Football Falls in 5OT Heartbreaker, 53-51, Against South Dakota on Senior Day

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Nov 22

12 PM

Football

#14/#13 Illinois State

Normal, IL

CARBONDALE, Ill. - On Senior Day, the No. 21/23 Southern Illinois University football team (6-5, 3-4 MVFC) fell in a five-overtime heartbreaker, 53-51, to No. 17/22 South Dakota.

"You just feel gutted walking off the field like that," head coach Nick Hill said. "I just feel for the guys."

This was Southern Illinois' first overtime game since Dec. 2, 2023, when it fell in the FCS Playoffs at Idaho.

SIU totaled 455 yards on offense with 307 passing and 148 rushing. On the other end, South Dakota compiled 524 total yards with 300 through the air and 224 on the ground.

The Salukis got off to an explosive start, receiving the ball first and scoring on a three-play, 75-yard drive that lasted just over a minute. Quarterback DJ Williams found fellow senior Jay Jones on a 63-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game. This was the fifth receiving touchdown of the season for Jones, setting a new career-high.

The two teams traded blows, as the Coyotes went down the field and tied it on their first drive after a strong kickoff return put the ball at SIU's 36-yard line. Seven plays later, South Dakota quarterback Aidan Bouman connected with wide receiver Larenzo Fenner from 10 yards out to make it 7-7.

Southern Illinois' offense picked up right where it left off on its second possession, with Williams finding tight end Miles Marshall in the endzone to cap an 11-play scoring drive. This marks the second-straight week Williams and Marshall have connected for touchdowns, which were the first two scores of the tight end's career.

After the Coyotes tied the game on their next drive to begin the second quarter, SIU kept rolling offensively. Williams completed two long passes to wide receiver Vinson Davis III for 25 yards and Jones on a one-handed grab for 20 yards to move deep into South Dakota territory. The drive was finished off by running back Lem Wash, who ran it in from three yards out to give SIU a 21-14 lead.

South Dakota took its next possession inside SIU's 30-yard line but came up a yard short on 4th-and-8 as Southern Illinois cornerback Jeremiah McClendon made the stop to end the visitors' drive.

Williams was intercepted on the following drive, but the Coyotes were unable to take advantage after missing a 46-yard field goal to keep the score at 21-14.

The Salukis ended the quarter strong, with kicker/punter Paul Geelen making a 40-yard field goal as the first half expired to extend SIU's advantage to 24-14.

Southern carried the momentum into the second half, as senior linebacker Andrew Behm deflected a Bouman pass into the hands of McClendon for his second interception of the year. The senior cornerback returned it to the Coyotes' eight-yard line, giving the Saluki offense an instant goal-to-go situation.

After the first three plays were stopped by South Dakota, Southern Illinois ran a fake field goal with holder Jace Clark passing it to tight end Ryan Schwendeman across the middle to put the Salukis ahead, 31-14.

South Dakota answered with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was finished off by a 22-yard pass from Bouman to tight end Zach Witte. At the 8:05 mark of the third quarter, SIU led, 31-21.

The Coyotes, after a Southern Illinois punt, had a lengthy drive that started with 4:33 left in the third and ended with 11:38 remaining in the fourth. South Dakota concluded the drive with a 32-yard field goal that made it a one-score game.

Southern Illinois was forced to punt one possession later, leading to South Dakota driving inside SIU's 15-yard line. On 4th-and-2 at the SIU 11, Bouman found Fenner wide open in the endzone to tie the game at 31-31.

On the next Saluki drive, a long reception by tight end Aidan Quinn was negated by a holding penalty, leading to another punt by the hosts. Southern punted on three-straight drives in the second half after the touchdown on the fake field goal.

South Dakota hit a 39-yard pass to get the ball inside SIU's 20-yard line with 1:32 remaining in the fourth. Southern Illinois held the Coyotes to a 32-yard field goal at the 1:10 mark, giving the visitors a 34-31 lead. This was South Dakota's first lead of the game.

With just over a minute remaining in regulation, Williams and the Salukis took the field from their own 25-yard line down by three.

Wide receiver Fabian McCray made a 19-yard grab to put the ball at midfield with 00:43 remaining. Williams rushed for a first down two plays later, placing the ball at the South Dakota 39-yard line at the 00:24 mark.

On 2nd-and-7, Williams found Schwendeman for an 18-yard gain to the opposing 18. After a spike, the clock stopped at the 00:05 mark. From 36 yards out, Geelen drilled a game-tying field goal to force overtime.

At the end of regulation, the score was 34-34.

SIU got the ball to start overtime and just like it started the game, Southern struck early on a touchdown pass to Jones. The senior got free down the home sideline for the 25-yard score, putting SIU ahead, 41-34.

South Dakota moved the ball to the SIU 16-yard line and faced a 4th-and-1. With the game on the line, Bouman found running back L.J. Phillips Jr. on a 16-yard touchdown pass. After the extra point, the game was tied at 41-41.

The Coyotes scored again one possession later, this time on a 24-yard pass from Bouman to Fenner. After a successful two-point conversion, South Dakota took a 49-41 lead.

Southern Illinois scored on its first play once again on the next possession, as Williams found Davis for a 25-yard score. On the two-point attempt, the senior quarterback connected with Schwendeman, tying the game at 49-49 and forcing a third overtime.

In the third overtime, both teams had one play each to score from the two-yard line. SIU got the ball first, but was unable to score after Williams' pass was deflected. South Dakota's attempt was also unsuccessful, keeping the score at 49-49.

The Coyotes scored on their possession in the fourth overtime, giving the visitors a 51-49 lead. Southern Illinois tied it on a run by Williams, forcing a fifth overtime.

SIU's attempt was unsuccessful, while South Dakota scored on a pass play to end the game.

"We just needed one more play," Hill said. "There's gonna be things throughout the game that shouldn't have come down to that. We've gotta be able to put teams away."

With the loss, Southern Illinois falls to 6-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play. SIU will travel to No. 13/14 Illinois State next Saturday, Nov. 22, at 12 p.m.

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