Game Preview: Southern Illinois University

The Jackrabbits (6-2, 4-2) travel to Carbondale, Illinois to take on the Southern Illinois University (SIU) Salukis (2-7, 1-5). SIU has had a disappointing season but they are much better than their record indicates.  Their only "blow-out" loss came at Illinois State but they have certainly been competitive in every other game.  Analyzing their roster shows that there is talent there but they maybe don't have the depth and experience quite yet to come away with a victory in a close MVFC game.

Nick Hill is in his third year as the head coach and has really rebuilt the roster from the ground up.  SIU has brought in a number of transfers to speed up the rebuilding process but Hill's recruits are starting to take-over the playing time.  Next season may be Hill's last opportunity to prove that he is the guy for the job.  I'm sure the players and coaching staff would love to start building momentum for next season by ending the current season on a two game winning streak.

Offense
The Saluki offense has no problems scoring as they come in averaging nearly 31 ppg.  The appear equally able to move the ball through the air (221 ypg) and on the ground (213 ypg). Because they are so successful at running the ball, they also control the time of possession (31:05 per game).  Of note, they are pretty good on 3rd down converting on 42% of their opportunities.  An area of concern for SIU has to be ball security.  They have fumbled 17 times this season and lost 9.  Additionally, the quarterbacks have tossed 11 interceptions.     

The quarterback position was expected to be a position of strength for the Salukis entering the season.  Returning starter #4 Sam Straub had put up great numbers in 2017 and was off to a strong start this season.  However, an injury at the start of MVFC play has made Straub's availability a question in the last handful of weeks.  The team is now lead by #7 Matt DeSomer who is a solid athlete and has spent time between quarterback, wide receiver, and safety in his five years at SIU. As we seem to find weekly, he is a dual threat quarterback.  He has 361 yards rushing and has passed for 737.  He has only tossed 2 interceptions in 105 attempts and has 7 TD's through the air and 3 on the ground.  I think it is advantageous that the Jack's prepared for a mobile quarterback in Payton Huslig last week as they prepare for DeSomer this week. 

At running back the Salukis return #9 D.J. Davis who is explosive and shifty in the open field.  On the season he has 866 yards rushing and 160 receiving with 6 total TDs.  He also handled the punt and kick return duties earlier this season but did not have these responsibilities the last two weeks.  I'm assuming he is a little dinged up because he only had 8 total touches last week against WIU after having 20 or more total touches for most of the season.  DeSomer is the second leading rusher for SIU but the backup running back is #39 Jonathan Mixon who has 250 yards and 2 TD. 

DeSomer has plenty of quality pass catchers at his disposal.  The group is lead by #11 Leonard Raphael who has 52 rec, 703 yards, and 5 TD.  He is joined by #17 Landon Lenoir (39 rec. 392 yards, 2 TD) and #8 Darrell James (20 rec., 165 yards, and 2 TD).  #13 Nigel Kilby is dangerous in the redzone from his tight end position with 6 of his 15 receptions ending as a touchdown.  The other tight end is #88 Logan Crouse.  He may be a name to keep an eye on in the future as he is actually 22 years old and played three seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system before returning to college to play football. 

The Jackrabbit defensive line will face maybe the most undersized offensive line they have seen all season.  From left to right they go #72 Ernest Dye Jr. (6-2, 308) junior, #59 ZeVeyon Furcron (6-0, 308) sophomore, #68 Jacob Marnin (6-2, 303) junior, #64 Aaron Harris (6-4, 347) senior, and #79 Ben Bailey (6-5, 266) senior. This group has 4 of 5 opening day starters still intact with Harris joining the group two weeks ago. On the season they have allowed 17 sacks, including 5 last week against Western Illinois.  SIU's passing game is predicated on quick strikes so that probably helps in keeping the total low.

Defense
The SIU has a difference maker at every level of their defense.  #11 Anthony Knighton is as good as any defensive end in the MVFC.  #2 Jeremy Chinn was an all-MVFC performer at safety and is now playing cornerback.  #54 Bryce Notree is a super versatile linebacker who can make plays all over the field.  However, the defense as a while is still inconsistent from week to week.  They are getting the pieces in place to be a very competitive unit but they aren't all the way there yet. It will be interesting to see how this defense develops in the next year as there are no seniors in the starting lineup. 

On the season they are allowing 36.22 ppg with opponents moving the ball with success through the air (248.22 ypg) and on the ground (196 ypg). They have forced 10 interceptions and have recovered 4 fumbles.  Opponents have scored a touchdown on just 30 of 47 attempts in the red zone so they appear to stiffen up defensively.

The SIU defensive line has pretty good size.  Knighton (6-2, 253) is joined by #93 Blake Parzych (6-3, 295), #90 Malk Haynes (5-11, 327), and #92 Jordan Berner (6-6, 264).  Knighton is good at finding the quarterback.  He comes in with 6.5 sacks, 10.5 TFL, an INT, 3 PBU's, and 5 additional quarterback hits to go with his 33 tackles.  Berner holds down the other defense end position with 29 tackles and 3.5 sacks while Parzych and Haynes have 39 tackles and 2 sacks combined from their interior positions.

The linebacking corp for SIU is young but talented.  The aforementioned Notree starts in the middle and has 68 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 INT's in 2018.  He is flanked by #3 Airan Reed (33 tackles, 1 sack 2 INT, 2 PBUs )and #34 Luke Giegling (42 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT).  The Jackrabbit offensive line will again have to be ready for pressure from the different levels of the SIU defense as it looks like they like to use the linebackers to generate pressure and create confusion along the offensive line.

The SIU secondary is a mess.  They have had seven different starting combinations since the start of the season and have not started the same group since week 3 and 4.  The secondary is lead by #2 Jeremy Chinn.  The former safety playmaker is now starting at corner for SIU and it appears he has brought some stability after injuries took down both of SIU's opening day starters at CB.  Chinn has 55 tackles, 3 INT's and 7 PBUs on the season.  Opposite him is #12 Terrance Henley (11 tackles, 1 PBU) who has started the past two weeks.  Prior to Henley starting the position had been manned by #25 Madre Harper (39 tackles, 3 PBUs) who is now second on the depth chart.  The safety position is held down by sophomores #32 Joe Patterson and #24 Qua Brown.  Patterson has 35 tackles while Brown has 22.  With zero interceptions and just 3 PBU's between them I'm excited to see how the Jacks attack the middle of the field.  Last week Cade Johnson had a field day against MSU's weak safety play. #37 Michael Elbert appears to have been benched in favor of Brown but has 39 tackles and 1 INT on the season. 

Special Teams              
The SIU special teams are an average gropu.  The punting duties are handled by #98 Lane Reazin.  He averages just 38.68 yards per kick this season but has landed just 14 inside the 20 while 7 have been touchbacks on 44 attempts.  The kicking duties have switched to freshman #91 Griffin Cerra two weeks ago and so far he is 11/11 on extra points and has converted his only FG attempt, a 42 yarder.  #99 Nico Gualdoni is still handling most of the kick off duties and he has just 9 touchbacks on 48 attempts.  This could certainly be a game where the Jacks bust one for a long retunr. 

The return specialists feature the dangerous D.J. Davis.  However, the last few weeks, freshman #5 Je'Quann Burton has taken his place as the primary punt and kick returner.  Burton has just a 5 yard average on his punt returns and 17.5 yard avg on his kick returns.       
           
Prediction
SIU is still rebuilding but they have plenty of pieces in place.  They have been close many times this year and their record could look quite a bit different if a few more plays had gone their way.  I don't think the Jacks are overlooking SIU but it is also human nature to look at the record and not be impressed, especially with the USD game set for the following week.  The weather looks beautiful in Carbondale so that should not be a factor for the 1pm kickoff.  I'm predicting a close first half before the Jacks blow the doors off in the second half and win 41-20.

Go Jacks!
Matt