Saturday, November 16
Brookings, SD
2 PM
Southern Illinois University
3-8 , 1-6
10
at
41
South Dakota State
9-2 , 6-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Southern Ill.
0
0
7
3
10
South Dakota St.
3
28
10
0
41
Recap | Football falls to No. 3 South Dakota State, 41-10
11/16/2024 | 5:53:00 | Football
BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State rolled up 503 yards of total offense en route to a 41-10 win over a depleted Southern Illinois team on Saturday.
The No. 3-ranked Jackrabbits (9-2, 6-1) did the bulk of their damage on the ground, rushing for 288 yards and averaging nearly six yards per carry.
"Tip your cap to them — that's an outstanding team," said SIU head coach Nick Hill. "It's the defending national champions and probably have their sights on winning another one. That's the level they play at consistently each week."
The opening quarter was competitive, with South Dakota State holding just a 3-0 lead and a slim advantage in total yardage. SDSU exploded for four touchdowns in the second quarter, however, to make it a 31-0 score at halftime and end any SIU hopes for an upset.
Southern was held to 233 yards of offense with only 34 yards on the ground. SIU was 1-for-10 on third-down conversions.
"We weren't good enough to make it a game today," Hill said. "We didn't make it difficult on them and put them in tough situations."
The Salukis (3-8, 1-6) have had more than their share of injuries this season and entered the game with another question mark at quarterback.
Freshman Jake Curry, who was the national freshman-of-the-week last week, was limited in practice due to a hamstring injury. He started and played most of the first half, but his mobility was clearly affected.
"It was a game-time decision with him," Hill said. "If the game was on Wednesday or Thursday, he probably would've been ruled out. He gave it a go in the first half, but the doctor said it's putting him at risk to keep going."
Michael Lindauer came off the bench for SIU to complete 12-of-17 passes for 145 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown pass to Allen Middleton.
"Mike's out here competing and playing," Hill said. "He got in a little groove on a couple drives and it was good to see. We'll see what happens for next week. I know Jake will fight like crazy to get ready to go, but Mike has to be ready to go and he did some good things."
Safety Ubayd Steed had 11 tackles to lead Southern's defense. It was his fifth double-digit tackle performance in the last six games.
The Salukis were down two starting linebackers — Chris Presto and Shug Walker — who are both in concussion protocol, and their absence was likely a factor in SIU's difficulty in stopping the run.
In the fourth quarter, Southern cleared its bench and played many of its underclassmen and true freshmen, who can still redshirt if they play in four games or less.
"That was probably the highlight — being able to rep a lot of true freshmen on those last few series, a lot of young guys getting their first action," Hill said. "It was good for them to just get a taste and to be here and understand what that level and standard is."
SIU will finish its season at home next Saturday versus Murray State on Senior Day.
"We get 12 opportunities," Hill said. "It's about putting together the best week and finishing — all the things you talk about in your program — we have an opportunity to do that Saturday."
The No. 3-ranked Jackrabbits (9-2, 6-1) did the bulk of their damage on the ground, rushing for 288 yards and averaging nearly six yards per carry.
"Tip your cap to them — that's an outstanding team," said SIU head coach Nick Hill. "It's the defending national champions and probably have their sights on winning another one. That's the level they play at consistently each week."
The opening quarter was competitive, with South Dakota State holding just a 3-0 lead and a slim advantage in total yardage. SDSU exploded for four touchdowns in the second quarter, however, to make it a 31-0 score at halftime and end any SIU hopes for an upset.
Southern was held to 233 yards of offense with only 34 yards on the ground. SIU was 1-for-10 on third-down conversions.
"We weren't good enough to make it a game today," Hill said. "We didn't make it difficult on them and put them in tough situations."
The Salukis (3-8, 1-6) have had more than their share of injuries this season and entered the game with another question mark at quarterback.
Freshman Jake Curry, who was the national freshman-of-the-week last week, was limited in practice due to a hamstring injury. He started and played most of the first half, but his mobility was clearly affected.
"It was a game-time decision with him," Hill said. "If the game was on Wednesday or Thursday, he probably would've been ruled out. He gave it a go in the first half, but the doctor said it's putting him at risk to keep going."
Michael Lindauer came off the bench for SIU to complete 12-of-17 passes for 145 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown pass to Allen Middleton.
"Mike's out here competing and playing," Hill said. "He got in a little groove on a couple drives and it was good to see. We'll see what happens for next week. I know Jake will fight like crazy to get ready to go, but Mike has to be ready to go and he did some good things."
Safety Ubayd Steed had 11 tackles to lead Southern's defense. It was his fifth double-digit tackle performance in the last six games.
The Salukis were down two starting linebackers — Chris Presto and Shug Walker — who are both in concussion protocol, and their absence was likely a factor in SIU's difficulty in stopping the run.
In the fourth quarter, Southern cleared its bench and played many of its underclassmen and true freshmen, who can still redshirt if they play in four games or less.
"That was probably the highlight — being able to rep a lot of true freshmen on those last few series, a lot of young guys getting their first action," Hill said. "It was good for them to just get a taste and to be here and understand what that level and standard is."
SIU will finish its season at home next Saturday versus Murray State on Senior Day.
"We get 12 opportunities," Hill said. "It's about putting together the best week and finishing — all the things you talk about in your program — we have an opportunity to do that Saturday."
Team Stats
SIU
SDS
Total Yards
233
503
Pass Yards
199
215
Rushing Yards
34
288
Penalty Yards
45
75
1st Downs
12
24
3rd Downs
1
9
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
21:39
38:21
1st Quarter
SIU 0, SDS 3
SDS - Dustman,Hunter 24 yd field goal 7 plays, 57 yards, TOP 04:01
2nd Quarter
SIU 0, SDS 10
SDS - Johnson,Angel 5 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:23
SIU 0, SDS 17
SDS - Gronowski,Mark 1 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 6 plays, 20 yards, TOP 03:05
SIU 0, SDS 24
SDS - Johnson,Amar 9 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 04:20
SIU 0, SDS 31
SDS - Vorhees,Kirby 4 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 01:36
3rd Quarter
SIU 0, SDS 34
SDS - Dustman,Hunter 39 yd field goal 6 plays, 50 yards, TOP 02:06
SIU 0, SDS 41
SDS - Johnson,Amar 3 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 9 plays, 78 yards, TOP 05:27
SIU 7, SDS 41
SIU - Middleton,Allen 48 yd pass from Lindauer,Michael (Geelen,Paul kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:44
4th Quarter
SIU 10, SDS 41
SIU - Geelen,Paul 36 yd field goal 8 plays, 49 yards, TOP 02:55
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
12
TD
1
YDS
145
INT
1
CMP
8
TD
0
YDS
54
INT
1
Players Mentioned
QB
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WR
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LB
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S
/ Football
LB
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