Salukis Welcome No. 17/22 South Dakota to Town on Saturday for Senior Day, Military Appreciation Game

Saturday, November 15

Carbondale, IL

12 PM

Southern Illinois University

South Dakota

Buy Tickets

Salukis Welcome No. 17/22 South Dakota to Town on Saturday for Senior Day, Military Appreciation Game

11/11/2025 | 3:40:00 | Football

Coach Hill Weekly Presser Game Notes (SIU)Game Notes (South Dakota)

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The No. 21/23 Southern Illinois University football team (6-4, 3-3 MVFC) will play its final home game of the 2025 season on Saturday at 12 p.m. when it hosts No. 17/22 South Dakota at Saluki Stadium.

Southern Illinois will honor 27 student-athletes in a Senior Day ceremony that is projected to start at 11:35 a.m. Saturday is also the Military Appreciation Game. All veterans and active-duty military members get a free ticket to the game. Show your military ID at the ticket office to receive your free ticket. All guests of military will receive a 40 percent discount of their ticket.

Game Details
- Date and Time: Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 12:00 p.m. CT
- Location: Saluki Stadium - Carbondale, Ill.
- Opponent: No. 17/22 South Dakota - Missouri Valley Football Conference
- Live Stats: Follow Along Here
- Watch: ESPN+
- Listen: The Varsity Network or Listen Locally on 101.5 CIL-FM
- Ticket Central: Buy tickets here

Recap of Youngstown State
The Salukis are coming off a 48-38 loss on Saturday at Youngstown State. Southern Illinois led, 24-7, early in the second quarter before being out-scored, 41-14, the rest of the way. The Penguins found the endzone on five consecutive drives in the second half.

Southern Illinois' 38 points are the most it has scored in a loss since Nov. 10, 2018, when it fell, 57-38, against South Dakota State. The Salukis totaled 537 yards of offense at Youngstown State, but allowed 648 on the other end, the fifth-most by an opponent in program history.

Quarterback DJ Williams threw for a career-high 361 passing yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing 11 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. Williams' 361 passing yards are the 17th-most all-time by an SIU quarterback and are the most since Sept. 16, 2023, at SEMO (Nic Baker, 462).

Running back Edward Robinson led the team in rushing with 85 yards on 11 carries. Tight end Ryan Schwendeman, who was making his first appearance since Oct. 11 at North Dakota State, had a career-high 96 yards on five receptions.

Williams' three passing touchdowns were to Robinson, Vinson Davis III, and Miles Marshall, the senior tight end's first-career score.

Series History
SIU and South Dakota will meet for the 11th time on Saturday in Carbondale. The Coyotes hold a 6-4 edge over the Salukis all-time, but the series is even at 2-2 when played at Southern Illinois.

The Salukis are on a three-game losing streak against the Coyotes dating back to 2022. In the last meeting on Sept. 28, 2024, South Dakota defeated Southern Illinois, 42-13, in Vermillion, S.D. The 42 points are tied for the most SIU has allowed in the series (also allowed 42 in 2017).

Southern's last win over the Coyotes came in the first round of the 2021 FCS Playoffs on Nov. 27, 2021, a game the Salukis won in South Dakota by a final score of 22-10. SIU's last home win vs. USD came on Nov. 5, 2016 (35-28).

Looking at the Coyotes
South Dakota has climbed to second in the MVFC standings with a conference record of 5-2 and overall record of 7-4. The Coyotes have won two-straight games over North Dakota and South Dakota State. Both teams were ranked No. 8 at the time of their meetings.

The Coyotes are seventh in the Valley in scoring, averaging 22.5 points-per-game. On the other end, South Dakota is allowing 25.0 points-per-game, ranking fifth in the conference.

South Dakota is led by the nation's third-leading rusher, running back L.J. Phillips Jr. Phillips has rushed 233 times for 1464 yards and 14 touchdowns. The 14 rushing scores are tied for the sixth-most in the country with DJ Williams and Montana's Eli Gillman.

SIU to Honor Seniors on Saturday
The Salukis will honor its seniors on Saturday for Senior Day when they host South Dakota. Southern will celebrate and recognize 28 players this weekend.

Among those that will be honored this weekend are the Reeves brothers, Caden and Peyton. Both defensive linemen, who are originally from Basehor, Kan., have spent their entire collegiate careers at Southern Illinois and have played in a combined 73 games.

Others who have spent their entire careers at SIU include Aidan Quinn, Lashaun Lester, Derek Harden Jr., and Jay Jones.

Offense Producing Among Nation's Best
The Salukis boast one of the Valley and nation's more high-powered offenses, averaging 34.9 points-per-game. This ranks fourth in the MVFC and 19th in the country. On the ground, SIU is the FCS' 16th-ranked rushing offense, posting 204.3 yards-per-game.

Southern has allowed just 11 sacks on the year, which is tied for the 11th-fewest in the nation. Over its last three games, SIU has given up just one sack. There have only been two games this season where the Salukis have allowed multiple sacks (Sept. 6 at Purdue, Oct. 11 at North Dakota State).

SIU has also been one of the FCS' more efficient teams on third and fourth down. The Salukis are converting third downs at a 49% rate, ranking eighth in the country. On fourth down, Southern Illinois is tied for 12th in the FCS with a conversion percentage of 67%.

DJ Williams' Historic Season
Senior DJ Williams is having one of SIU's best-ever seasons at the quarterback position. Williams has thrown for 2384 yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions, earning a rating of 150.05. In terms of rushing, the senior has a team-leading 624 yards on 109 attempts (5.7 avg) with 14 touchdowns.

Williams' 624 rushing yards are the second-most by an SIU quarterback in a single season, trailing only Mark Iannotti who rushed for 716 yards in 2015. The Harvey, Ill., native's 14th rushing touchdown put him in a tie for ninth all-time with Arkee Whitlock ('05) and Tom Koutsos ('03) for the most in a season in program history. Williams is two rushing scores away from tying Andre Herrera ('76) and Karlton Carpenter ('98) for seventh.

Across the FCS, Williams is third in total offense (300.8), tied for 14th in passing touchdowns, 12th in passing yards, third in points responsible for (194), and tied for sixth in rushing touchdowns.

Ryan Schwendeman Returns in a Big Way
Tight end Ryan Schwendeman missed three games for SIU after suffering an injury early at North Dakota State on Oct. 11 but returned to the lineup on Saturday at Youngstown State. Not only did he return to action, but the tight end did so while also putting up a career-best performance. Schwendeman led the team with five receptions and a career-high 96 yards against the Penguins. The O'Fallon, Mo., native also caught a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.

Entering Saturday's game, Schwendeman had five catches and 24 receiving yards on the year in six appearances. The tight end's previous career-best totals came against Incarnate Word on Sept. 14, 2024, when he had four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Jeremiah McClendon Ranks Top Five in FCS in Passes Defended
In his second season as a Saluki, senior cornerback Jeremiah McClendon has tallied 11 pass breakups. This is tied for the most in the MVFC and the fourth-most in the FCS entering Saturday's game against South Dakota.

McClendon's 11 pass breakups are the most by a Saluki since the 2023 season when safety PJ Jules had 11. The last time a Saluki surpassed this mark was in 2020 (James Ceasar, 14).

The corner also registered his first interception since Oct. 5, 2024, in SIU's last home game vs. Northern Iowa. This was the third of his career (also had one in 2022 as a member of Charleston Southern).

Other Defensive Numbers to Note
Against Youngstown State, the Salukis gained their 16th turnover on the year when linebacker Chris Presto recovered a fumble on a YSU punt return. The 16 turnovers gained are tied for the 17th-most in the FCS and rank third in the MVFC. Southern Illinois has recovered seven fumbles (tied for 24th in the country) and intercepted nine passes (tied for 27th).

Senior linebacker duo Shug Walker and Colin Bohanek are leading the team in tackles with 64 and 63 respectively. Veteran defensive end Vontrell Chairse's 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks are both team-high's, followed by fellow defensive end Donnie Wingate's 6.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks. Safeties Cejai Parson and Vinny Pierre Jr. are tied for the team-lead in interceptions with two each.

Where the Dawgs are Ranked
In the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, the Salukis are ranked 21st after previously being No. 15. The highest SIU has ranked in the poll this season was on Oct. 6 when it was No. 8 after defeating Indiana State.

The Salukis are now No. 23 in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, which was released on Monday. North Dakota State remains No. 1 with 23 first-place votes, followed by No. 2 Montana who received one vote for first.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Football, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiFootball and on Instagram at @SIU_Football. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.