It was another long Saturday on the gridiron for the Salukis as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits offense ran rampant.
Amar Johnson led a Jackrabbits running game that tore the Dawgs apart, with 14 carries for 157 of the teams 288 rushing yards and two of the five touchdowns.
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“That’s what they’ve hung their hat on, is running the football at a high clip and they did that effectively today.” Hill said.
The Salukis had no answers for the Jackrabbits, and only after finding themselves down 41 in the third quarter was Michael Lindauer able to connect with Allen Middleton for a 48-yard touchdown.
“We weren’t good enough to make it a game today.” head coach Nick Hill said.
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The Salukis took a business trip up to Brookings, South Dakota on Saturday, Nov. 16 for a date with the twice-defending national champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The Salukis, coming off a home win, dropped yet another game with a final score of 41-10.
The Salukis got the ball first and got into enemy territory on two plays, in part due to a penalty on the Jackrabbits. SIU then faced a fourth-and-short and went for it, but an incomplete pass would give the ball to the home team.
On their first offensive play of the afternoon South Dakota State broke off a 43-yard gain to get to the Dawgs 21, where they would then convert on third down to get inside the 10. After a touchdown got called back for a penalty on the offense, the Jackrabbits settled for a field goal.
On their next possession, SIU wasn’t able to move the ball enough and faced a fourth-and-one from their own territory and went for it again, knowing they’d have to make big plays to stay in the game. The Salukis were unable to pick it up and turned the ball over on downs.
Coming off the turnover on downs, the SIU defense did its job and forced a South Dakota State punt. The Salukis were able to pick up a first down, but wouldn’t get much further and themselves punted.
As the second quarter began, South Dakota State’s offense woke up. Three big passing plays got them up to SIU’s 11 yard line, setting up Jackrabbits running back Angel Johnson for a 6-yard touchdown, their first of five on the day.
An early penalty got the Dawgs behind the sticks which led to a third-and-long. Freshman quarterback Jake Curry, coming off his best game of the season against Youngstown State, tried to make something happen, but his pass attempt was intercepted and set up the Jackrabbits at the SIU 20.
South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski punched the ball in from the one, the start of a Jackrabbits scoring onslaught. After a quick Saluki three-and-out, Amar Johnson took a 9-yard run to the house to put SDSU up by 24.
Operating with two minutes and change in the first half after another Saluki three-and-out, the Jackrabbits were able to complete two big passes to get deep into SIU territory. Kirby Vorhees finished the drive with a four yard touchdown on the ground to push the South Dakota State lead to 31-0.
Out of halftime, the Jackrabbits showed no signs of letting up, with two 20-yard gains into Salukis territory. Two incomplete passes set up a field goal for South Dakota State.
SIU still had no answers for the South Dakota State defense out of the locker room despite a change at QB, with Lindauer entering the game. Their first drive of the second half ended with an interception, and South Dakota State capitalized on the takeaway and capped off with a long drive yet another rushing touchdown.
On their next series, the Salukis were able to get into enemy territory for the first time since their opening drive. Facing a fourth-and-six and with nothing to lose, the Dawgs went for it. After a breakdown in coverage, Lindauer found a wide-open Middleton for a 48-yard touchdown to get the Dawgs on the board.
With Curry exiting the game early due to a nagging injury, Lindauer led the passing game with 12 completions for 145 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
“Mike’s out here playing and competing.” Hill said.
After a largely quiet fourth for both teams, The Salukis were able to get into range for a Paul Geelen field goal with 2:17 left in the fourth. Geelen converted his seventh field goal of the season to put the Dawgs down 41-10.
The Salukis (3-8, 1-6) will be at home next Saturday for the season finale on Nov. 23 when they take on the Murray State Racers (1-10, 0-7).
Sports Reporter Nick Pfannkuche 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 X @dailyegyptian.
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