Redbirds Ride Hot Start To 35-14 Win Over Salukis

Saturday, October 17

Carbondale, IL

3 PM

Southern Illinois University

3-5 , 1-3

Illinois State

5-2 , 1-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Illinois St.	0	28	7	0	35
Southern Ill.	0	0	7	7	14

10/17/2026 | 10:26:00 | Football, General

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Todd Hefferman, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Illinois State rode a hot start to thwart Southern Illinois on Saturday, 35-14.
Backup quarterback Chase Kwiatkowski rushed for a 5-yard touchdown, and starting quarterback Beckham Pellant rushed for a 10-yard score and threw for a 17-yarder during the No. 13 Redbirds' 28-point second quarter. Victor Dawson (1-yard touchdown run) and Luke Mailander (57-yard scoring catch) helped ISU take a 35-0 lead in the third quarter at Saluki Stadium.
SIU (3-5, 1-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) got on the board off Kyle Thomas' 29-yard touchdown pass from DJ Williams but never could quite get back into the game. Tae Marrero Jr. returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter in front of an announced crowd of 9,086 fans on Homecoming.
The Saluki defense allowed 179 yards in the first half, but tried to keep the team in the game. They responded with four stops on ISU's first five drives in the second half, but SIU's sparks on offense came few and far between. Williams came up a yard short on a fourth-and-3 run, and SIU had to punt after reaching its own 46 on its next drive. Williams was able to find Thomas downfield for his team-leading fifth touchdown of the year to make it 35-7, but the offense struggled on the big downs.
The Salukis went 7 of 17 on third down and 2 of 5 on fourth down.
"We've gotta be better, offensively. There's no question about it," said SIU coach Nick Hill, who is also the offensive coordinator. "At times, it was just not good, and we have the people that are capable to be better. I'll look at myself, internally, first. I won't shy away from that, and, will hold everybody accountable, hold myself accountable, and that's what I told the group."
ISU (5-2, 1-2), last year's national runner-up, was only 5 of 13 on third down, The Redbirds converted both of their fourth-down tries and averaged 5.8 yards per play. Dawson rushed for a game-high 82 yards on 16 carries. Mailander caught four passes for 90 yards, including the 57-yard touchdown grab. Lord had five catches for 38 yards, and Stevan Gavric caught four passes for 50 yards.
Pellant completed 16 of 25 passes for 191 yards, two scores and zero interceptions. He was sacked once.
SIU managed just 2.1 yards a carry for the game on 35 attempts. Thomas caught five passes for 61 yards, his fifth game this season over 50 yards.
Marrero's punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was his first since returning one 81 yards against Northern Iowa last season. Only two players in Saluki history have returned three punts for touchdowns, Doug Hollinger (1967-68) and Craig Turner (2004-07).
Marrero was optimistic he could join that duo and make it a trio.
"Everyone does their 1-of-11, and as you can see, the sky's the limit with that (punt return unit)," he said.
SIU honored the 1976 football team after one of its timeouts in the first half. The squad went 7-4 in 1976, the last season SIU was an independent before joining the Missouri Valley Conference. It was also the first season for coach Rey Dempsey, and featured future Saluki Hall of Famers Andre Herrera, Oyd Craddock and Byron Honore. Dempsey went on to lead SIU to the I-AA national championship in 1983.
Honore, a member of this year's Hall of Fame class, passed away in 2022. His relatives appeared over the weekend to celebrate his induction. SIU also honored former tackle Dave Smith, who was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. Smith was a first-team all-conference pick and honorable mention All-American in 1987.
SIU is back in action next weekend against No. 19/25 Northern Iowa (3-3, 2-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game is scheduled to air on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network. Tickets are available at https://saluk.is/4yvqRY3 for the annual Blackout Cancer game.