Saturday, October 30
Cedar Falls, IA
4:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
6-2 , 4-1
16
at
23
Northern Iowa
5-3 , 3-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Southern Illinois
3
10
3
0
16
UNI
3
3
14
3
23
Football loses heartbreaker at Northern Iowa, 23-16
10/30/2021 | 8:33:00 | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Southern Illinois nearly executed the two-minute drill to perfection, driving from its own 14 to first-and-goal, but then came up empty on four shots at the end zone in the waning seconds of a 23-16 loss to Northern Iowa on Saturday at the UNI Dome.
The No. 3-ranked Salukis (6-2, 4-1) out-gained the No. 16 Panthers (5-3, 3-2) on the day, 410-285, but costly turnovers and having to settle for three field goals were the difference.
SIU quarterback Nic Baker passed for 306 yards, but he was picked off twice, once on a deflected ball at the line of scrimmage, and he fumbled once.
"I think if you asked a lot of teams, if you could move the ball and throw for 300 yards up here, they would take it," said Saluki head coach Nick Hill. "Now, you have to score, you can't turn it over. The goal was to win. Yards don't get you any points."
The Salukis welcomed back star wide receiver Avante Cox, who led the team with six catches for 84 yards, including a 39-yard reception on the second play from scrimmage. The Payton Award candidate had missed the previous two games with a shoulder injury, and his first catch led to a career-long 49-yard field goal by Nico Gualdoni to put Southern ahead, 3-0.
"I think (Avante's) one of the best players in the game," Hill said. "We tried to get him involved early, and then naturally through the flow of the game. He's an explosive player."
Baker was strip-sacked on SIU's next drive, giving the Panthers possession at SIU's 22. Not only did the Salukis lose the ball, but they lost starting middle linebacker Bryce Notree, who was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct on consecutive plays. After the second flag on Notree, Hill was hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty.
After all of the yellow laundry was sorted out, the Panthers settled for a game-tying field goal.
SIU scored its only touchdown of the day in the second quarter when Baker dropped a perfect deep ball down the left sideline into the hands of Landon Lenoir, who beat his defender on a double move and coasted into the end zone for a 52-yard score.
Gualdoni tacked on a 48-yard field goal to put the Salukis ahead, 13-6, at halftime.
On Northern's first drive of the second half, quarterback Theo Day scrambled to convert a pair of third downs, and then hit Sam Schnee on a 19-yard touchdown strike. It was the longest pass completion of the day for the Panthers and tied the game, 13-13.
A 52-yard run by Romeir Elliott gave SIU great field position at the UNI 18 on its next drive, but the Salukis ultimately had to settle for a 33-yard Gualdoni field goal to regain the lead, 16-13, with 9:11 to go in the third quarter. Those were the final points of the day for the Salukis.
Not that they didn't have opportunities. Two fourth-quarter drives ended on interceptions deep in UNI territory at the 13 and 18. The final drive saw three passes come tantalizingly close to game-tying touchdown grabs, but went off the fingertips of Tyce Daniels, Jerron Rollins and Lenoir.
"They're a good defense and they make it tough in the red zone," Baker said. "You've got to earn it. I definitely could have made a couple more plays and put the ball in better spots."
Added Hill, "obviously, we have to come away with more touchdowns. We've had so many of those tough catches go our way this year. This week we weren't able to."
Aside from two third-quarter touchdowns, Southern's defense was stingy. Linebacker Branson Combs had two interceptions and linebacker Zach Burrola, who filled in for Notree, had 13 tackles and a forced fumble.
"We had a couple of takeaways," Combs said. "There was a time in the third quarter when they were running the ball on us. That's an area we have to be better. We kind of pride ourselves on stopping the run."
The Salukis slipped into second place, one game behind 5-0 North Dakota State, with three games remaining. The two teams don't play each other this season, but the Bison still have to play at South Dakota State. Nothing is certain in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
"We're a really confident group and we know how good we are," Baker said. "The season's going to go on. There's going to be November and the playoffs. All we can do is turn the page and learn from it. Our goal is to win a National Championship, and it's not like that stopped today."
The Salukis host a critical game next Saturday against Missouri State, which is 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the MVFC. The Bears are coming off a dramatic comeback win over North Dakota, while Southern will look to bounce back from it's first loss to an FCS team this season.
"The fight will never be in question with these guys," Hill said. "They battled, came into a tough environment and came up short. This won't define our season, but how we respond to this will."
The No. 3-ranked Salukis (6-2, 4-1) out-gained the No. 16 Panthers (5-3, 3-2) on the day, 410-285, but costly turnovers and having to settle for three field goals were the difference.
SIU quarterback Nic Baker passed for 306 yards, but he was picked off twice, once on a deflected ball at the line of scrimmage, and he fumbled once.
"I think if you asked a lot of teams, if you could move the ball and throw for 300 yards up here, they would take it," said Saluki head coach Nick Hill. "Now, you have to score, you can't turn it over. The goal was to win. Yards don't get you any points."
The Salukis welcomed back star wide receiver Avante Cox, who led the team with six catches for 84 yards, including a 39-yard reception on the second play from scrimmage. The Payton Award candidate had missed the previous two games with a shoulder injury, and his first catch led to a career-long 49-yard field goal by Nico Gualdoni to put Southern ahead, 3-0.
"I think (Avante's) one of the best players in the game," Hill said. "We tried to get him involved early, and then naturally through the flow of the game. He's an explosive player."
Baker was strip-sacked on SIU's next drive, giving the Panthers possession at SIU's 22. Not only did the Salukis lose the ball, but they lost starting middle linebacker Bryce Notree, who was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct on consecutive plays. After the second flag on Notree, Hill was hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty.
After all of the yellow laundry was sorted out, the Panthers settled for a game-tying field goal.
SIU scored its only touchdown of the day in the second quarter when Baker dropped a perfect deep ball down the left sideline into the hands of Landon Lenoir, who beat his defender on a double move and coasted into the end zone for a 52-yard score.
Gualdoni tacked on a 48-yard field goal to put the Salukis ahead, 13-6, at halftime.
On Northern's first drive of the second half, quarterback Theo Day scrambled to convert a pair of third downs, and then hit Sam Schnee on a 19-yard touchdown strike. It was the longest pass completion of the day for the Panthers and tied the game, 13-13.
A 52-yard run by Romeir Elliott gave SIU great field position at the UNI 18 on its next drive, but the Salukis ultimately had to settle for a 33-yard Gualdoni field goal to regain the lead, 16-13, with 9:11 to go in the third quarter. Those were the final points of the day for the Salukis.
Not that they didn't have opportunities. Two fourth-quarter drives ended on interceptions deep in UNI territory at the 13 and 18. The final drive saw three passes come tantalizingly close to game-tying touchdown grabs, but went off the fingertips of Tyce Daniels, Jerron Rollins and Lenoir.
"They're a good defense and they make it tough in the red zone," Baker said. "You've got to earn it. I definitely could have made a couple more plays and put the ball in better spots."
Added Hill, "obviously, we have to come away with more touchdowns. We've had so many of those tough catches go our way this year. This week we weren't able to."
Aside from two third-quarter touchdowns, Southern's defense was stingy. Linebacker Branson Combs had two interceptions and linebacker Zach Burrola, who filled in for Notree, had 13 tackles and a forced fumble.
"We had a couple of takeaways," Combs said. "There was a time in the third quarter when they were running the ball on us. That's an area we have to be better. We kind of pride ourselves on stopping the run."
The Salukis slipped into second place, one game behind 5-0 North Dakota State, with three games remaining. The two teams don't play each other this season, but the Bison still have to play at South Dakota State. Nothing is certain in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
"We're a really confident group and we know how good we are," Baker said. "The season's going to go on. There's going to be November and the playoffs. All we can do is turn the page and learn from it. Our goal is to win a National Championship, and it's not like that stopped today."
The Salukis host a critical game next Saturday against Missouri State, which is 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the MVFC. The Bears are coming off a dramatic comeback win over North Dakota, while Southern will look to bounce back from it's first loss to an FCS team this season.
"The fight will never be in question with these guys," Hill said. "They battled, came into a tough environment and came up short. This won't define our season, but how we respond to this will."
Team Stats
SIU
Panthers
Total Yards
410
285
Pass Yards
306
103
Rushing Yards
104
182
Penalty Yards
74
40
1st Downs
18
18
3rd Downs
4
7
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
24:55
35:05
1st Quarter
SIU 3, Panthers 0
SIU - Gualdoni, Nico 49 yd field goal 6 plays, 44 yards, TOP 2:09
SIU 3, Panthers 3
Panthers - Cook,Matthew 38 yd field goal 4 plays, 2 yards, TOP 1:49
2nd Quarter
SIU 10, Panthers 3
SIU - Lenoir, Landon 52 yd pass from Baker, Nic (Gualdoni, Nico kick) 2 plays, 60 yards, TOP 0:37
SIU 13, Panthers 3
SIU - Gualdoni, Nico 48 yd field goal 11 plays, 40 yards, TOP 3:19
SIU 13, Panthers 6
Panthers - Cook,Matthew 31 yd field goal 9 plays, 39 yards, TOP 1:00
3rd Quarter
SIU 13, Panthers 13
Panthers - Schnee,Sam 19 yd pass from Day,Theo (Cook,Matthew kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:02
SIU 16, Panthers 13
SIU - Gualdoni, Nico 33 yd field goal 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 1:47
SIU 16, Panthers 20
Panthers - Fourtenbary,Kyl 10 yd pass from Day,Theo (Cook,Matthew kick) 12 plays, 79 yards, TOP 6:16
4th Quarter
SIU 16, Panthers 23
Panthers - Cook,Matthew 44 yd field goal 6 plays, 14 yards, TOP 1:37
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
K
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
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