No. 7-ranked Football faces No. 2 South Dakota State on Saturday

CARBONDALE, Ill. — In an early-season showdown of Top-10 teams, No. 7-ranked Southern Illinois plays at No. 2-ranked South Dakota State on Saturday at 2 p.m. in a game televised on ESPN+.

The Salukis (4-1, 2-0) will try to win open conference play with three-straight wins for the first time since 2009. The game is a rematch of last season's quarterfinal playoff game in Brookings, in which the Jackrabbits (4-0, 1-0) rallied from a 20-7 deficit to beat Southern, 31-26. SDSU has won the last six meetings between the schools.

SIU vs. Top 5 teams

SIU was 3-1 vs. Top Five ranked teams in 2020-21. The lone loss came at #2 SDSU in the FCS playoffs.
Before 2020-21, SIU's previous win over a Top Five team came on Oct. 12, 2013, when the Salukis won at #4 UNI, 24-17.

The Last Time

The last time SIU was 2-0 in the MVFC was 2014.
The last time SIU was 3-0 in the MVFC was 2009 when it went 8-0.
The last time SIU posted a 4-1 overall record was last season.
The last time SIU posted a 5-1 overall record was 2014.

Last time out: SIU 31, Western Illinois 30

SIU led 21-0, 21-3, and 21-10 in the first half.
Landon Lenoir caught a 25-yard TD pass from QB Nic Baker for SIU's OT TD on its only overtime play.
WIU scored on its only play in overtime.
SIU won when it stopped WIU's subsequent two-point conversion attempt.
SIU's won seven of its last 10 games at WIU.
It was SIU's first overtime game since 2015. SIU is 7-4 lifetime in overtime games.

QB Nic Baker

In his first season-opening start as a college QB, Baker set the school record for passing yards in one game when he passed for 460 yards in the win at SEMO on Sept. 2, 2021.
Though he's played just 11 games in his Saluki career, Baker is in 18th place on SIU's career passing yards list with 2,035 passing yards.
Baker is 7-1 as a starter

RB Javon Williams, Jr.

Williams is in 14th place on SIU's career rushing yards list with 1,843
Should he rush for 1,000 yards in 2021, Williams would move into sixth place in career rushing with 2 years of eligibility remaining.
If Williams leads SIU in rushing this season, he will be the first Saluki to do so in three consecutive seasons since Tom Koutsos led SIU in rushing from 1999-2001. Also, Williams would be the second since Burnell Quinn did it 1976-78.
Williams is tied for fourth place on SIU's career rushing TDs list with 31. Williams scored 19 of his rushing touchdowns in his redshirt freshman 2019 season.
Williams is in fourth place on SIU's career TDs list with 33.
Williams is in eleventh place on SIU's career points list with 198.
He failed to score a TD in a game for the first time this season when he did not score in the game at WIU.
He has not scored a TD in three career games vs. South Dakota St.

WR Avante Cox

All-American and All-MVFC First Team WR Avante Cox is averaging 21.7 yards per reception through the first five games of the 2021 season.
The Walter Payton Award finalist is in sixth place on SIU's career pass receptions list with 130.
Cox is in fifth place on SIU's career receiving yardage list with 1,824.
Cox is tied for tenth place on SIU's career receiving touchdowns list with 12.
Cox is bidding to become the first Saluki to lead his team in receptions in three consecutive seasons since Brent Little (2003-05).
Going into the SDSU game, Cox has caught passes in 27 consecutive games.
He left the game at WIU with a first half shoulder injury and did not return after making three receptions.
He and QB Nic Baker were teammates at Rochester (Ill.) High School.
Baker and Cox connected on a 99-yard TD pass on the first play of the 2021 season at Southeast Missouri.

WR Landon Lenoir

The sixth year WR is in third place on SIU's career receptions list with 172.
Lenoir is in fourth place on SIU's career receiving yardage list with 2,168.
Lenoir is tied for eighth place on SIU's career receiving TDs list with 14.
Going into the SDSU game, Lenoir has caught passes in 25 consecutive games.

Head Coach Nick Hill's Weekly Press Conference – 10/4/21

Opening Statement:
'I'm proud of our guys, anytime you can get a win in this league – it's a good win. We're excited about another opportunity this week against maybe the #1 team in the country, so we have to continue to grow and get better. We are five games in [the season], we understand how tough this league is. Each and every week you have to turn the page and reset to find another win.

We played them [South Dakota State] twice last year – technically still this year – so it'll be the third time in 2021 we'll play South Dakota State and they've beat us every time. We're on the road again against a really unbelievable team. Head coach [John] Stigelmeier has those guys working at an incredibly high level where the expectations are high. Our expectations are high as well, so we have to go up there and play a really clean football game. You don't meet these guys, trying to trick them. You have to line up and execute at a good level. Our guys are going to have to make some plays, play a physical football game, and be there till the end to get a win."

On seeing South Dakota State recently:
"As far as our guys go, we're familiar lining up and playing their system. Our team is a confident group. Obviously, the game here last year, they got after us pretty good and we didn't do much right at all. I felt like our guys turned the page from that going forward and played with some more confidence. The playoff game was our last game of the year in the spring, so we are familiar with each other but as are a lot of other teams in this league. The scheme hasn't changed for them, they have a lot of the same players.

That's the thing with great teams across the country: Alabama and other top teams in FBS, they are going to line up and execute fundamentally-well football. And that's what you get with South Dakota State, they're going to execute, they're going to out-physical you, and we have to do the same thing."

On establishing run game:
"On offense, if you can line up and run the ball on first or second-down, you're going to have a big day – it opens up everything. Obviously, we have to be efficient. Looking back [to Western Illinois], we didn't have any explosive runs, there were some opportunities for a little bit of everything. There are always a few play calls you wish you had back. I told our offense while watching film yesterday, there are always those six-eight plays that can change your outlook on a game.

We still scored 31 points and won a football game in the Missouri Valley, we need to continue to grow. We are still two games in the Missouri Valley and I feel our best games are ahead of us. We have to buy in to play team football. #1 we have to take care of the football, we have to stay away from those critical turnovers that we've had consistently. And #2, we have to continue to stay balanced. At South Dakota State, no one just shows up and runs it down their field or throw: they have been stout against the run and against everybody."

On WR Landon Lenoir:
"He's as good as anyone in the country. Looking back on film from the South Dakota State playoff game, he made some really tough catches early in the first quarter. Both the one's Javon [Williams] threw him were tough. He made that really tough fourth-quarter touchdown catch in the playoff game, he's consistently been playing at a high level the entire season. That's what you have to have out of a leader on your team, he's a sixth-year senior, and playing with a lot of confidence."

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