2024 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

2024 Southern Illinois Salukis football
2024 Southern Illinois Salukis football
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Record	4–8 (2–6 MVFC)
Head coach	Nick Hill (9th season);
Offensive coordinator	Blake Rolan (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro spread
Defensive coordinator	Antonio James (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Saluki Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 South Dakota State +^	7	–	1	12	–	2
No. 3 North Dakota State +^	7	–	1	12	–	2
No. 4 South Dakota +^	7	–	1	11	–	2
Missouri State*	6	–	2	8	–	4
No. 11 Illinois State ^	6	–	2	10	–	4
Youngstown State	3	–	5	4	–	8
Indiana State	3	–	5	4	–	8
North Dakota	2	–	6	5	–	7
Southern Illinois	2	–	6	4	–	8
Northern Iowa	1	–	7	3	–	9
Murray State	0	–	8	1	–	11
* Ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant As of December 15, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Salukis were led by ninth-year head coach Nick Hill, and played their home games at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

The Salukis quarterback room became decimated by injuries throughout the season, with the team turning to graduate assistant Michael Lindauer as quarterback late in the season; Lindauer previously played quarterback for the Salukis before retiring in June 2024.^[1] In the team's season finale, Lindauer threw for 7 touchdowns, breaking the program record for passing touchdowns in a single game.^[2]^[3]

Preseason

MVFC poll

The MVFC released it preseason prediction poll on July 22, 2024. The Salukis were predicted to finish fourth in the conference.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
MVFC media poll
1	South Dakota State	482 (42)
2	North Dakota State	437 (1)
3	South Dakota	371
4	Southern Illinois	293
5	North Dakota	276
6	Illinois State	264
7	Youngtown State	255
8	Northern Iowa	227
9	Missouri State	164 (1)
10	Indiana State	68
11	Murray State	67

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	at BYU*	No. 10	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	ESPN+	L 13–41	63,712
September 7	6:00 p.m.	at Austin Peay*	No. 10	Fortera Stadium Clarksville, TN	ESPN+	W 31–17	8,124
September 14	6:00 p.m.	No. 12 Incarnate Word*	No. 9	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	W 35–28	7,879
September 21	6:00 p.m.	No. 21 Southeast Missouri State*	No. 7	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	L 21–38	13,421
September 28	1:00 p.m.	at No. 5 South Dakota	No. 17	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	L 13–42	6,706
October 5	6:00 p.m.	No. 18 Illinois State	No. 19	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	L 10–45	7,157
October 12	2:00 p.m.	No. 2 North Dakota State		Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	L 3–24	9,610
October 26	12:00 p.m.	at Indiana State		Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	L 17–20	4,266
November 2	2:00 p.m.	at Missouri State		Robert W. Plaster Stadium Springfield, MO	ESPN+	L 17–38	8,134
November 9	12:00 p.m.	Youngstown State		Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	W 37–33	4,933
November 16	2:00 p.m.	at No. 3 South Dakota State		Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	ESPN+	L 10–41	17,268
November 23	12:00 p.m.	Murray State		Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	W 62–0	5,310
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[5]^[6]

Game summaries

at BYU

No. 10 Southern Illinois Salukis at BYU Cougars – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Salukis	0	6	7	0	13
Cougars	14	3	14	10	41

at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah

Date: August 31
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT/6:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
Game attendance: 63,712
Referee: Kevin Randall
TV announcers (ESPN+): Richard Cross and Barrett Brooks
Box score, Recap

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	BYU
First downs	12	27
Total yards	231	527
Rushing yards	123	179
Passing yards	108	348
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	20:46	39:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing	D. J. Williams	10/20, 98 yards, INT
	Rushing	D. J. Williams	15 rushes, 121 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Keontez Lewis	2 receptions, 49 yards
BYU	Passing	Jake Retzlaff	20/30, 348 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	LJ Martin	13 rushes, 67 yards, TD
	Receiving	Chase Roberts	7 receptions, 108 yards

at Austin Peay

Game Two – No. 10 Southern Illinois Salukis (0–1) vs Austin Peay Governors (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Salukis	7	7	7	10	31
Governors	7	3	7	0	17

at Fortera Stadium • Clarksville, TN

Date: September 7, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
Game attendance: 8,124
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	APSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Austin Peay	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 12 Incarnate Word

No. 12 Incarnate Word Cardinals at No. 9 Southern Illinois Salukis – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 Cardinals	7	7	0	14	28
No. 9 Salukis	14	21	0	0	35

at Saluki Stadium, Carbondale, Illinois

Date: September 14, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Cloudy, 80 °F (27 °C)
Game attendance: 7,879
Referee: Aaron Adams
TV: ESPN+
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

SIU – Keontez Lewis 37-yard pass from D. J. Williams (Paul Geelen kick), 10:44. Salukis 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 3:07.
UIW – 4:19 Logan Compton 1-yard pass from Zach Calzada (Brack Peacock kick), 4:19. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:25.
SIU – 2:37 Shaun Lester Jr. 10-yard run (Paul Geelen kick), 2:37. Salukis 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 63 yards, 1:34.

Second quarter

SIU – 12:52 D. J. Williams 28-yard run (Paul Geelen kick), 12:52. Salukis 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 1:14.
UIW – 4:38 Jalen Walthall 40-yard pass from Zach Calzada (Brack Peacock kick), 4:38. Salukis 21–14. Drive: 1 play, 40 yards, 0:34.
SIU – 2:06 Keontez Lewis 57-yard run (Paul Geelen kick), 2:06. Salukis 28–14. Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 1:38.
SIU – 0:00 Ryan Schwendeman 1-yard pass from D. J. Williams (Paul Geelen kick), 0:00. Salukis 35–14. Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 0:44.

Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

UIW – 14:44 Zach Calzada 23-yard run (Brack Peacock kick), 14:44. Salukis 35–21. Drive: 10 plays, 94 yards, 2:30.
UIW – 5:03 Jalen Walthall 25-yard pass from Zach Calzada (Brack Peacock kick), 5:03. Salukis 35–28. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 2:53.

Statistics	UIW	SIU
First downs	25	23
Total yards	437	543
Rushing yards	71	207
Passing yards	366	336
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	30:39	29:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Incarnate Word	Passing	Zach Calzada	35/54, 366 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Dekalon Taylor	8 rushes, 32 yards
	Receiving	Roy Alexander	10 receptions, 117 yards
Southern Illinois	Passing	D. J. Williams	19/27, 301 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	D. J. Williams	12 rushes, 79 yards, TD
	Receiving	Keontez Lewis	8 receptions, 148 yards, TD

No. 21 Southeast Missouri State

Game Four – No. 21 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (2–1) vs No. 7 Southern Illinois Salukis (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Redhawks	0	0	0	0	0
No. 7 Salukis	0	0	0	0	0

at Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL

Date: September 21, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SEMO	SIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeast Missouri State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 5 South Dakota

Game Five – No. 17 Southern Illinois Salukis (2–2) vs No. 5 South Dakota Coyotes (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Salukis	0	0	0	0	0
No. 5 Coyotes	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: September 28, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
Game attendance: 6,706
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	SDAK
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 19 Illinois State

Game Six – No. 19 Illinois State Redbirds (3–2) vs No. 18 Southern Illinois Salukis (2–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Redbirds	0	0	0	0	0
No. 18 Salukis	0	0	0	0	0

at Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL

Date: October 5, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ILST	SIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 2 North Dakota State

Game Seven – No. 2 North Dakota State Bison (5–1) vs Southern Illinois Salukis (2–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Bison	7	7	3	7	24
Salukis	0	3	0	0	3

at Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL

Date: October 12, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: NE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Game attendance: 9,610
Referee: David Hergert
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter

(6:55) NDSU – Barika Kpeenu 6-yard run, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 3:47; North Dakota State 7–0)

Second quarter

(5:17) SIU – Paul Geelen 50-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 5:34; North Dakota State 7–3)
(0:31) NDSU – Chris Harris 11-yard pass from Cam Miller, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 4:46; North Dakota State 14–3)

Third quarter

(5:49) NDSU – Griffin Crosa 34-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 4:26; North Dakota State 17–3)

Fourth quarter

(4:09) NDSU – CharMar Brown 9-yard run, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 7:03; North Dakota State 24–3)

Statistics	NDSU	SIU
First downs	22	14
Total yards	363	187
Rushing yards	163	35
Passing yards	200	152
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19–25–0	15–27–1
Time of possession	35:29	24:31

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing	Cam Miller	18/24, 193 yards, TD
	Rushing	CharMar Brown	20 carries, 95 yards, TD
	Receiving	Bryce Lance	5 receptions, 63 yards
Southern Illinois	Passing	Jake Curry	15/27, 152 yards, INT
	Rushing	Keontez Lewis	2 carries, 20 yards
	Receiving	Allen Middleton	5 receptions, 60 yards

at Indiana State

Game Eight – Southern Illinois Salukis (2–5) vs Indiana State Sycamores (2–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	0	0	0	0	0
Sycamores	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN

Date: October 26, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	INST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Indiana State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Missouri State

Game Nine – Southern Illinois Salukis (2–6) at Missouri State Bears (6–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	0	0	0	0	0
Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO

Date: November 2, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	MOST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Missouri State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Youngstown State

Game Ten – Youngstown State Penguins (3–7) vs Southern Illinois Salukis (2–7) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Penguins	0	0	0	0	0
Salukis	0	0	0	0	0

at Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL

Date: November 9, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	YSU	SIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Youngstown State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 3 South Dakota State

Game Eleven – Southern Illinois Salukis (3–7) at No. 3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	0	0	0	0	0
No. 3 Jackrabbits	0	0	0	0	0

at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD

Date: November 16, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	SDST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Murray State

Murray State Racers at Southern Illinois Salukis – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Racers	0	0	0	0	0
Salukis	13	28	14	7	62

at Saluki Stadium, Carbondale, Illinois

Date: November 23
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Cloudy, 51 °F (11 °C)
Game attendance: 5,310
Referee: Tyler Downs
TV: ESPN+
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

SIU – Paul Geelen 47-yard field goal, 7:33. Salukis 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:26.
SIU – Paul Geelen 39-yard field goal, 4:52. Salukis 6–0. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 0:55.
SIU – Bradley Clark 35-yard pass from Michael Lindauer (Paul Geelen kick), 1:30. Salukis 13–0. Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:08.

Second quarter

SIU – Keontez Lewis 4-yard pass from Michael Lindauer (Paul Geelen kick), 10:05. Salukis 20–0. Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 4:35.
SIU – Nah'shawn Hezekiah 19-yard pass from Michael Lindauer (Paul Geelen kick), 8:02. Salukis 27–0. Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 1:19.
SIU – Nah'shawn Hezekiah 35-yard pass from Michael Lindauer (Paul Geelen kick), 1:25. Salukis 34–0. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 4:32.
SIU – Keontez Lewis 65-yard pass from Michael Lindauer (Paul Geelen kick), 0:42. Salukis 41–0. Drive: 1 play, 65 yards, 0:09.

Third quarter

SIU – Bradley Clark 23-yard pass from Michael Lindauer (Paul Geelen kick), 7:56. Salukis 48–0. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:44.
SIU – Jay Jones 1-yard pass from Michael Lindauer (Paul Geelen kick), 3:11. Salukis 55–0. Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 1:48.

Fourth quarter

SIU – Jeremiah Baxter 5-yard run (Paul Geelen kick), 8:41. Salukis 62–0. Drive: 10 plays, 48 yards, 5:31.

Statistics	MURR	SIU
First downs	9	25
Total yards	185	529
Rushing yards	75	246
Passing yards	110	283
Turnovers	5	0
Time of possession	25:58	34:02

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Murray State	Passing	Jayden Johannsen	7/11, 80 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Kywon Morgan	6 rushes, 32 yards
	Receiving	J. K. Carter	4 receptions, 62 yards
Southern Illinois	Passing	Michael Lindauer	20/33, 283 yards, 7 TD
	Rushing	Allen Middleton	15 rushes, 124 yards
	Receiving	Keontez Lewis	5 receptions, 104 yards, 2 TD

References

^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. (October 31, 2024). "Michael Lindauer: Southern Illinois QB comes out of retirement". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
^ Puro, Khosalu (November 26, 2024). "FCS Team Unretires Ex-Graduate & Breaks College Football Record For Most Passing TDs in School's History". EssentiallySports. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
^ Wright, John (November 25, 2024). "SIU, with grad assistant QB out of retirement, bombs Racers in season finale to 100th year". Murray Ledger & Times. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
^ "Valley Football 2024 Preseason Team and Poll". Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 22, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
^ "2024 Southern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
^ "Southern Illinois Salukis Schedule 2024". ESPN. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

[1] Wheeler, Wyatt D. (October 31, 2024). "Michael Lindauer: Southern Illinois QB comes out of retirement". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

[2] Puro, Khosalu (November 26, 2024). "FCS Team Unretires Ex-Graduate & Breaks College Football Record For Most Passing TDs in School's History". EssentiallySports. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

[3] Wright, John (November 25, 2024). "SIU, with grad assistant QB out of retirement, bombs Racers in season finale to 100th year". Murray Ledger & Times. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

[4] "Valley Football 2024 Preseason Team and Poll". Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 22, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

[5] "2024 Southern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

[6] "Southern Illinois Salukis Schedule 2024". ESPN. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

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v t e Southern Illinois Salukis football
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