With his team trailing big at the end of the second half, an unlikely Saluki found his way into the endzone and managed to temporarily spark a slumping offense against Missouri State.

Kicker Paul Geelen rushed for a 9-yard touchdown off of a trick play, leaving the Dawgs trailing by 17 late in the second quarter. The Salukis kept their momentum going after the break, managing to cut the score to 24-14 before falling, getting largely shut down for the rest of the game with a final score of 38-17, marking their sixth straight loss.

“We just gotta find a way to complete a comeback,” coach Nick Hill said.

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The Dawgs spent Saturday, Nov. 2 in Springfield, Missouri, where they faced off against the Missouri State University Bears. Coming in, the Bears were 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while SIU was 0-4.  

SIU’s defense held strong to start the game, allowing zero first downs and forcing the Bears to punt on each of their first two possessions.

“We made it a grind for them to get going,” Hill said. “Those are the opportunities we have to find as a team offensively to go get the lead; take more time off the clock right there.”

Missouri State started their third possession at their own 42 and managed to finally pick up a first down. Bears quarterback Jacob Clark capped off a methodical drive and put Missouri State on the board first when he completed a 13-yard pass to DVontae Key for a touchdown. Yousef Obeid’s extra point was also good, giving the Bears an early 7-0 lead.

After stifling the Salukis on defense, Missouri State picked right up where they left off on their next drive, gaining 48 yards before the SIU defense managed to get a stop and hold them to only a field goal. 

The Bears kept rolling early in the second quarter; Clark completed a 35-yard pass to Hunter Woods to the SIU 29, and two plays later handed the ball off to running back Jayden Becks, who rumbled 29 yards for a touchdown. Obeid proceeded to attempt a field goal which was successful, leaving the Dawgs in an early 17-0 hole.

After nearly an entire half with little offensive production, Hill turned to backup quarterback Michael Lindauer to try and spark the offense before halftime. Lindauer nearly threw an interception on his first pass after throwing to the middle of a busy pile before hitting Keontez Lewis for 16 yards.

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The play ended up getting called back for a penalty, and also saw Lewis exit the game after taking a hit to his shoulder. After a quick completion and a run for no gain, Lindauer threw his first pick of the game.

The Bears capitalized on the turnover with a quick score. Clark completed a pair of 15-yard passes, the first of which went to Jacardia Wright to the SIU 18 for a first down. The second was to Hunter Wood in the endzone for a Missouri State touchdown, and the successful extra point attempt made the score 24-0 with under two minutes remaining before halftime.

Curry returned to the field and seemed to have found a new focus after spending a series on the bench. The Dawgs did their damage on the ground, as Curry rushed for 19 yards and Jimmy Athans gained 21. Hill, who calls plays for the Salukis, decided to get tricky, and sent Geelen sprinting to the end zone as time expired in the second quarter after lining up for a field goal.

“We liked that fake, all week had worked on it, got the look and we didn’t check out of it,” Hill said. 

After halftime, the Salukis possession took 12 plays, and they marched 73 yards down the field in just under 4 minutes, led by big catches from Nah’Shawn Hezekiah and Bradley Clark. After an incompletion on a shot to the end zone, Curry showed off his legs and proceeded to run 16 yards into the endzone for a Saluki touchdown. Geelen’s extra point was good and left the score at 24-14.

The Dawgs came out of the break firing on all cylinders. After the offense scored, the defense held the Bears to a meager 19 yards and a punt. However, Missouri State’s defense came out ready to play, and brought any momentum the SIU offense had to a screeching halt after holding the Salukis to negative yards.

“The defense got a stop and then we’ve gotta be able to rattle off a couple more scores,” Hill said. 

The Bears slammed the door on any possible Saluki comeback with another rushing touchdown, going up by three scores and leaving the gap at 31-14. 

Late in the third quarter, the Salukis started a drive on their own 20 up 3 and 6 at their 24-yard line. After a couple short gains, the Dawgs went for it on fourth down, knowing it was now or never for them. Miles Marshall caught Curry’s pass but was well short of the first down, leaving the Bears with a short field.

An even deeper hole was avoided after linebacker Shane Roth kept Missouri State out of the endzone by picking off Clark. The interception was the first of Roth’s career.

Facing a 17-point deficit and looking for any sort of spark, SIU threw Lindauer back into the game. Lindauer was unable to deliver as his rough game continued, and ended a short Saluki drive with another interception.

On the ensuing play, Missouri State’s Jmariyae Robinson was believed to have a touchdown but lost the ball at the goal line. Safety Iverson Brown made the recovery, and the Salukis started their next drive from their own goal line.

Curry immediately got the offense out of the shadow of the end zone when he connected with Allen Middleton for a 33-yard gain. The positive plays would end there though; Curry’s next pass was an interception, the third on the day for Saluki quarterbacks. 

With the game mostly out of reach, the Salukis put together one of their most complete drives of the day, led by a 43 yards on the ground by Athans. A 25-yard field goal by Geelen left the score at 31-17 with just over two minutes remaining. 

The Bears continued to run up the score; Jayden Becks punched in a 1-yard touchdown. Obeid’s extra point put the Bears up 38-17, which ended up being the final score after a fruitless Saluki drive ran out the clock.
The faceoff with Missouri State was the last the Salukis may have for several years, as the Bears are departing for Conference USA next season. The Bears improved to 5-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, while SIU fell to 0-5. The Dawgs will take the field next in a matchup against rival Youngstown State on Nov. 9 at Saluki Stadium.

Sports reporter Joslyn Cole can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook and on X @dailyegyptian.

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