Salukis Look to Keep Momentum Against Penguins

Saturday, October 3

Carbondale, IL

4 PM

Southern Illinois University

Youngstown State

09/30/2026 | 12:22:00 | Football, General

Game Notes YSU SIU

By: Todd Hefferman, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Winners of three of its last four games, the No. 21/25 Southern Illinois University football team looks to keep the momentum Saturday against No. 8/10 Youngstown State.
Kickoff at Saluki Stadium is set for 4 p.m. Central. The game is scheduled to air on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.
YSU, led by Payton Award winner Beau Brungard, will be the highest-ranked home opponent for the Salukis since taking on then-No. 2 North Dakota State on Oct. 12, 2024.

Single-game tickets and mini-plans available now: Single-game and two-game ticket multipacks for Saluki Football are available at the Saluki Ticket Office inside the Banterra Center or online. Fans can purchase tickets for the upcoming game against Youngstown State Oct. 3 at Saluk.is/siuvsysu. Multipacks are available at Saluk.is/fbminiplans.

Fans throughout the region will be recognized at the game Oct. 3 as part of Southern Illinois Day. This weekend's game is also Youth Day at Saluki Stadium. Fans can receive up to two free tickets for children ages 12 and under with the purchase of an adult ticket. To claim the complimentary Youth Day tickets, fans should first select an adult ticket. Before adding tickets to their cart, fans can then select up to two complimentary youth tickets. Youth Day is part of SIU Athletics' commitment to creating memorable game-day experiences for young fans and families while welcoming the next generation of Salukis to Saluki Stadium. Click here to purchase your Youth Day tickets.

Ball Hawkin'

SIU forced only 19 turnovers all last season, but is on pace to eclipse that number after the fourth conference game of the year.

Sebastian Vargas' interception in the second quarter at Murray State on Saturday gave him a pick for the third straight game. The Salukis picked off four SEMO passes Sept. 12, the most since intercepting Marion native Matt Brown four times at Illinois State on Oct. 6, 2012. SIU's defense closed the game against the Redhawks, in fact, with three straight interceptions to open the door for quarterback DJ Williams' two late touchdown runs.

SIU enters Saturday's game against YSU with 11 forced turnovers, eight picks and three fumble recoveries. SIU has given away nine (five interceptions and four lost fumbles).

The Salukis' plus-2 turnover margin ranks fourth in the MVFC. SIU leads the league in both turnovers forced (11) and lost (9) through five games. SIU's 157 yards in interception returns leads the league.

YSU is tied with Northern Iowa for the league lead in fewest turnovers lost this season. Both of them have lost three.

Fiegel, Sanogo named Valley Football players of the week

Linebacker Ben Fiegel and defensive end Ibrahim Sanogo were honored by the MVFC after the win at Samford.

Fiegel, a 6-3, 230-pound junior from Batavia, Ill., came up with SIU's first interception of the season and had a team-high 10 tackles. Fiegel added 3.0 tackles for loss and was named the league's defensive player of the week.

Sanogo teamed up with defensive tackle Amir Dwight for a safety in the opening quarter and finished the game with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The 6-2, 244-pound graduate transfer from Albany had seven tackles and two quarterback hurries. Sanogo was named the league's newcomer of the week.

Francis, Schofield honored after Murray State win

Offensive guard Kellen Francis and kicker Weston Schofield were honored by the MVFC after the win at MSU.

Francis, a 6-5, 320-pound junior, was named the league's offensive lineman of the week. He graded out at 95% and had seven knockdown blocks. Schofield, a 5-8, 155-pound true freshman, was the Valley Football special teams player of the week after hitting a school-record four field goals at Roy Stewart Stadium.

Road Warriors in 2026

For the second straight year, SIU will play seven road games, beginning in Pensacola, Fla., against West Florida.

The Salukis went 4-3 away from home last season. It was the fourth time in the last five years they went at least .500 away from Carbondale. SIU went 1-5 on the road in 2024, 4-3 in 2023, 3-3 in 2022 and 5-3 in 2021. This year the Salukis are 2-2 away from Saluki Stadium.

SIU plays four of their first five games on the road. SIU opens at West Florida, then travels to Samford in Alabama before hosting Southeast Missouri State Sept. 12. The Salukis then play Illinois in Champaign Sept. 19 before opening MVFC play at Murray State Sept. 26. SIU also plays at No. 8/12 South Dakota Oct. 10, at Indiana State Nov. 7 and at No. 7/8 North Dakota to close the regular season Nov. 21.

Looking at the Penguins

YSU comes off its first MVFC win of the season, a 47-28 decision over No. 13/16 South Dakota Saturday at home.

The Penguins' defense forced three turnovers, and the offense scored 24 straight second-half points to pull away after a nine-point halftime lead.

Quarterback Beau Brungard, last year's Payton Award winner, has the most offensive yards in YSU history (9.755). His 53 rushing TDs are two off the school record, and he has thrown for 51 TDs. Defensive end Michael Wells is on the Buck Buchanan Award watch list and has 14 tackles this season. He had 15.0 tackles for loss last season.

YSU is coached by Doug Phillips, who is 34-37 in seven years.

Williams Back For Another Run

Quarterback DJ Williams returns after one of the best offensive seasons in history in 2025. The Harvey, Ill., native rushed for 847 yards, an SIU record for quarterbacks in a season, and 18 touchdowns, which tied for the fourth-most of any Saluki in history for one year. His 2,846 passing yards ranked 11th in the country in the FCS, and his 22 passing touchdowns ranked 18th.

Williams finished third in voting for the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Award and eighth in the Walter Payton Award. This season, he was a second team preseason All-American by Phil Steele and a third team preseason All-American by Stats Perform.

He is the only player in SIU history to rush for at least 25 touchdowns and throw for at least 25. This year he has 133 yards and four touchdowns rushing and 704 yards and four scores passing in four games.

Williams surpassed 300 passing yards three times last season, including a 361-yard performance at Youngstown State on Nov. 8. He also threw at least three touchdown passes in four games. He rushed for more than 100 yards three times during the season. He recorded 128 yards and three touchdowns Sept. 13 at UT Martin, 151 yards and two touchdowns Sept. 20 at SEMO, and 134 yards and four touchdowns at Illinois State Nov. 22.

Triple Threat in the Backfield

One reason SIU averaged 36.4 points per game last season, the most since 2007 (37.9 ppg.), was its vaunted rushing attack.

The Salukis had five different running backs rush for at least one touchdown last season, and return two starters from the backfield to go with Williams. Edward Robinson (5-foot-11, 195 pounds, Jr.) started three of the last four games and finished the season with his biggest effort of the year. Robinson rushed for 145 yards on 19 carries in SIU's win at No. 11 Illinois State to end the season.

Backfield mate Chandler Chapman (5-11, 210, Jr.) started five games last season and finished the year with 465 yards and six touchdowns off 78 carries. Chapman has taken the lion's share of carries thus far, with 74 in four games. He is averaging 4.7 yards a carry with 347 yards rushing (69.4 ypg.).

Oh Captain, My Captain

Four seniors and one junior were elected team captains this season by the players. Senior linebacker Andrew Behm, senior guard Derek Harden Jr., senior linebacker Chris Presto and Williams joined junior defensive lineman Amir Dwight as captains.

Williams, a preseason third team All-American by Stats Perform, is coming off one of the best offensive seasons by a Saluki quarterback in history. Behm (61 tackles last season) and Presto (59 stops) are two of the team's leading returning tacklers and two of five returning starters on defense. Harden Jr. started the first 11 games last season and was a preseason first team All-American by Phil Steele this year.

Dwight, a 6-1, 272-pound junior from Cordele, Ga., finished third on the team last season with 3.0 sacks. His four quarterback hurries led the Saluki defense.

Salukis Land 13 Players on MVFC Preseason Watch List

SIU was picked sixth in the MVFC preseason poll and had 13 players on the league's preseason watch list.

Williams, Harden Jr., offensive lineman Blaine Halley, wide receiver Allen Middleton and running backs Edward Robinson and Chandler Chapman made the list. Behm, Presto, Dwight, defensive end Jake Parrella and defensive back Vinny Pierre Jr. were SIU's defensive selections.

Long snapper Ryan Algrim, a preseason first team All-American by Phil Steele, also made the list. Algrim was a five-star long snapper and the 16th-ranked player at that position in the country by Rubio Long Snapping coming out of Kaneland High School (Maple Park, Ill.). Algrim snapped all 12 games last season for the Salukis and is attempting to become the program's first All-American long snapper.

Five other specialists have been honored:

* K Craig Coffin (First Team 2006, Second Team 2004)

* P Mark Gagliano (First Team 1996)

* P Tom Striegel (Third Team 1981)

* P Scott Ravanesi (Honorable Mention 2007)

* P Lane Reazin (FCS Sophomore All-America Honorable Mention 2017)

Postseason success under Hill

Of SIU's 11 playoff appearances in school history, Hill was the quarterback of two teams (2006, 2007) and head coach of three (2020, 2021, 2023). The Salukis have won 11 playoff games in school history and Hill was a part of six of them (quarterbacked three wins and coached three more).

Since 2019, only three FCS programs have won three or more playoff games (South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Southern Illinois).

* In 11 Playoff Appearances, SIU is 11-10.

1983: Beat Indiana St. in the first round 23-7, beat Nevada in the second round 23-7 and beat Western Carolina in Charleston, SC for the 1AA Championship, 43-7.

2003: Lost at Delaware in the first round, 45-7.

2004: Lost to Eastern Washington in the first round, 35-31.

2005: Won at Eastern Illinois in the first round 21-6 and lost at Appalachian St. in the second round, 38-24.

2006: Beat UT-Martin 36-30 in the first round and lost at Montana 20-3 in the second round.

2007: Beat Eastern Illinois 30-11 in the first round, beat Massachusetts 34-27 in the second round and lost to Delaware in the Final Four, 20-17.

2008: Lost to New Hampshire in the first round, 29-20.

2009: Beat Eastern Illinois, 48-7 in the first round and lost to William and Mary in the second round, 24-3.

2020-21 (Spring): Won at Weber St. in the first round, 34-31 and lost at South Dakota St. in the Elite Eight, 31-26.

2021: Won at South Dakota in the first round, 22-10. Lost at North Dakota State in the second round, 38-7.

2023: Beat Nicholls State, 35-0. Lost at Idaho, 20-17 (OT)

Saluki Football in the last five seasons...

* Three FCS Playoff appearances and three playoff wins

* 12-14 against FCS ranked teams, including wins over No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4.

* Power Five win at Northwestern (9/17/22) — the only FCS team to beat a Power Five in 2022

* FBS win at Northern Illinois (9/6/23)

* FCS Playoffs Elite 8 (Spring, 2021)

* Playoffs Sweet 16 (Fall, 2021, 2023)

* Twenty-two weeks ranked in the FCS Top 10, as high as No. 3 (Oct. 25, 2021)

One of two FCS teams to beat FBS opponents in both 2022 and 2023 seasons

Southern Illinois was one of two FCS teams that beat FBS opponents in both 2022 and 2023. The Salukis defeated Northwestern in 2022 and beat Northern Illinois in 2023. Sacramento State beat Colorado State (2022) and Stanford (2023).

Since becoming a I-AA/FCS member in 1982, SIU is 6-39 versus FBS teams. Nick Hill was involved in five of the wins as either a player (Indiana-2006, Northern Illinois-2007) or head coach (UMass-2019, Northwestern-2022, Northern Illinois-2023).

SIU is 2-21 all-time against Power Five opponents, and head coach Nick Hill was a key factor in both wins. In 2006, Hill threw four touchdown passes and orchestrated a 35-28 win at Indiana. The Salukis were the only FCS program to beat a Power Five opponent in 2022, topping Northwestern, 31-24.

Salukis on active NFL rosters

SIU currently has three players on NFL rosters — S Jeremy Chinn (Las Vegas), LB Branson Combs (Jacksonville) and S PJ Jules (Cincinnati).

* Chinn was a second-round draft pick (64th overall) in the 2020 draft and runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year. The safety signed a two-year, $16.25 million contract with Las Vegas in March 2025. Chinn had 62 solo tackles last season for the Raiders. He also had one sack and two pass breakups. Chinn is about to start his seventh season in the NFL.

* Jules, who was on the Bengals' practice squad in 2024, tied for second on the team with 16 special teams tackles in 2025. Jules had nine solo stops in 14 games last season.

* Combs had nine tackles for the Jags in 2025, including three solos. He played in 10 games.

Salukis' NFL Tradition

* 43 SIU football alums went on to play in the NFL

* RB Brandon Jacobs was a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the New York Giants.

* QB Jim Hart was a four-time Pro Bowl selection who threw for 34,665 career yards with the St. Louis Cardinals. Later, he served as SIU's director of athletics.

* LB Bart Scott was an 11-year NFL pro with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets.

* OL Carl Mauck was a 13-year NFL veteran and 21-year NFL assistant coach (OL). He also coached at SIU from 2006-07.

Quick Facts:

Carbondale, Illinois is located in the southern tip of the state — about a five-hour drive south of Chicago and two hours southeast of St. Louis...Many of SIU's alums are concentrated in those two cities...The Southern Illinois region is informally known as "Little Egypt," hence the adoption of the Saluki (an Egyptian hunting dog) as the school mascot.

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.