By: Howard Woodard
The wheel changed locations again after SEMO defeated SIU (2-2) at Saluki Stadium last Saturday. The Dawgs hung in this one, being up 21-16 as late as 2:06 in the third quarter, but the Redhawks scored 22 unanswered points in the final 17 minutes to put the game away. Junior QB Hunter Simmons made his first start as a Saluki after the hand injury to DJ Williams that will sideline him for several games. It was a solid showing from Simmons, who passed for 341 yards and a touchdown while being 28-of-48 through the air. He missed some throws, but also connected on some key conversions. Vinson Davis III was the Dawgs’ leading receiver as he racked up 132 yards on nine catches to eclipse the century mark for the second time in his career. But the difference in this one was the inability for the SIU defense to get off of the field at crucial moments in the game. SEMO was five-for-five in the red zone and six-for-11 on third downs. They had a couple of wild catches and plays to move the chains while the Salukis’ offense couldn’t replicate that success in those clutch situations, going two-for-five in the red zone and eight-for-18 on fourth down. The Dawgs also struggled to run the ball with the injuries to their two top running backs, Shaun Lester Jr. and Jaelin Benefield, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry from their tailbacks in this game. SEMO’s offense was a lot more balanced, totaling 301 pass yards and 148 on the ground while also capitalizing on their opportunities even though the Salukis won the time of possession battle by seven minutes. There are several key injuries that are hampering SIU going forward, especially defensively, including LB Shug Walker who didn’t play in the second half, as well as fellow LB Colin Bohanek and DE Dewey Greene who have both missed multiple games this season. The Dawgs will now travel to face the South Dakota Coyotes who are coming off of a 42-3 victory against Drake. South Dakota is ranked fifth in the FCS while SIU fell to number 17 after their loss as they’ll look to beat the Coyotes after losing both matchups in the previous two seasons. The game will start at 1pm on Saturday, September 28 in Vermillion, SD.
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