Draft Scout Southern Illinois Player News, College Football: Southern Illinois

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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Southern Illinois

Previous 15 Notes

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12/03/21 - Nic Baker, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

2021 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): QB Nic Baker,...Baker was a two-time MVFC Offensive Player of the Week pick this season, who passed for 460 yards at SEMO and 359 yards at South Dakota State. He has 26 passing touchdowns - two shy of Nick Hill's single-seaason school record. - Southern Illinois Football

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QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
News Source: Southern Illinois Football
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12/03/21 - PJ Jules, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

2021 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): DB PJ Jules,...Jules is the team's top lockdown coverage man. He returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown at Kansas State and is third on the team in tackles (64). - Southern Illinois Football

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SS PJ Jules, Southern Illinois
News Source: Southern Illinois Football
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12/03/21 - Anthony Knighton, rSr/2022, Southern Illinois + More +

2021 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM (COACHES): DL - Anthony Knighton, Southern Illinois,...Knighton is the school's career sack leader (25.5), tackle-for-loss leader (51.5) and has blocked three field goals this season. - Southern Illinois Football

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DE Anthony Knighton, Southern Illinois
News Source: Southern Illinois Football
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12/03/21 - Landon Lenoir, rSr/2022, Southern Illinois + More +

2021 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM (COACHES): WR - Landon Lenoir, Southern Illinois,...Lenoir leads the team in receptions (59) and touchdown catches (9) and ranks among the top five in every career receiving category at Southern. - Southern Illinois Football

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WR Landon Lenoir, Southern Illinois
News Source: Southern Illinois Football
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11/27/21 - Avante Cox, rSr/2023, Southern Illinois + More +

Avante Cox had a career-high 10 receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown, Romeir Elliott scored on a 5-yard run midway through the fourth quarter and Southern Illinois beat South Dakota 22-10 on Saturday night in the first round of the FCS playoffs. Southern Illinois improved to 4-3 all-time against the Coyotes. Despite both teams being in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the programs hadn't faced off since the Salukis won 48-28 at South Dakota in 2019. The Salukis (8-4), ranked No. 23 in the FCS coaches poll, plays at third-ranked and No. 2 seed North Dakota State — another MVC member — next Saturday. Southern Illinois won its last meeting with the Bison 38-14 on Feb. 27, ending NDSU's 39-game win streak. Southern Illinois scored on drives of 14, 15 and 16 plays in the first half to take a 13-0 lead into the break.

Nico Gualdoni made a 50-yard field goal to cap a 30-yard drive and open the scoring midway through the first quarter, an 85-yard drive culminated when Cox caught a wide-open 4-yard TD pass with 8:04 left in the second quarter and the Salukis marched 83 yards before Gualdoni kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. SIU's Qua Brown, a sixth-year senior who went into the game with two career interceptions, picked off two passes in Salukis territory. On the opening possession, Carson Camp sailed a pass over the middle intended for Caleb Vander Esch that Brown intercepted at the 26 and Brown undercut a back-shoulder pass at the 1 to preserve a 16-3 lead late in the third quarter. Camp, who went into the game having thrown just four interceptions this season, was picked off a third time when Clayton Bush intercepted a pass on third-and-17 with 5:29 to play. - Southern Illinois/AP College Football

rSr/2023

WR Avante Cox, Southern Illinois
News Source: Southern Illinois/AP College Football
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11/23/21 - DJ Williams, rSr/2026, Southern Illinois + More +

2021 OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (COACHES): DJ Williams (QB), Murray State,...Williams started the season as Murray State's backup quarterback by was forced into duty in the fifth game of the season due to an injury to the starter. In that game against nationally-ranked UT Martin, Williams had 210 yards of total offense and a touchdown off the bench. The following week he earned his first career start at Southeast Missouri and helped the Racers overcome a 15-point second half deficit to win 32-31 and earn OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Williams accounted for 321 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in that win.

In the team's second meeting of the season with SEMO (Nov. 13), Williams was named National Freshman of the Week by Stats Perform after tallying 296 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. In that game he scored on a 58-yard rush and added a 73-yard completion (the ninth-longest in program history). Williams finished the season with 1,020 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air while rushing for 532 yards (6.4 yards/carry) and six scores on the ground. Since the award was first bestowed in 2004, Williams is the second Murray State player to be named OVC Freshman of the Year, joining quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt (2007). He is the 12th quarterback to win the honor in 18 years. - Ohio Valley Conference Football

rSr/2026

QB DJ Williams, Southern Illinois
News Source: Ohio Valley Conference Football
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11/13/21 - Nic Baker, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

Nic Baker threw a pair of touchdown passes to Avante Cox, Javon Williams Jr. ran in for two more and Southern Illinois defeated Indiana State 47-21 on Saturday. The Salukis (7-3, 5-2) - ranked 16th in the FCS coaches poll - remain a game back of first-place North Dakota State in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with one game left in the regular season. SIU is home against Youngstown State next Saturday. Leading 19-7 at halftime, SIU broke the game open with a 21-point third quarter that included a Baker-to-Cox score, Anthony Knighton's pick-6 and Donnavan Spencer's short TD run. Baker was 17 of 26 for 233 yards passing. Anthony Thompson was 21 of 33 for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two of the Sycamores' three interceptions. Dante Hendrix had two touchdown catches for ISU (4-6, 2-5). - AP College Football

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QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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10/16/21 - Nic Baker, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

Nico Gualdoni kicked a career-long 46-yard, game-winning field goal with 5:21 remaining and Southern Illinois fended off North Dakota 31-28 in a Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown on Saturday. The Salukis (6-1, 4-0), ranked No. 4 in the FCS coaches poll, are off to their best start since the 2009 season but had to fight out of two ties late in the game. North Dakota had knotted the contest at 21-21 before Nic Baker found Izaiah Hartrup wide open over the middle for a 58-yard touchdown with 3:33 left in the third quarter.

Baker was 13-for-16 passing for 177 yards with three touchdowns. Hartrup gained 91 yards on four catches. The Fighting Hawks (2-4, 0-3) tied again at 28-28 midway through the final period on Isaiah Smith's run from the 3-yard line. Smith carried 17 times for 111 yards. Donnavan Spencer broke loose for a 48-yard run to set up Gualdoni's winning kick two minutes later. North Dakota's Brady Stevens missed field goal tries of 36 and 47 yards on the Fighting Hawks' final two possessions. North Dakota, No. 24 in the coaches poll, was playing without running back Otis Weah, who did not make the trip because of illness. - AP College Football

rSr/2024

QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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10/10/21 - Nic Baker, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

Nic Baker threw for four touchdowns and Southern Illinois rallied from an early 20-point hole to beat host South Dakota State 42-41 in overtime in a matchup of FCS top-10 contenders on Saturday. No. 8-ranked Southern Illinois (5-1, 3-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) maintained its place atop the conference standings with the stunning win over the third-ranked Jackrabbits (4-1, 1-1). Donovan Spencer's 10-yard touchdown run to start overtime put Illinois State up 42-35 for its first lead of the day. South Dakota State responded when Chris Oladokun threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft. Opting to try for the win, Oladokun's 2-point conversion attempt failed to end it.

Baker's 19-yard pass to Landon Lenoir with 34 seconds left in regulation tied it at 35-all. The Jackrabbits built a 20-0 lead before Baker connected with Jerron Rollins on a 61-yard score and with Lenoir on an 18-yard touchdown to reduce the deficit to 20-14 before the break. Baker threw for 359 yards and Lenoir and Rollins had 147 and 104 yards in receiving respectively. Oladokun threw for 358 yards and Pierre Strong Jr. ran for 162 yards on 20 carries and scored twice. - AP College Football

rSr/2024

QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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10/03/21 - Nic Baker, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

Nic Baker lofted a pass to Landon Lenoir in the end zone on the first play of overtime, and then the Salukis stifled a Western Illinois two-point conversion try to eke out a 31-30 victory on Saturday night. Myles Wanza burst 25 yards to score on Western Illinois' first play of overtime, but the Leathernecks went for the win, and the two-point conversion run by Dennis Houston was stopped at the 3-yard line.

Baker and Lenoir had hooked up with a 32-yard scoring pass early in the first quarter as Southern Illinois (4-1, 2-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference), ranked No. 7 in the FCS coaches poll, grabbed a 7-0 lead in just three plays and 57 seconds. The Salukis led 21-0 midway through the second quarter after Baker and Donnavan Spencer ran for touchdowns. The Western Illinois defense stiffened, and the Leathernecks (1-4, 1-1) had whittled the gap to 21-10 by halftime. Holding Southern Illinois to a field goal the rest of regulation, Western Illinois scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to tie, 24-24 and force OT. Connor Sampson, who passed for 192 yards, fired touchdown passes of 27 yards to Dallas Daniels and 12 yards to Ludovick Choquette. Wanza had 13 carries for 89 yards. - AP College Football

rSr/2024

QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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09/29/21 - Landon Lenoir, rSr/2022, Southern Illinois + More +

SEPT 27 MISSOURI VALLEY NOTABLE PERFORMANCE: WR Landon Lenoir, Southern Illinois - Caught 7 passes for 86 yards in SIU's 35-17 comeback win over Illinois State. The Salukis trailed, 17-0, midway through the third quarter, before exploding for 35 unanswered points. The first SIU touchdown was caught by Lenoir on a seven-yard pass from a scrambling Nic Baker. During the game, Lenoir surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards, becoming just the fourth player in school history to reach the plateau. - Missouri Valley Conference Football

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WR Landon Lenoir, Southern Illinois
News Source: Missouri Valley Conference Football
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09/29/21 - Qua Brown, rSr/2022, Southern Illinois + More +

SEPT 27 MISSOURI VALLEY NOTABLE PERFORMANCE: S Qua Brown, Southern Illinois - Led SIU with 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss in SIU's 35-17 comeback win over Illinois State. The Salukis trailed, 17-0, midway through the third quarter, before exploding for 35 unanswered points. Trailing, 17-7, late in the third quarter, Southern's defense mounted a critical goal line stand, stopping the Redbirds on 4th-and-1 at the SIU 6. - Missouri Valley Conference Football

rSr/2022

SS Qua Brown, Southern Illinois
News Source: Missouri Valley Conference Football
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09/25/21 - Nic Baker, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

Nic Baker threw two touchdown passes and Javon Williams Jr., rushed for two in a Southern Illinois comeback that saw the Salukis score five unanswered touchdowns and defeat Illinois State 35-17 in a Missouri Valley Conference opener on Saturday. Jackson Waring's 1-yard touchdown run had given Illinois State (2-2, 0-1) a 17-0 lead early in the third quarter, but the game flipped from there as Southern Illinois (3-1, 1-0) forced two punts, a fumble and took over on downs three times on the Redbirds final six possessions. The Salukis, ranked No. 8 in the FCS coaches poll, compiled 371 yards of offense and converted eight of 15 tries on third down in their rally. Baker was 21 of 32 passing for 227 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice. Landon Lenoir rushed for 86 yards and a TD while Izaiah Hartrup gained 82 for Southern Illinois. Waring, a freshman, passed for 166 yards for Illinois State with Austin Nagel making four catches for 100 yards. - AP College Football

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QB Nic Baker, Southern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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09/24/21 - Anthony Knighton, rSr/2022, Southern Illinois + More +

SEPT 20 MISSOURI VALLEY NOTABLE PERFORMANCE: DL Anthony Knighton, Southern Illinois -- 4 tackles, 1.5 TFL and 0.5 sacks in the 55-3 win over Dayton, moving into a tie for the all-time lead in career sacks at SIU with 24.0. SIU's starters played just 2.5 quarters, as the defense held the Flyers to 218 total yards. - Missouri Valley Football

rSr/2022

DE Anthony Knighton, Southern Illinois
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/19/21 - Nic Baker, rSr/2024, Southern Illinois + More +

Nic Baker threw for three touchdowns and FCS top-10 ranked Southern Illinois beat Dayton 55-3 on Saturday night. Baker was 16-of-21 passing for 235 yards, including a 53-yard catch-and-run TD to Avante Cox. Cox and Landon Lenoir, who also had a TD, finished with 98 yards receiving each. Javon Williams Jr. rushed for 123 yards on three carries, all in the first half. His total included a 73-yard run for the game's first touchdown. Justin Strong added 75 yards, including a 12-yard score. The Salukis (2-1) led 38-0 at halftime, outgaining the Flyers 438-89, including just 14 Dayton rushing yards. For the game, SIU outgained Dayton 658-218. SIU's Anthony Knighton was credited with a shared sack, giving him 23.5 for his career and a school record. Sam Webster kicked a 38-yard field goal late in the third quarter, ensuring the Flyers' 489th straight game without a shutout, extending their NCAA all-division record. Jack Cook threw for 131 yards for Dayton (1-1). - AP College Football

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