CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. – The Southern Illinois football team earned a hard-fought, 35-17 win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday night.

“I think our upperclassmen showed the way here–Ryan Neal and Jeremy Chinn and guys who have played,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “I thought overall it was a great week of practice and preparation. The coaching staff did a great job of staying together on the sideline and figuring out a way to come out with a win.”

The win snapped a 12-game road losing streak that went all the way back into the 2014 season, including a loss to SEMO at Houck Field in 2015. In that 2015 game, Southern turned it over on the first play of the game and never recovered en route to seven turnovers and a 27-24 loss. In this game, Southern (2-0) turned it over on the first play of the game but immediately recovered.

The defense held SEMO to a field goal, then the offense rattled off 21-straight points to take a 21-3 lead. Southeast Missouri (0-3) got within 21-10, but the Saluki offense immediately answered with a five-play, 58-yard scoring drive that took just 43 seconds. SIU took a 28-10 lead into halftime.

“Forcing that field goal on the first drive was really big,” Hill said. “I told our guys that there would be some kind of adversity for us to overcome in order to get this 12-game road losing streak over.”

Sam Straub threw for 126 of his 206 yards in that second quarter spurt. Darrell James had 112 yards in the first-half alone, thanks to 37- and 38-yard touchdown catches. Straub also hit Connor Iwema and Raphael Leonard for big plays.

Nearly every SIU score was set up a big play on special teams. After SEMO took the 3-0 lead, D.J. Davis returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards; the Salukis scored nine plays later. Craig James returne a punt 14 yards; the Salukis scored six plays later. After SEMO got within 21-10, Davis again had a big kick return–this time 38 yards; the Salukis scored five plays later.

And the lone SIU score of the second half was set up by a punt. Lane Reazin boomed one 60 yards, and SEMO’s returner dropped it heading backwards; the Salukis scored four plays later to make the lead 35-10.

While the big plays came in the passing game, SIU still maintained nearly a 50-50 split between runs and passes at halftime, which paid off in the second half. With a big lead, SIU turned to power back Jonathan Mixon. Thirteen of Mixon’s 17 rush attempts came in the final 19 minutes. The Salukis controlled the ball for 13 of those final 19 minutes, icing the victory.

“I think it says a lot about our team that we were able to just keep grinding and take the air out of the football to do what we had to do to win,” Hill said. “We could have opened it up and spread it out, but if we’re going to win championships we have to be able to run the ball, play good defense and play great special teams.”

UP NEXT: Southern Illinois travels to FBS opponent Memphis next Saturday, Sept. 23. The Tigers are 2-0 and beat nationally-ranked UCLA earlier on Saturday.

NOTES

SIU has won 10 of the last 12 meetings against SEMO … In regular season games since 2003, SIU is 35-4 against non-conference, non-FBS opponents … The Salukis snapped a 12-game road losing streak. SIU’s last road win before tonight was Nov. 8, 2014 at Missouri State … SEMO now leads the all-time series, 40-37-8, and the series in Cape 19-18-4 … The Salukis have won six of the last seven SIU-SEMO meetings played in Cape Girardeau … The Salukis are 2-0 for just the second time since 2007 (SIU started the season 3-0 in 2014) … Dating back to the end of last year, SIU has won four of its last five games.

http://www.siusalukis.com/boxscore.aspx?path=football&id=7831

Players of the Week

Offense
QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota Sr., 6-3, 215, Crystal Lake (Ill.) Marian Central Catholic High / Minnesota

Streveler passed for 306 yards, ran for a game-high 119 yards, and accounted for four of South Dakota’s five touchdowns in a 35-27 win at Bowling Green. It was the program’s second win against a FBS program (Minnesota, 2010).

Streveler passed for 300 yards for the second time in 12 games as a Coyote, and surpassed 100 yards rushing for the sixth time. His three rushing scores are a career best, and he hooked up with Kody Case on a 72-yard bomb in the middle of the first quarter.

Streveler has accounted for 10 touchdowns in two games this season.

Defense

SS Robbie Grimsley, North Dakota State Jr., 6-0, 191, Hutchinson (Minn.) High

Grimsley recorded his eighth and ninth career interceptions in North Dakota State’s 40-13 win at Eastern Washington.  Grimsley had two other pass breakups and totaled four tackles for the Bison, who slowed the Eagles to 54 plays and allowed just 73 yards in the final three quarters.

LB Jared Farley, UNI Sr., 5-11, 224, Cedar Falls (Iowa) High With Saturday’s game vs. Cal Poly tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, Farley scooped up a fumble and took it 48 yards for the score.

The touchdown return was Farley’s first of his career, while the fumble recovery was Farley’s
fifth at UNI. Farley finished the game with 11 total tackles, with four solos and seven assists.

Special Teams

PK Chase Vinatieri, South Dakota State So., 6-1, 210, Sioux Falls (S.D.) Roosevelt High
Vinatieri booted a career-long 47-yard field goal and scored what proved to be the decisive
touchdown on a fake field goal to lift the fourth-ranked Jackrabbits to a 31-27 victory at
Montana State.

He also recorded touchbacks on five of his six kickoffs to limit the Montana State return game.

Newcomer

DE Justus Reed, Youngstown State Jr., 6-3, 250, Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic

Reed had three sacks and three quarterback hurries in the Penguins’ 30-0 win over
Robert Morris. It was the first shutout win for the program in exactly five years – Sept. 9,
2012. He had five total tackles in the game.

Offensive Lineman LT Nick Jensen, South Dakota Jr., Vermillion (S.D.) High

Graded out at 78 percent in leading the Coyotes to a 35-27 win against Bowling Green. It
was the program’s second win against an FBS program. The Coyotes racked up 520 yards of
total offense against the Falcons including 214 on the ground and 306 through the air. Three
of USD five TD drives spanned 74 yards or more, including a 99-yard touchdown drive to
open the game that gave USD a 7-0 lead.

SIU defense leads the nation in the least rushing yards gained

The MVFC holds the top four spots in the NCAA FCS statistics for rushing yards allowed
per game. Last week, Southern Illinois held Mississippi Valley State to minus-8 rush
yards, and the Salukis currently lead the nation (having played just one game).
FCS Leaders – Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed
Rank, Team (Conf.) Rush Yds. YPG
1. Southern Illinois (MVFC) 29 -8 -8.0
2. Illinois State (MVFC) 21 0 0.0
3. North Dakota State (MVFC) 51 39 19.5
4. Western Illinois (MVFC) 46 57 28.5
5. Sacred Heart (Northeast) 61 58 29.0
6.. N.C. A&T (Mid-Eastern) 69 87 43.5
7. Monmouth (Big South) 54 107 53.5

Running Away With It

Six MVFC schools rank among the Top 20 in the FCS in rushing yards per game, led
by North Dakota State’s 436.5-yard figure.  Three MVFC schools rank in the Top 8.

FCS Leaders – Rushing Yards Per Game
Rank, Team (Conf.) Rush Yds. YPG
1. North Dakota St. (MVFC) 116 873 436.5
2. The Citadel (Southern) 140 809 404.5
3. Western Caro. (Southern) 97 695 347.5
4. Illinois State (MVFC) 48 320 320.0
5. Kennesaw St. (Big South) 106 602 301.0
6. Prairie View (Southwestern) 45 297 297.0
7. Sacred Heart (Northeast) 104 588 294.0
8. Southern Illinois (MVFC) 54 285 285.0
9. Wofford (Southern) 109 543 271.5

7 MVFC Teams in Top 25

For the 12th time in league history, seven MVFC teams are ranked in the same
week. Notably, 3 teams are in the Top 5 for the second time in history (9-28-15:
NDSU-2; ILS-3; SDSU-5). HERO Sports’ BennettRank is also listed and is a computer
predictive metric that ranks all FCS teams. The Sagarin ranking ranks all 254 Division I teams, but the number listed is each team’s position within the FCS.

Team FCS STATS HERO SAG.
North Dakota State 2 2 1 1
South Dakota State 4 4 4 3
Youngstown State 5 6 3 4
Illinois State 14 18 13 9
UNI 18 21 16 6
Western Illinois 22 20 19 12
South Dakota 23 23 22 13
Southern Illinois — rv 32 21
Indiana State — — 51 56
Missouri State — — 73 60

Sagarin Rankings, Conference Leaders (FCS)
1. MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL
2. CAA Football
3. Southern
4. Big Sky
5. Big South

 

by Reece Rutland, Rend Lake College Sports Information Director

MONTGOMERY, IN – Rend Lake College’s Warrior Golf Team finished day two of Vincennes University Fall Invite in commanding fashion, finishing the tournament in first place with a second round 296 for a tournament total of 597.

Host Vincennes finished in second with 604; Oakland City put up a score of 623, and Lincoln Trail rounded things out with 641.

RLC’s Jack Pring (England) led the warriors with a first round 73 and a second round 70 (143). Jace Swartzlander (Centralia) shot 72, 74 (146) to finish second on the Warrior scorecard and fourth in the scorecard playoff.

Outside of the team scoring, several Warriors posted solid outings as individual competitors. T.J. Broy (West Frankfort) finished third a two-round 159. Sean Scott (Waltonville) had a fourth-place finish with 161. Riley Edwards (Nashville, Ill.) was close behind, tied for fifth with a 162, and Nelson Parlato (Wollongong, Australia) finished eighty with a 165.
The Warriors are back in action on Sept. 17-18 as they travel to Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion to participate in the John A. Logan Invitational.

 

by William Becque – siusalukis.com

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Saluki volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (15-25, 17-25, 22-25) setback to the Western Michigan Broncos on the final day of competition at the WMU Invitational Saturday night. Southern’s Maggie Nedoma was one of six selected to the All-Tournament team.

The Broncos (5-3) used a 7-0 run to break a 6-6 tie in the opening set. Southern (0-7) was unable to close the gap, as Western Michigan went on to build a 10-point spread three times, the last coming at 22-12. Back-to-back Bronco attack errors got SIU to within eight (22-14), but that was as close as Southern could get.

Western Michigan started out the second set in similar fashion, getting out to a quick 6-1 lead. SIU responded with a 4-0 spurt, as Hannah Becker and Nedoma each tallied a kill and Ashley Edelen added a service ace to cut Southern’s deficit down to one, 6-5. The Broncos again utilized a big run to break away from the Salukis, as a 9-1 swing gave WMU a 15-6 lead in the second set. Southern got to within seven, 24-17, on a Broncos service error, but a solo block by WMU’s Quiana Ware ended the second set at 25-17.

The Salukis outhit the Broncos, .367-to-.364, in the third frame, but Western Michigan got the last laugh in a set that featured 12 ties and three lead changes. Barrow staked SIU to an early 5-2 lead, but three-straight points by the Broncos evened the score at 5-5. SIU built a pair of three-point spreads, with an attack error by Western Michigan giving Southern a 13-10 advantage.

The Broncos again responded with a three-point spurt to tie the score. Neither team was able to take more than a two point lead until the Broncos broke a 21-21 tie with another three-point spurt (24-21) to get to set point. A kill by Andrea Estrada got SIU to within two, but the Broncos sided out to win the set and the match.

Four Saluki hitters recorded at least five kills, led by Barrow, who finished with a team-best seven kills. Estrada added six kills and eight digs, while Kolby Meeks hit a team-best .417 with five kills on 12 attempts and no errors. Nedoma finished with five kills against Western Michigan en route to earning All-Tournament Team honors. The Berea Park, Ohio native hit .347 and tallied 23 kills (3.28 kills/set) during the two-match tournament.

Rachel Maguire dished out 15 assists and had eight digs, while Alayna Martin totaled 14 assists and six digs. Edelen led all Salukis with nine digs.

Western Michigan outhit Southern Illinois, .330 to .140 for the match, and led in blocks, 6-2.

The Salukis return home to the SIU Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 12, when they host the SEMO Redhawks. First serve is set for 7 p.m.

by Kari Johnston, siusalukis.com

Southern Illinois tees off its season on Friday at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville, Indiana as part of a competitive 15-team field that includes five squads in the top 100 on golfstat.com.

The lineup includes top 50 programs Central Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina State. SIU begins the season ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Wolf Run Golf Club is a demanding, world-class course that was ranked No. 15 on Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses in 2007.

The top two returning players from the 2016 Wolf Run Intercollegiate are Brian Carlson from Purdue, who finished in third, and Ian Snyman from North Texas, who finished in fourth. Last year, Illinois won the tournament.

“Wolf Run will be a great test for us,” said SIU head coach Justin Fetcho. “The golf course is very challenging and will require us to control our emotions and cope with any adversity that pops up.”
The Salukis’ five-man squad will be returnees Sam Meek, Luke Gannon, Peyton Wilhoit and Frankie Thomas, plus newcomer Hunter York. York is a transfer from John A. Logan College and was ranked as the No. 11 juco Player to Watch in the country as of last fall.
“Practice and qualifying have been very competitive and the guys have been working very hard,” Fetcho said. “Everyone traveling this week has played some great golf over the last couple of weeks and they are chomping at the bit to compete against some of the best teams in the country.”
The first teams will tee off at 9 a.m. on Friday morning with the Salukis teeing off at 9:50 a.m. Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com.

From John Lock – Associate Sports Information Director, Southern Illinois University

OPENING STATEMENT

I’m excited that it is finally game week and we are finally here. It seems like it’s been a while, especially not being able to play the first week. We had to sit back and watch everyone play, really for two weekends. Our guys are ready to play. Really all of college football has had a five-week training camp. I feel like we’re in a good spot and we’re healthy. We’ve been able to give them some days off. I think last night was the most balanced I’ve seen them in a week or two. They have another day off today and we’ll hit our stride tomorrow for game week. We’re excited that it’s here. I’m really just excited to watch our team play. You go through spring football and summer and you recruit all of these guys, as a head coach it’s fun for game day to watch them go out there and play. I’m excited for Saturday for that.

An update on injuries, there’s no update on Roman Tatum from the beginning of the year. He’s battling and we’ll see where he’s at, but there is a realistic possibility that he’s out for the season. Landon Lenoir had surgery about four days ago. Right now it’s probably about 6-8 weeks with him and we’ll see where he’s at with how he progresses. I feel bad for Landon because he’s one of our top targets. He’s a young kid with a bright future, and he still is. He’ll keep battling for it when he comes back. Ernest Dye got injured a little over a week ago. He will probably be out for 2-3 weeks. We’re hoping to get him back pretty soon. Josh Podzielinski, another offensive lineman, went down with a hamstring about 10 days ago and will be probable for this game. He will be back in practice tomorrow and we will see where he’s at. He will be dressed for this game. We have some young kids that will get a chance to play and get some more reps.

With that said, I have a ton of respect for Mississippi Valley’s head coach. When you look as a young head coach and see a guy with 156 wins and I have four, he obviously knows what he’s doing. He’s won a ton of football games. They will keep getting better throughout the season. We all know what it’s like to go up to Fargo and play in that environment. It can get away from you pretty quickly. He’s not the only person that has went up there and struggled with a good football team.

We have to concentrate on us. We haven’t played a game yet and they have. They get to make some corrections and you see a lot of improvement from game one to game two. That’s what we’re expecting. They’ll come in here and play better than they did in week one. We have to control what we can control. We’re worried about what we do and how we play. They will have some talented football players and we’re expected to go out and play a good football game.

Who will start in Lenoir’s spot on Saturday?

We have guys go and start the game at wide receiver, but we don’t have starters really. We have six or seven guys that can play. At the beginning of the year, we thought it’s going to be tough to make the bus with this group. Landon is one of the we thought we’d be counting on. Darrell James has played a ton of football. Jimmy Jones is back. We have guys that will step in and play. We have some young guys who will progress. We’ll see if we’re going to put them out there at the beginning of the year or not. We have some depth at wide receiver. That’s one position that we felt like we could probably take an injury at because we have some talented depth.

Lenoir is a good blocker too. Do you feel like you lose something there?

That’s a collective with that group. We pride ourselves on being a blocking team. He’s come a long way, but he watched the group in front of him last year. It took him six or seven games to get on the field because that wasn’t his strong point. Connor (Iwema), Jimmy and Darrell are probably our top-three blockers. We’ll be good at that. We do that every single day here. You don’t get on the field unless you make that a point of emphasis and are able to block.

Who will start on the offensive line?

Right now, with those two injuries, Jacob Marnin will move over to guard and Jack White will start at center. Matt Chmielewski and Aaron Harris will play guard. You’ll probably see seven or eight guys play on the offensive line during week one and that’s a good thing. We have to build some depth. As soon as we get those guys back and we see where Podzielinski is at we can see about who is out there and the combinations we use, but we’re playing around with that still.

How have Withney Simon and Airan Reed looked in practice?

He’s a guy that hasn’t redshirted. He played as a true freshman. He always finds the ball. He’s played on special teams. Last year, he started the season as the number one. Then Airan Reedmoved into that position and Withney just kind of bounced around. All of this will come down to what kind of depth we have.

As for Airan Reed, he’s a top-level talent. He’s as athletic as anyone you’ll find when you’re recruiting a player. He came here as a safety and we moved him to outside linebacker. That’s how we play that position. You have to be able to play some man-to-man. You’re going to get caught in coverages playing cover one. He can rush the passer and we’ll use him in those situations as well. He has the ability to find the quarterback and get him down. He’s come a long way from where he was at. A lot of these guys were babies in this defense last year just trying to find their way and figure things out. Airan was one of those guys. His snap counts went way up at the end of last season and he was playing at a high level. Now, he’s had an offseason and you’d like to see him stay on the pace to get better. That’s what he’s done all summer. It’s just like the rest of our team. Now he has to go out there and do it.

The defense looks a lot better than they did this time last year. Is that because they have a year under their belt?

I think so. That’s with anything you do. I talked about that through training camp. The more you do anything the better you’re going to get at it. Experience is huge. The only way to get experience is to go out there, get thrown in the fire and learn from your mistakes. College football moves fast. Those guys have a lot of reps now. When you hear the same terminology over and over and over again and see different situations. By year two, the game slows down for you. Hopefully it does that for a lot of the defense. It’s not like you master it in year two either. We know that. The game is full of situations on how you adapt to things, whether it’s in practice or a game. That’s the thing I like with this team. Is the ability to adjust a stay together and figure it out together.

What excites you the most about the defense?

We’re athletic. We’re young and will be youngest defensive line in the country. There will be times when there are four freshmen out there together, redshirt freshmen and true freshmen. The other ones like Blake Parzych and Malik Haynes are second-year players, but they’re same age as those redshirt freshmen. Still they didn’t play a ton last year, but they’re a bit ahead. We’re mainly made up of first a second year players on the defensive line. There are some players that will be names that Saluki fans know for a long time around here. I’m excited to see them make some plays and have some fun on Saturday.

At linebacker, Cody Crider made some plays around here as a redshirt freshman. I think he was in the 60s in tackles. He’s as athletic of a linebacker as you’ll find. Kyron Watson is a leader on our team. He really brings the energy and our team feeds off of Kyron. Chase Allen just made the 53-man roster (for the Miami Dolphins). Kyron and Chase split reps last year at that positon. We have Kyron back, and Markese Jackson is a guy who is back that played starter reps. He can play multiple positions. We feel like we have five or six guys that can play at the linebacker position.

Is Jonathon Mixon still dealing with injuries?

No, Mixon has looked really good at practice the last few days. He was full go last night and moved really well. He will be a full participant all week. Unless there is a setback, he will be cleared and full go for Saturday.

What role does Mixon play with the running backs?

You’ll see him get series where he is our change of pace back. You want to see tailbacks get a rhythm and stack those carries because it’s a position where you have to get a feel and get hit qet lathered up to get going. That’s what the best ones do. It’s not like he’s going to get a certain number of carries. He closed out games for us last year. That’s what we’d like from him. You see games in the fourth quarter where you need a big bell cow to carry it home and Mixon can do that.

What is Daquan Isom’s role?

It’s big for us. He’s a guy who can score from anywhere on the field. He gives you an explosive back the field. He can catch out of the back field and take it the distance. I don’t know how many career catches he has, but he catches the ball well and he can be used in the screen game. I tell people all the time that physically he’s in the best shape he’s ever been in. When he was a freshman he carried the ball at under 170 pounds. He was 166 or 167 pounds. Now he’s in the 190s. He’s put on 20 to 25 pounds of muscle. He’s our strongest running back, even with Mixon. If you get him in the weight room, he’s an explosive kid. He’s not a huge back, but now that he’s in 190-pound range, hopefully he can carry the ball into the 20 carries a game range.

What do you know about Mississippi Valley’s quarterbacks? They play a few.

Yeah, the first guy, number three, I saw play in junior college. He got the start. It’s hard to judge a quarterback when they’re playing under pressure. Number one, you’re in the dome and you can’t hear. It’s hard to replicate that in training camp. So they’re going off a silent count and you can tell that the entire game. You can tell that by how they were snapping the ball. Not many people go in there and win, look successful and move the football in recent years. It wasn’t a great game to judge those quarterbacks. Especially going up there and playing against one of the best defensive lines in college football. They had a lot of heat on them. They didn’t have a lot of time to look down field. They’re college quarterbacks for a reason and that’s the way they we will prepare for them. The second two guys that came in could run the ball well. We look for them to have a package of that and we have to be ready for anything.

Defensively, they play a 4-4 sometimes with one free safety. How do you test that with your passing game?

Yeah, really nothing changes for us offensively this game or the next. We’re going to watch the film and have an answer for whatever they do. We went back and have watched very game they played last year, plus the NDSU game. They like to bring guys down in the box to stop the run. It’s just like anything, if they put too many guys in the box you have to be able to throw and if they back out you have to be able to run the ball. We can’t make things too complicated. If it’s not a good box to run and they have more guys in there than we can block, then we better start throwing. Hopefully we can hit them with a few throws to loosen them up so we can run the football.

What have you noticed about Sam Straub’s progression?

I think the confidence about him. We meet in the office and we sit down and talk. It’s not about how many completions he gets; he just has to win. I can see that in him. I think the confidence of him knowing that he doesn’t have to make a play. Sometimes the best play is throwing it into the third row and avoiding a sack. That’s what I’ve seen him be able to do now that he knows he’s the guy. No matter is we’re sitting here preaching that same thing to two or three guys, you still have the natural tendency to press a bit. I haven’t seen that in him. He’s just taking what the defense gives him. Coach Van Dam does a great job with the quarterbacks and them understanding the offense. We trust Sam, and I told him that in the game. He’s big in the game plans and on the sidelines on Saturday in knowing what he’s seeing out there. He knows our offense. I’m happy where Sam is at and I’m excited to see him go out there and play.

Jimmy Jones can be a factor on the field. What have you seen from him?

He is still getting healthy. That’s an injury that is tough to come back from. We limit his reps every day. He hasn’t been a full participant. He gets out there because he is a competitor. He’s snuck out there a few times when he’s not supposed to. He’s a difference maker when he is out there. He can run and speed kills in this came. He can run right by and he can make you miss when he gets the ball. He can do a little bit of everything. He’s always proven that when he’s been out there and been healthy. That’s hard to do when you go out and you’re playing, but we have to be smart with him throughout the week in practice. He’s gotten in the best shape. He will be out there on Saturday and have a package of plays. I’d like to see him continue to improve and by midseason have him back to Jimmy Jones form. You see him in practice now he’s still got that gear and can still run.

 

From Mike Kern, Associate Commissioner, Missouri Valley Football Conference  

ST LOUIS, MO – This week’s Missouri Valley Football Conference Players of the Week include QB Chris Streveler of South Dakota; LB Quentin Moon of Western Illinois; P Brady Schutt of South Dakota; and QB Peyton Huslig of Missouri State.

Offense

QB Chris Streveler, South Dakota Sr., 6-3, 215, Crystal Lake (Ill.) Marian Central Catholic High / Minnesota
Streveler accounted for six touchdowns in one half of play in leading South Dakota to a 77-7 win against Drake Saturday in Des Moines. Streveler completed 17 of 24 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns. He was also the game’s leading rusher at halftime, carrying 11 times for 53 yards and a touchdown. The 56 points South Dakota scored in the first half were the most since 2005. The Coyote offense scored touchdowns on seven of its eight first-half possessions.

Defense
LB Quentin Moon, Western Illinois Jr., 6-2, 232, Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike

Moon set a career-high making 3.5 tackles for a loss, part of his 10 tackles at Tennessee Tech. Moon recorded an 11-yard sack, forced a fumble and returned it six yards. In the first three quarters, Moon recorded all 10 of his tackles and Tech managed just 89 total yards.

Special Teams
P Brady Schutt, South Dakota R-Fr., 6-1, 205, Orange City (Iowa) MOC/FV HS

Schutt pinned all four of his punts inside the 20 while making his collegiate debut against Drake in Des Moines Saturday. He averaged 38.5 yards while pinning the Bulldogs on their 3-, 14-, 16- and 18-yard lines. Drake threw interceptions, including a pick-six, on two of those four possessions.

Newcomer
QB Peyton Huslig, Missouri State, So., 6-3, 205, Andover (Kan.) Andover Central High / Garden City (Kan.) CC

Huslig completed 24-of-35 passes for 353 yards while accounting for three of Missouri State’s six touchdowns (2 pass/1 rush). He guided the MSU offense to touchdowns in each of its first three possessions, as the Bears converted their first five third-down tries and ran up their best-ever point total (43) against an FBS foe. He added a 10-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter, and his 353 passing yards mark the most for a Bears quarterback since Ashton Glaser threw for 357 against Murray State on Sept. 15, 2012.

OTHERS NOMINATED
Offense
WR Christian Gibbs, Illinois State — 5 catches, 79 yards, 2 TDs
RB LeMonte Booker, Indiana State — 158 all-purpose yards, 2 TDs, 154 rushing yards
TB Christian Turner, Youngstown State — 5 catches, 124 yards, 2 TDs
WR Malik Earl, Missouri State — 8 catches, 163 yards, 1 TD (career-long 89-yarder)
WR Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State — 6 catches, 75 yards, MVFC-record tying 4 TDs
WR Jaelon Acklin, Western Illinois — 5 catches, 79 yards, 2 TDs
RB Ty Brooks, North Dakota State – 11 carries, 127 yards, 2 TDs

Defense
SS James Hendricks, North Dakota State — 5 tackles (5 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 INT (17 yards)
LB 46 Jonas Griffith, Indiana State — 13 tackles (5 solo), 1 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, 1 PBU
LB Logan Backhaus, South Dakota State — 3 tackles (3 solo), 1 INT
DE Darin Greenfield, South Dakota — 7 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 TFL (27 yards)
S Mitchell Brees, Illinois State — INT (35-yard TD), 2 tackles
S Jalyn Powell, Youngstown State — 14 tackles (9 solo), 1 PBU

Special Teams
PK Chase Vinatieri, South Dakota State — 23-yard FG, 6 PATs
PK Sean Slattery, Illinois State — 46-yard FG, 6 PATs
PK Sam Crosa, Western Illinois — 2 FGs (41, 20), 5 PATs
K Cam Pedersen, North Dakota State — 10 PATs
K 38 Jerry Nunez, Indiana State — 2 FGs (43, 19)

Newcomer
PK Sam Crosa, Western Illinois — also nominated at Special Teams
DB Phillip Powell, South Dakota — 2 INTs (9-yard TD), 4 tackles (4 solo)
RB Markel Smith, Illinois State — 10 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD
TB Christian Turner, Youngstown State — also nominated at Offense
LB Logan Backhaus, South Dakota State — also nominated at Defense
WR Isaiah Weston, UNI — 4 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD (26 yards)

by ReAnne Palmer -Rend Lake College Public information

WHITTINGTON, IL – Be the winning team at the 37th Annual Rend Lake College Foundation Golf Outing by reserving your team today. The event, set for Thursday, Sept. 14 at the Rend Lake Golf Course in Whittington, will begin with lunch at 11 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at noon.

The entry fee for the outing is $125 per person, of which $50 is tax deductible. The fee covers lunch, green fees, riding carts, refreshments and snacks on the course, and hors d’oeuvres. All registered golfers will also receive a Nike golf shirt.

RLC Foundation CEO Kay Zibby-Damron said team slots are going quickly, and anyone interested in playing should register as soon as possible. The deadline to register is Thursday, Sept. 7.

“We are very excited about this year’s event,” said Zibby-Damron. “The response from sponsors and golfers has been fantastic. Golf teams are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, so I would encourage anyone who would like to play to call us as soon as possible to reserve a team. We also have opportunities for individuals and businesses to sponsor the event. Proceeds directly benefit RLC Foundation scholarships for students, with a portion also benefitting the Warrior and Lady Warrior golf teams.”

by Steve Dunford

Rend Lake College Lady Warrior Volleyball fell 1-3 to Lake Land in their home opener on Wednesday evening.

RLC lost the first set 25-17, won the second 25-22, lost the third 25-23 and lost the fourth 28-26.

Hannah Harris (Coulterville) led the Warriors with nine kills and two block assists; Taylor Tomazzoli (Cobden) had five kills, three solo blocks, a pair of block assists and seven digs; Alex Kubiak (Nashville, IL) posted eight kills and seven digs; McKynlee Schwartz (Carbondale) had seven kills and a block assist; Stephanie Layne (Murphysboro) notched 15 assists, four digs and an ace; Danielle Sitzes (Cisne) had 15 assists and three aces; and Brooklynn Calcaterra (Benton) had eight digs and an ace