Southern Illinoise University Athletics
10/26/2026 | 3:00:00 | Football, General
Harden, Sanogo and Schofield Named Players of the Week
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - A trio of Southern Illinois football players were honored by the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Monday, following the Salukis' 20-17 win over No. 21 Northern Iowa on Saturday.
Guard Derek Harden Jr. was named the league's offensive lineman of the week, defensive end Ibrahim Sanogo was the defensive player of the week, and kicker Weston Schofield was the special teams player of the week. All played critical roles in SIU ending its three-game losing streak at the Blackout Cancer game.
Harden, SIU's most experienced player this season with 37 career starts, graded out at 96% against the Panthers. The 6-foot-3, 330-pound senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., didn't allow a sack and helped SIU (4-5, 2-3 MVFC) average 5.8 yards a carry on 33 attempts. The Salukis rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and threw for 112.
Harden was the first SIU offensive lineman honored by Valley Football since starting guard Kellen Francis was named the league's lineman of the week Sept. 28.Â
Sanogo was a game wrecker for the Saluki defense, snaring 4.5 tackles for loss and 10 stops, overall. The 6-2, 244-pound graduate transfer from Albany also had a sack for a loss of eight yards in the win. Sanogo had three solo tackles and seven assisted.Â
Schofield hit a field goal to end both halves Saturday, including a 31-yarder as time expired. The 5-8, 155-pound true freshman from Jefferson City, Mo., was hoisted in the air by the team after putting it through the uprights. Schofield also connected from 21 yards out to give the Salukis a 10-7 lead on the final play of the first half. This season he is 8 for 8 on field goal attempts. His long of 36 yards came at Murray State Sept. 26.Â
SIU is next at Indiana State Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale for the Salukis' home finale against South Dakota State on Nov. 14. Fans can purchase tickets for Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day in person at the SIU Ticket Office inside the Banterra Center during regular business hours or online at https://bit.ly/4yEKa0X.Â
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Football, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiFootball, and on Instagram at @siu_football. Fans can also download the Salukis Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Guard Derek Harden Jr. was named the league's offensive lineman of the week, defensive end Ibrahim Sanogo was the defensive player of the week, and kicker Weston Schofield was the special teams player of the week. All played critical roles in SIU ending its three-game losing streak at the Blackout Cancer game.
Harden, SIU's most experienced player this season with 37 career starts, graded out at 96% against the Panthers. The 6-foot-3, 330-pound senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., didn't allow a sack and helped SIU (4-5, 2-3 MVFC) average 5.8 yards a carry on 33 attempts. The Salukis rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and threw for 112.
Harden was the first SIU offensive lineman honored by Valley Football since starting guard Kellen Francis was named the league's lineman of the week Sept. 28.Â
Sanogo was a game wrecker for the Saluki defense, snaring 4.5 tackles for loss and 10 stops, overall. The 6-2, 244-pound graduate transfer from Albany also had a sack for a loss of eight yards in the win. Sanogo had three solo tackles and seven assisted.Â
Schofield hit a field goal to end both halves Saturday, including a 31-yarder as time expired. The 5-8, 155-pound true freshman from Jefferson City, Mo., was hoisted in the air by the team after putting it through the uprights. Schofield also connected from 21 yards out to give the Salukis a 10-7 lead on the final play of the first half. This season he is 8 for 8 on field goal attempts. His long of 36 yards came at Murray State Sept. 26.Â
SIU is next at Indiana State Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale for the Salukis' home finale against South Dakota State on Nov. 14. Fans can purchase tickets for Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day in person at the SIU Ticket Office inside the Banterra Center during regular business hours or online at https://bit.ly/4yEKa0X.Â
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Football, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiFootball, and on Instagram at @siu_football. Fans can also download the Salukis Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
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Tuesday, October 27
Tuesday, October 27
Sunday, October 25