Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Thursday, September 2
Cape Girardeau, MO
6:30 PM
Southern Illinois University
at
Southeast Missouri
Salukis at SEMO game preview
08/30/2021 | 9:21:00 | Football
CARBONDALE, Ill. — No. 7/10-ranked Southern Illinois opens its season at SEMO on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Houck Stadium in the annual War For The Wheel rivalry game. The game will be televised on ESPN+. Saluki Athletics will host a pregame social at the Dogwood Social House (80 S Plaza Way) in Cape Girardeau from 4-6 p.m.
Head Coach Nick Hill's Weekly Press Conference - 8/30/21
Opening Statement:
"We're excited to be in game week and everything that goes along with that. We've talked a lot throughout the year, it's time to go play, time to go play a great opponent with great respect for Coach Tuke [Matukewicz] and SEMO. It's nice to have this game be your first game of the season: you have your team's attention and attention to detail all throughout training camp. We still have a couple of days of work here that we have to continue to have good practices, but we will really see when we kick the ball off on Thursday."
On Week One/Season Preparations:
"Continue to grow as a football team, there's a progression that has to be had to have a good football team. You start with practice #1 installs and it does not change year-to-year. We need to be sound in every area. The number one thing is that you're fundamentally sound and your schemes are sound, and you keep growing from there.
It may sound boring, but we have to be able to block well, we have to be able to tackle well. We have to have some discipline and not be penalized, pre-snap. All the details are what I am really looking for this season."
On QB Nic Baker:
"There's a lot that goes into that position, there's a lot of discussions and time. Nic has been here for four years, it's a complete body of work that we feel comfortable naming him starter. Everyone in this building knows that he is a talented kid that can run this offense and every play we have in the playbook. He's only three games in, as for playing at the college-level, there are going to be things that he finally sees and we are going to work through. I love his competitiveness, I love that fire he brings, and that self-confidence that he believes in himself"
On SEMO's 3-4 defense:
"They're disciplined and executed in what they do. Coach Tuke has been there a long time and they haven't changed their scheme since they got there. They know what to do, they play fast, and they play physical. Up front, they are huge: they play three defensive tackle-type bodies on how they recruit with being super athletic on the edge.
They play hard, they play a "Bear [off of the Chicago Bears] defense", so it's a bit different than typical 3-4's we would see against North Dakota and South Dakota. But they are going to make it tough for you and take it to the edge, you can try to run it through the middle of the field and that is where their defense is."
On what makes this team hungry for success:
"I appreciate everyone talking about last season, but we were 6-4, 3-3 in the Missouri Valley – I don't know what there isn't to be hungry about. This team understands that. I think it was because we haven't had that level of success in so long, since 2009 really, but nobody in this building is walking around feeling good about ourselves. We haven't accomplished one of the goals that we set out to do. Last year is in the rearview mirror, our players have grown, we have a lot of players back, but they wouldn't have been back if they didn't have different aspirations than how we did last year."
- The game versus the Redhawks is the 89th between the two schools and it is the 43rd game played between the two teams in in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
- This is the 32nd game between the two teams played at Houck Field. SIU beat Southeast, 12-6, in the first ever game at Houck Field (then Houck Stadium) on Oct. 3, 1930. SIU is 38-42-8 lifetime vs. SEMO. Six of the eight tied games were scoreless, 0-0.
- Last year (10/30/20) SIU beat the Redhawks, 20-17, on a Nico Gualdoni 27-yard field goal as time expired. SEMO's Kendrick Tiller had tied the game at, 17-17, with a 32-yard field goal 4:16 earlier. RB Javon Williams Jr. rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown to lead the Salukis.
- Since 2010, SIU is 6-5 in season openers. Since the opening game of the 2009 season at Marshall, the Salukis are 2-6 when they open the season on the road.
- The last time SIU opened a season with a road victory was August 30, 2018 when it won 49-10 at Murray St. The Salukis are 5-7 all time when they open the season at SEMO.
- SIU is 3-2 in its 5 season openers under current head coach Nick Hill. Hill's teams are 1-2 in road season openers and 1-1 versus SEMO on opening night.
- The Salukis are ranked 7th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and 10th in the FCS Coaches Poll. SIU has a 95-43 record when it is ranked. The Salukis are 63-19 lifetime when they are ranked in the Top Ten. Ranked throughout the 2020-21 season, the Salukis were ranked as high as #5 (Mar. 15, 2021) and as low as #24 (Pre-Season).
- Coach Nick Hill chose Nic Baker (Rochester, Ill.) over Stone Labanowitz (Stuart, Fla.) and made the decision public on August 25. Baker and Labanowitz were two of the three starting quarterbacks the Salukis used in the 10-game 2020-21 season. Kare Lyles was the third 2020-21 starter. Lyles entered the transfer portal following the season and has yet to appear on a roster. Labanowitz left the Salukis following the decision.
- Baker was 3-0 as a starter in 2020-21. In high school, he was 27-1 his junior and senior seasons and passed for 3,900 yards, 54 touchdowns and two interceptions his senior year.
- He quarterbacked SIU's upset of #1 North Dakota State (Feb. 27) in his first career start. He was 17 of 23 passing for 254 yards and one touchdown in the game and was the MVFC's Player of the Week.
- Baker came off the bench replacing the injured Lyles one week before that in the spring season opening loss at North Dakota (Feb. 20). One week later, Baker started and threw two TD passes in the Salukis' victory at Youngstown State (Mar. 6th). He started the March 13th home win over Northern Iowa. However, he suffered a season-ending broken foot in the third quarter of that game.
- The 2021 season marks the third consecutive campaign Southern Illinois has opened the season with a different quarterback. Kare Lyles was SIU's opening game QB in 2020-21. Stone Labanowitz took the first snap in 2019. Sam Straub is the last Saluki to open consecutive seasons as SIU's starting quarterback (2017-2018). Chris Dieker (2008-2010) is the last player to begin three consecutive seasons as SIU's starting quarterback.
- With an injured foot that hampered him throughout the 2020-21 season completely healed, Javon Williams Jr. begins the 2021 season in 19th place in career rushing at SIU with 1,685 yards. Should he rush for 1,000 yards in 2021, Williams would move into 6th place in career rushing with 2 years of eligibility remaining.
Head Coach Nick Hill's Weekly Press Conference - 8/30/21
Opening Statement:
"We're excited to be in game week and everything that goes along with that. We've talked a lot throughout the year, it's time to go play, time to go play a great opponent with great respect for Coach Tuke [Matukewicz] and SEMO. It's nice to have this game be your first game of the season: you have your team's attention and attention to detail all throughout training camp. We still have a couple of days of work here that we have to continue to have good practices, but we will really see when we kick the ball off on Thursday."
On Week One/Season Preparations:
"Continue to grow as a football team, there's a progression that has to be had to have a good football team. You start with practice #1 installs and it does not change year-to-year. We need to be sound in every area. The number one thing is that you're fundamentally sound and your schemes are sound, and you keep growing from there.
It may sound boring, but we have to be able to block well, we have to be able to tackle well. We have to have some discipline and not be penalized, pre-snap. All the details are what I am really looking for this season."
On QB Nic Baker:
"There's a lot that goes into that position, there's a lot of discussions and time. Nic has been here for four years, it's a complete body of work that we feel comfortable naming him starter. Everyone in this building knows that he is a talented kid that can run this offense and every play we have in the playbook. He's only three games in, as for playing at the college-level, there are going to be things that he finally sees and we are going to work through. I love his competitiveness, I love that fire he brings, and that self-confidence that he believes in himself"
On SEMO's 3-4 defense:
"They're disciplined and executed in what they do. Coach Tuke has been there a long time and they haven't changed their scheme since they got there. They know what to do, they play fast, and they play physical. Up front, they are huge: they play three defensive tackle-type bodies on how they recruit with being super athletic on the edge.
They play hard, they play a "Bear [off of the Chicago Bears] defense", so it's a bit different than typical 3-4's we would see against North Dakota and South Dakota. But they are going to make it tough for you and take it to the edge, you can try to run it through the middle of the field and that is where their defense is."
On what makes this team hungry for success:
"I appreciate everyone talking about last season, but we were 6-4, 3-3 in the Missouri Valley – I don't know what there isn't to be hungry about. This team understands that. I think it was because we haven't had that level of success in so long, since 2009 really, but nobody in this building is walking around feeling good about ourselves. We haven't accomplished one of the goals that we set out to do. Last year is in the rearview mirror, our players have grown, we have a lot of players back, but they wouldn't have been back if they didn't have different aspirations than how we did last year."
Players Mentioned
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QB
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RB
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