Southern Illinois University traveled to Murray, Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 1 to face off against Murray State University, returning SIU quarterback DJ Williams to his former stomping grounds.  After a 27-7 victory, the Dawgs handed Murray their 18th-loss in a row – during the Racer’s Homecoming.

SIU won the coin toss and made a 23-yard return from the SIU 5-yard line. SIU drove up the field with Murray getting an offsides penalty on their own 2-yard line, just before Williams rushed the ball in for a touchdown. 

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Murray got their chance to play, starting on their own 25-yard line. Murray quarterback Jim Ogle threw up the middle to wide receiver JK Carter and advanced to the SIU thirty-yard line, Murray later turned over on downs. 

Running back Chandler Chapman rushed to the right for a gain of 13 yards to the SIU 29-yard line, which was pushed back 5 yards due to a false start. After two back-to-back incomplete throws, SIU punted the ball.

Ogle passed to Racer wide receiver Jalen Richmond for an 8-yard gain. After a one-yard setback, Ogle completed a 3-yard pass to Carter, for a first down. Ogle passed up the middle for 19 yards to Carter, ending the first quarter with a first down on the SIU 41st yard line. 

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The second quarter started as Ogle passed to the left for 4 yards to Carter who caught and advanced to the SIU 39 for a first down. A 15-yard penalty on the SIU defence for pass interference moved Murray up to the SIU 32. The ball was picked off at the SIU 10 as SIU safety CeJai Parson ran up the field for 54 yards before being brought down on the Murray 36-yard line by Richmond. 

SIU sprinted with a 6-yard rush to get to the Murray 30-yard line. During their second play, Williams pushed up 12 yards before being shoved off to get to a first down. Williams then rushed again for 13 yards to the Murray 5-yard line. After a no-gain rush, Salukis called for a timeout. 

After a field goal, Salukis led 10-0 against Murray as the Racers started their third drive of the game at the Murray 20-yard line. The drive did not last long before Murray decided to pull out their punter, who punted the ball away 

SIU’s fourth drive of the game saw the Salukis on fourth and 3. A timeout was called by coach Nick Hill before Williams faked the run, passing the ball 39 yards to running back Lem Wash. Williams rushed into the endzone, helping SIU secure a 17-0 lead.

Murray drove up to the SIU 20 line, with SIU receiving another 5-yard penalty. Murray took a timeout while they were fourth and 1, just before getting the first down on the SIU 19. Ogle passed to Carter to secure a Murray touchdown making it 17-7 at the half. 

Murray started their drive on its 27-yard line and made two yard gains before they were forced to punt. 

SIU pushed down the field with their momentum, stopping at Murray’s 41-yard line. Williams threw a completed pass to tight end Aidan Quinn, who was forced to fumble the ball by Shadon Shannon, giving the ball back to Murray on the Murray 29-yard line. 

With their newly possessed ball, Murray pushed down the field for a first down. After the first down, Ogle missed two throws, and the ball was punted back to SIU. 

SIU started their drive with a 22-yard pass to tight end Miles Marshall, which lined them up to move 22 more yards over three separate plays. After a zero-gain rush and an incomplete pass from Williams, SIU kicked a 35-yard field goal. 

Murray put coal into the furnace at the beginning of the drive as running back Jawaun Northington moved them 33 yards, but the fire didn’t last long as Murray punted the ball to SIU to end the third quarter 20-7. 

The fourth quarter began with SIU on its 31-yard line with a 6-yard rush by Williams. Running back Edward Robinson rushed up the middle and moved the ball 17 yards to the Murray 47-yard line. Williams made a deep 21-yard pass to Wash for a rushing touchdown. 

Murray got the ball on their own 29-yard line. During their first play of the drive, quarterback Baxter Wright rushed for an 8-yard gain before he was forced to fumble by SIU defensive end Caden Reeves. Williams failed to complete a pass to wide receiver Fabin McCray on the Murray 10, forcing them to punt.. 

Murray got the ball to their own 45-yard line before quarterback Kaleb Bailey rushed down the middle for 16 yards, placing Murray in SIU territory. Bailey threw down the middle to the warm, welcoming arms of SIU Safety Cejai Parson as he returned the ball 15 yards to the SIU 20-yard line.

SIU used its possession of the football to drive up the field before kneeling down to end the game 27-7, marking a vengeful win for former Murray State QB DJ Williams and the 18th straight loss for Murray State.

SIU moves to 6-3 on the season and 3-2 in MVFC play. The Salukis stay on the road for a matchup against Youngstown State (5-4, 2-3) next Saturday, Nov. 8. 

Staff Reporter Will Elliott can be reached at [email protected] or on instagram @cameramanwill06

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