Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
CHICAGO — Lorenzo Cain had four hits, Mike Moustakas scored on Carl Edwards Jr.’s wild pitch in the sixth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Monday night to pull within one game of the NL Central leaders.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
DETROIT • Carlos Martinez gained his first save in four years the other day in Washington. On Sunday, he earned his second of the week in a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers and was ordained as the new closer by Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, with Bud Norris moved to another role in the back end of the bullpen.
Here’s a link to the story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
OXFORD, Miss. —OXFORD, Miss. — No Missouri Valley Football Conference team has ever beaten an SEC opponent, but Southern Illinois had Ole Miss sweating after three quarters during a 76-41 shootout at Vaught Hemmingway Stadium on Saturday.
The Salukis (1-1) led at halftime, 38-35, and were marching for a potential game-tying score at the beginning of the fourth quarter when linebacker Vernen Dasher picked off a Sam Straub pass and returned it 88 yards for an Ole Miss touchdown. The pick-six made the score 55-41 and was the first of four unanswered TDs for the Rebels (2-0) that put the game on ice.
Southern Illinois played a nearly flawless first half on offense, scoring on all six of their possessions and holding the lead for 25 of the 30 minutes of time on the game clock. Straub passed for four first-half TDs and ran for another, finishing the game with 382 yards passing.
“We turned on the film (of Ole Miss) from last week and felt really good about what they were giving us defensively,” Straub said. “There’s nothing too big for us as a team. It was kind of a preview of how good we think we can be offensively. We’re still just touching the surface.”
The offensive fireworks came fast and furious with the teams combining for 73 first-half points. Straub spread the ball around, with TD strikes of nine yards to Nigel Kilby, seven yards to Landon Lenoir, nine yards to Raphael Leonardand then a spectacular 70-yard catch-and-run to Leonard just before halftime that put the Salukis back on top. A native of Starkville, Miss., Leonard caught six passes for 117 yards.
“He was super-proud to come back to Mississippi,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said of his senior wideout. “I know that everybody in the South who plays FBS football missed out on one heckuva player. I don’t know how he’s playing at FCS. The performance he had was pretty outstanding.”
Southern piled up 629 yards of total offense in the game — the sixth most in school history — and they did it against a highly regarded SEC opponent.
“I thought the entire week, the way (the players) approached traveling (to Ole Miss) they weren’t wowed by the situation,” Hill said. “They came down here to win a football game. We knew it would take 60 minutes, unfortunately we kind of ran out of gas.”
Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and his gifted corps of receivers were as good as advertised. Ta’amu completed 28-of-38 for 448 yards and five touchdowns, and A.J. Brown (158 yards) and Braylon Sanders (133 yards) both had monster games. Four different receivers had catches of at least 45 yards, as Ta’amu showed impressive touch on his deep throws.
“Those balls were put in almost perfect position,” Hill marveled. “I thought we were in great position for a few of them and it’s going to take a perfect throw and catch, and that’s what they did consistently all night.”
The Rebels are well-known for their quick-strike capability, and that was true today as they needed five or fewer plays to score five of their offensive touchdowns.
“They’re explosive, they spread the field out, there’s running lanes,” Hill said. “If you don’t every once in a while put two safeties back there, then it’s going to be bombs away.”
Southern’s offense got off-track on it’s first two drives of the second half with two dropped passes and four penalties. Although Straub threw two second-half interceptions, Hill didn’t blame his senior quarterback for the errant throws. On the pick-six, Hill said he changed the play during a timeout and regretted putting his QB in a tough spot.
“(He) tried to get it to (Jacob) Varble on a leak-out, they covered it well, and Sam kinda threw it blind, but he’s trying to make a play,” Hill explained. “It’s more on me than it is on him. The last pick, it’s 3rd-and-9 and we’re down by two (scores) and he’s trying to drill one into Ralph (Leonard).”
Straub left the game midway through the fourth quarter after he was sacked, fumbled and Ole Miss scored on a 56-yard scoop and score. He had an ice bag on his left shoulder after the game but said he’d be fine.
Southern out-rushed the Rebels, 241-167. Salukis running back D.J. Davis had 121 yards on the ground for his second-straight 100-yard effort.
“D.J. Davis continued to show that he’s an elite back,” Hill said. “He had some runs that he’s breaking tackles on linebackers.”
The Salukis, who play their home opener next Saturday against SEMO, did not take accept a moral victory, Hill said.
“There’s a lot of tears in their eyes in (the locker room),” he said. “They didn’t come down to get patted on their back. They’re a competitive group that expects to play at a high level. We set a standard with our program.”
DETROIT — The St. Louis Cardinals needed something to get them going on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sunday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals was postponed because of rain and rescheduled for Thursday at 4:05 p.m.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
The Cardinals’ Sunday streak is about to end.
Here’s a link to the story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Comerica Park has not been kind to the Cardinals. Since the Tigers’ park opened in 2000, they have been 12-3 against the Cardinals there and, counting one year’s worth of interleague games at old Tiger Stadium, Detroit leads the Cardinals 13-5 at home.
Here’s a link to the story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
With so much attention focused on Daniel Murphy’s return to Washington for the first time since he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, it was his in-game replacement — David Bote — who once again tormented the Nationals
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
A wet night of football will take center stage as Friday night lights rolls into week number three with some key games on tap.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
Football 09/04/2018 | 1:27:00 By Tom Weber, SIUSalukis.com
| Southern Illinois (1-0, 0-0 MVFC) at Ole Miss (1-0, 0-0 SEC) | |
| Date & Time | Sept. 8, 2018 | 3 p.m. CT |
| Location | Oxford, Miss. | Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (64,038) |
| TV/Video Stream | SEC Network ALT: Mike Morgan, John Congemi, Alyssa Lang |
| Live Stats | Provided by Ole Miss |
| Radio | Saluki Radio Network with Mike Reis (play-by-play), Gene Green (analysis) and Connor James (analysis) |
| Radio Stream | TuneIn (free) |
| SIU | Game Notes (PDF) | Stats | Media Guide (PDF) |
| MISS | Game Notes (PDF) | Stats | Media Guide |
| MVFC | Weekly Notes | Stats |
| All-Time Series |
SIU trails series, 0-2 (H: 0-0, A: 0-2) |
| Social Media | @SIU_Football  | @SIUSalukis  | Saluki Football  |
Series versus Ole Miss
The Salukis and Ole Miss have met twice before, with Southern losing, 59-3, in 1994 and 42-24 in 2011. In the 2011 matchup, the Rebels scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the contest to take a 21-0 lead. From that point forward, Southern outscored Ole Miss, 24-21. For the game, the Salukis out-gained the Rebels in total yardage, 420-315.
Salukis tie school record with three defensive touchdowns
In the season opener at Murray State, the Salukis tied a school record with three defensive touchdowns. Qua Brown (23-yard fumble return), Airan Reed (0-yard interception return) and Michael Elbert (77-yard fumble return) each recorded their first-career touchdowns.SIU forced six turnovers in the game — the most since forcing six at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 28, 2009.
S Jeremy Chinn has created 10 turnovers in last 13 games
In the last 13 games, S Jeremy Chinn (6-2, 211, Jr.) has four interceptions and six forced fumbles. A preseason All-MVC pick, he is tied for second all-time at Southern in forced fumbles (6), trailing only Tyler Williamson (8, 2012-14). Chinn has started 18-straight games at safety for SIU — the longest active starting streak on the team.
QB Sam Straub on CFPA Watch List for Player of Year
QB Sam Straub (6-4, 247, Sr.) is one of 36 FCS players on the College Football Performance Awards preseason watch list for its National Performer of the Year Trophy. Straub has a 7-5 career record as a starter. He started the final three games in 2016 and the first eight games in 2017, before a season-ending wrist injury. For his career, Straub has completed 56.5 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also has two rushing TDs. Straub is the only quarterback in school history to complete 30+ passes in a game three times and is tied with Sherard Poteete for the most 300-yard passing games with five. His career best in passing was a school-record 450 yards against Western Illinois on Nov. 19, 2016.
RB D.J. Davis with first-career 100-yard game
In the 23rd game of his SIU career, RB D.J. Davis (5-8, 168, Jr.) topped 100 yards rushing for the first time, gaining 127 last week at Murray State. All of his rushing yards came in the first half. His 19 rushing attempts surpassed his previous career high of 12. Davis led all MVFC running backs with 35 receptions in 2017. As a rusher, receiver and kick returner, he led the team with 1,373 all-purpose yards, averaging 124.8 yards per game, which ranked 18th in the FCS.
Darrell James tied for fifth in career receiving yards
With 1,629 career receiving yards, WR Darrell James (6-0, 197, Sr.) is tied with Billy Swain (1,629) for fifth all-time in receiving yards at SIU. James recently became the 14th player in school history with 100 career receptions.
Pass-catching streaks
Three players enter the Ole Miss game with double-digit streaks of consecutive games with at least one reception — Darrell James, 6-0, 209, Sr. (18 games), Raphael Leonard, 6-2, 193, Sr. (12 games),
D.J. Davis, 5-8, 168, Jr. (10 games).
No seniors in starting lineup on defense
SIU’s starting defense features six juniors, four sophomores, one redshirt freshman and no seniors. Of the 22 players on the two-deep, only two are seniors (LB Withney Simon and CB C.J. Jennings).
Saluki debuts
Against Murray State, three players made their first-career starts (WR Landon Lenoir, LB Bryce Notree and S Qua Brown). Twenty-three players made their Saluki debut, including five true freshmen — QB Javon Williams, WR Je’Quan Burton, CB Chance Bush, LB Oliver McDowell and FB Jacob Garrett.
Did you know? SIU …
Week One flashback
Dawg Bites
