Already down three scores early in the second half, disaster struck for the Salukis.
SIU lost its second quarterback of the season when Hunter Simmons left the game with an injury in the third quarter, giving Jake Curry, a true freshman, his first snaps in college.
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With Curry under center, the Salukis only managed to score a single field goal while Illinois State got into the end zone three more times.
“That was tough (to see),” SIU cornerback Jamir Conn said.
The No. 19 SIU Salukis hosted its annual Blackout Cancer game Saturday, Oct. 5 as they took on the No. 18 Illinois State (ISU) Redbirds in a Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown that ended with a final score of 45-10.
The annual blackout game offers Saluki fans a chance to bid on special jerseys. Winning bids choose what name is on the back and all the proceeds go to the Coach Kill Cancer Fund through the SIH Foundation before being used to assist cancer patients in southern Illinois. The game raised a total of $28,545 for this year.
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SIU got the ball first and a penalty on the first play from scrimmage that put them behind the sticks. The Salukis were not able to make up the lost ground and punted.
Penalties, and costly ones at that, would be a problem the entire night for the Salukis. SIU committed 12 penalties for 109 yards against a lone 8-yard penalty committed by ISU.
“They’re frustrating,” Saluki head coach Nick Hill said.
On their first series of the night, the Redbirds picked up a couple first downs to get into SIU territory. From there, ISU quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse scrambled for a 36-yard touchdown, getting the Birds on the board first.
The Salukis moved the ball with a balance of rushes and passes to get to the Redbird 20. A stuffed run up the middle on fourth and one gave the ball back to ISU with no damage done.
The tantalizing potential of the Saluki defense was on display early in the game, with a pass breakup on third and long, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty extended the ISU possession. The Redbirds wound up punting on the drive.
Keontez Lewis was a big target on the next SIU drive, catching two passes for 57 yards, setting up a 10-yard rush by Simmons to even the score.
On the ensuing Redbird possession, Jeremiah McClendon got in front of a pass from Rittenhouse for a Saluki interception. The takeaway gave the ball to SIU around midfield, but a trio of incompletions led to another punt.
“Great teams find a way to take points off turnovers,” Hill said. “We’re just not doing it.”
After sticking with the run to get into SIU territory, Rittenhouse connected on a deep ball to Daniel Sobkowicz to give ISU the lead for the second time.
SIU picked up a first down on their next possession, but a big sack would force a punt.
The Saluki defense stood strong on their next outing, forcing ISU to punt the ball back to the Dawgs.
A quick decision on a read-option play gave Simmons a hole to rumble 33 yards to the Redbird 27. SIU wouldn’t be able to capitalize as a pair of incompletions forced a field goal attempt that missed to the right..
Rittenhouse got ISU to the Saluki 34 with a deep connection up the middle to Wenkers Wright, setting up a 47-yard field goal to extend the Redbird lead.
Looking to answer back with a minute and change before half, the Salukis got nothing going and punted again. ISU would knee the ball to send the teams to the locker rooms.
Out of the break, the inconsistency that has reared its head all season the SIU’s defense appeared. ISU moved the ball without trouble on a drive capped off by a 29-yard touchdown run by Matt Lawson, giving the Redbirds a three possession lead.
Following a first down, Simmons felt the pocket collapsing and took off for a gain of 29 into Illinois State territory. In the red zone, Simmons scrambled again and went down with what was later revealed to be a broken leg. Curry played quarterback for the remainder of the game and finished the drive with a field goal.
Seemingly energized by the loss of yet another team leader, SIU’s defense would surrender a single yard and force a punt on the ensuing ISU possession.
On the second passing attempt of his collegiate career, Curry found Lewis for a 60-yard completion to get the Salukis to the Illinois State 13. The drive stalled and SIU attempted a field goal that missed to the left. The miss marked kicker Paul Geelen’s second miss of the game and left him sitting three-for-five on the season.
Hill said, “It’s kind of deflating, missing an easy field goal.”
Building on the momentum they gained during the previous ISU drive, the Saluki defense again held its ground and forced another Redbird punt.
On the first play from scrimmage, Vinson Davis broke off a 39-yard run to get into ISU territory. A miscommunication on third down resulted in a Curry interception.
SIU’s defense continued to do its job and forced a punt to get the ball back to their offense.
A 24-yard connection up the middle to Allen Middleton put the Dawgs in ISU territory yet again. After converting on fourth down, a missed read put the ball right back into the hands of the Redbirds with Curry’s second interception of the night
Speaking after the game, Hill wasn’t overly worried about Curry’s turnovers.
“He’ll learn from those quickly,” Hill said. “A lot of learning opportunities coming up.”
On the drive that followed, a pair of penalties gave Illinois State 30 yards, setting up a 28-yard touchdown pass from Xavier Loyd to Sobkowicz.
Down 21, SIU had to go for it on fourth and medium from their own half of the field and could not convert.
With the short field, backup quarterback Jake Rubley found Braden Contreras in the endzone, putting the game well out of reach.
With 11 minutes left, the teams put their backups in and ran down the rest of the clock, with ISU tallying a touchdown from Seth Glatz along the way. Saturday’s loss was the third in a row for SIU.
“We’ll keep fighting and try to get this thing turned around,” Hill said.
The Salukis will be at home again next weekend for a make-or-break Homecoming game on Oct. 12 against North Dakota State University with a 2 p.m. start time.
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