Saturday, November 4
Carbondale, IL
1 PM
Southern Illinois University
vs
South Dakota
$5 tickets available for Blackout Cancer game vs. No. 9 South Dakota
10/27/2023 | 12:42:00 | Football
CARBONDALE, Ill. — In a key matchup of two Top-10 teams with playoff aspirations, No. 10 Saluki Football hosts No. 9-ranked South Dakota on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Saluki Stadium.
To help pack the stadium for this critical showdown, Saluki Athletics is offering $5 tickets by purchasing with the promo code "BLACKOUT". It's the annual Blackout Cancer game, sponsored by SIH, in which fans bid to purchase the player-worn jerseys and place the name of a loved one on the back.
It's also the Brown Dawg's Kids Club game. All members are invited to help form the pregame tunnel on the field where the team runs out. To participate in the pregame tunnel, bring your child to the south endzone gate (Under Section 15) no later than 12:40 PM. Parents are welcome to accompany their small children. Each Kids Club member is entitled to one free ticket to the game at the ticket window.
Series versus South Dakota
The teams have split eight meetings, 4-4, since the series began in 2014. The last three meetings have taken place in Vermillion. In 2022, South Dakota rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to beat SIU, 27-24, ending SIU's five-game winning streak. In 2021, the Salukis forced four turnovers and played turnover-free football itself to beat South Dakota, 22-10, in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs
Nic Baker re-writes Saluki record book
Quarterback Nic Baker owns all but one of the major career passing records at SIU. He is the leader in passing yards (8,415), completions (710) and attempts (1,073). With 61 touchdown passes, he needs four more TDs to tie Joel Sambursky's school record. Baker also holds SIU's single-game marks for passing yards (Northern Iowa-485, Oct. 29, 2022) and completion percentage (Western Illinois: 25-of-28, .893, Oct. 15, 2022).
SIU third in the nation in run defense
SIU is third in the nation in run defense (83.1 yards/game). SIU has held three teams under 40 yards rushing (Austin Peay-39 , Missouri State-31 and Murray State-28).
Salukis 3rd in the nation in sacks
SIU's defense ranks 3rd in the nation in sacks per game (3.38 sacks/game). Devin Cowan (3.5), Tim Varga (3.5) and Zach Burrola (3.0) lead the team in sacks and 15-different players have recorded sacks on the season.
Salukis 15th in the nation in INTs
SIU's defense ranks 15th in the nation in interceptions with nine. CB Mark Davis has three of those picks. S Ubayd Steed and CB DJ Johnson each have two interceptions.
Defense ranks No. 1 in the MVFC, Top 10 in the nation
SIU's secondary has the top three spots in the MVFC rankings in pass breakups — No. 1 DJ Johnson (1.2 PBU/game), No. 3 Mark Davis Jr. (1.0 PBU/game) and No. 3 PJ Jules (1.0 PBU/game).
To help pack the stadium for this critical showdown, Saluki Athletics is offering $5 tickets by purchasing with the promo code "BLACKOUT". It's the annual Blackout Cancer game, sponsored by SIH, in which fans bid to purchase the player-worn jerseys and place the name of a loved one on the back.
It's also the Brown Dawg's Kids Club game. All members are invited to help form the pregame tunnel on the field where the team runs out. To participate in the pregame tunnel, bring your child to the south endzone gate (Under Section 15) no later than 12:40 PM. Parents are welcome to accompany their small children. Each Kids Club member is entitled to one free ticket to the game at the ticket window.
Series versus South Dakota
The teams have split eight meetings, 4-4, since the series began in 2014. The last three meetings have taken place in Vermillion. In 2022, South Dakota rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to beat SIU, 27-24, ending SIU's five-game winning streak. In 2021, the Salukis forced four turnovers and played turnover-free football itself to beat South Dakota, 22-10, in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs
Nic Baker re-writes Saluki record book
Quarterback Nic Baker owns all but one of the major career passing records at SIU. He is the leader in passing yards (8,415), completions (710) and attempts (1,073). With 61 touchdown passes, he needs four more TDs to tie Joel Sambursky's school record. Baker also holds SIU's single-game marks for passing yards (Northern Iowa-485, Oct. 29, 2022) and completion percentage (Western Illinois: 25-of-28, .893, Oct. 15, 2022).
SIU third in the nation in run defense
SIU is third in the nation in run defense (83.1 yards/game). SIU has held three teams under 40 yards rushing (Austin Peay-39 , Missouri State-31 and Murray State-28).
Salukis 3rd in the nation in sacks
SIU's defense ranks 3rd in the nation in sacks per game (3.38 sacks/game). Devin Cowan (3.5), Tim Varga (3.5) and Zach Burrola (3.0) lead the team in sacks and 15-different players have recorded sacks on the season.
Salukis 15th in the nation in INTs
SIU's defense ranks 15th in the nation in interceptions with nine. CB Mark Davis has three of those picks. S Ubayd Steed and CB DJ Johnson each have two interceptions.
Defense ranks No. 1 in the MVFC, Top 10 in the nation
- SIU leads the MVFC in both rushing defense (83.1 yards/game) and pass efficiency defense (111.21).
- SIU's defense ranks 7th in the nation in points allowed (16.6 points/game) and 7th in yards allowed (281.8 yards/game).
SIU's secondary has the top three spots in the MVFC rankings in pass breakups — No. 1 DJ Johnson (1.2 PBU/game), No. 3 Mark Davis Jr. (1.0 PBU/game) and No. 3 PJ Jules (1.0 PBU/game).
Players Mentioned
LB
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