD passes. In the game against Youngstown State, Williams Jr. became the first player in school history to rush for a TD, catch at TD and pass for a TD in the same game. Williams Jr. Frequently operating out of the Wildcat formation, Williams averages 6.4 yards per carry and his 772 rushing yards ranks second among freshmen in SIU history. Tom Koutsos holds the mark with 1,052 in 1999.

RB D.J. Davis surpasses 5,000 all-purpose yards
RB D.J. Davis (5-8, 170, Sr.) ranks second at SIU and 14th in the MVFC with 5,139 career all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, return yardage). Arkee Whitlock holds the school record and is fourth all-time in the MVFC with 5,601. Davis, who missed two games this season with a dislocated elbow, has recorded 10 100-yard rushing games in his last 19 outings. Davis ranks sixth in career rushing at SIU (2,433). He is on the 2019 watch list for the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Performer of the Year trophy.

Salukis 6th in the nation in sacks, 5th in 3rd Down Percentage
SIU's defense ranks 6th in the nation, averaging 3.20 sacks per game. Twelve different players have recorded sacks. Southern tied a school record with nine sacks versus Youngstown State. The unit is fifth in 3rd down percentage, allowing a 30.2 conversion rate, which leads the MVFC.

DE Anthony Knighton is 5th in sacks
DE Anthony Knighton (6-4, 260, Jr.) has started every game (32) of his Saluki career and is fifth all-time in sacks at SIU with 20.0, including 5.0 this season. He is four sacks shy of the school record held by James Phillips (1977-80). His 8.5 sacks in 2018 ranked seventh all-time at SIU and were the most by a Saluki since James Cloud had 8.5 in 2007. He also has 33.0 tackles for loss in his career, which is sixth all-time at SIU.

OLB Cody Crider — the Comeback Kid
After undergoing the third knee surgery of his career in 2018, OLB Cody Crider (5-11, 218, Sr.) is back and having his best season at SIU with 74 tackles (2nd on the team), 12.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks. All of those numbers have surpassed his previous single-season career highs.

WR Landon Lenoir surpasses 1,000 receiving yards
WR Landon Lenoir (6-0, 190, Jr.) is coming off a career game versus Missouri State with nine catches for 124 yards and two TDs. That put him over 1,000 career receiving yards (91 catches for 1,011 yards). He needs 58 yards to move into the Top 25 in school history. Lenoir has two relatives currently in the NFL. Brother Lance Lenoir (age 24), who holds the Western Illinois school record for career touchdown catches (28), is currently a member the Dallas Cowboys. Cousin Laquon Treadwell (age 24) is a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings.

WR Avante Cox leads team with 39 catches, 5 TDs
WR Avante Cox (5-10, 175, So.) leads the team in receiving this year with 39 catches for 539 yards and five TDs. The Wyoming transfer has five touchdowns also has 176 rushing yards (10.4 ave). He was named both the MVFC Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week vs. South Dakota (113 receiving yards, 80 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and Newcomer of the Week against Arkansas State (142 receiving yards).

Dawg Bites
• Eight different players have caught at least one TD pass for the Salukis this year. Last year, only five different players caught touchdowns.
• SIU's offense has converted 9-of-16 4th down attempts in MVFC games, which leads the league.
• True freshmen who have played key roles this season include RB Romeir Elliott (5-5, 188, Fr.), WR Tanner Corum (5-11, 185, Fr.), CB PJ Jules (6-2, 233, Fr.) and CB Zay Frazier (6-3, 177, Fr.). Elliott has rushed for 476 yards and a 5.9 yard average. Jules leads the team in special teams tackles with 7. True freshmen can play up to four games and still apply for a redshirt.

Qua Brown 4th in the nation in solo tackles
Although Jeremy Chinn grabs the headlines as one of the nation's top safeties and NFL prospects, S Qua Brown (5-11, 203, Jr.) is fourth in the nation in solo tackles per game (6.3) and 30th in total tackles (9.0). He had 16 tackles at SEMO and 14 at UMass. He also has five pass breakups to his credit.

Makel Calhoun third in MVFC-only games with 4.5 sacks
OLB Makel Calhoun (6-3, 216, So.) ranks fourth in MVFC-only games with 4.5 sacks. For the season, he leads the team with 5.5 sacks. Calhoun recorded 2.0 sacks in both the Youngstown State and Indiana State games.

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