One of the key factors in the Saluki victory against Illinois State University Saturday, SIUC football coach Jan Quarless said, was the play of the defense despite early problems.

I’m really pleased with the defense in the sense that when they had to blow up, they did blow up at the right time like they did Saturday, Quarless said.

We all talk about the pass from (Kent) Skornia to (Cornell) Craig and the 99-yard drive, but those are only possible because we stopped them. You got to give the defense credit because they were able to come through when they should.

Advertisement

The Salukis stopped the Redbirds in the final minutes of the game and hung on to give the offense a chance to score and win the game 31-29 at McAndrew Stadium.

The defense forced the Redbirds to try a 34-yard field goal attempt that failed with 1:01 left in the game. ISU kicker Jake Strader had hit a 34-yard field goal earlier in the game, but missed on his second try.

A few misplays eventually resulted in ISU touchdowns. In the second quarter, ISU was in a third-down-and-35 situation. The Saluki blitz forced ISU quarterback Kevin Glenn to run, but SIUC received a penalty when senior linebacker Greg Harrison shoved Glenn after he was already out of bounds.

Quarless said the defense has struggled to take control of the line of scrimmage and to do it early in the game.

He said one of the reasons the defense has not controlled the line effectively is the offense was not providing time for the defense to rest.

We were only 2-for-9 in third-down conversions, Quarless said. That’s not healthy. Once again, that reflects on why the defense is on the field so much. We need to keep them off the field and let them regroup.

SIUC had 17 first downs, but Illinois State had 31 first downs and converted nine times in 20 third-down conversion attempts. At one point in the second quarter, the Redbirds had 20 plays and 71 yards in seven minutes and 22 seconds that resulted in a touchdown.

Advertisement*

The time of possession was in favor of the Redbirds. Illinois State had the ball for 38:49, while the Salukis had the ball for 21:11. The Redbirds gained 564 yards on 104 plays, compared to the Salukis’ 404 yards on 54 plays.

Skornia said part of the reason the defense is on the field so long is because of the quick scoring drives by the SIUC offense.

I think our game plan was to keep their offense off the field, Skornia said. It just so happened the first few drives we scored so fast. As long as we score fast, I am fine with that. Every now and then, we get in a lull. We just can’t find a way out of it, and it takes a few drives to figure out what is going on.

The first touchdown of the game came in the first quarter on a drive that lasted only 31 seconds. In the fourth quarter, the offense drove 99 yards in 2:29, and in the final minute of the game, the Salukis drove 80 yards in 56 seconds.

But defensive players such as senior linebacker Ryan Hallahan said the extra playing time in a game is something he enjoys, even though it can be exhausting.

I like it, Hallahan said. I got a little tired, but I like it. We’re in pretty good condition, but you are going to get tired after awhile.

The Salukis travel to the University of South Florida for a non-conference battle at 6 p.m. Saturday.