SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Southern Illinois seized control of a nip-and-tuck contest with Missouri State by scoring 28 unanswered points over an eight-minute stretch en route to 49-35 decision over the Bears and its first Missouri Valley Football Conference victory of the season Saturday afternoon at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
With 11 seconds left in the first half, Matt DeSomer’s four-yard touchdown pass to Nigel Kirby pulled SIU even at 21-21 and set off a scoring bonanza that would ultimately see the Salukis score on four consecutive offensive series — as well as a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown by Michael Elbert — to take a 42-21 lead midway through the third period.
SIU (2-6, 1-4 MVFC) would need just four plays and 1:03 of clock time to strike for the go-ahead score on its opening drive of the second half. DeSomer delivered a 39-yard completion to Raphael Leonard on the opening play of the sequence, before Landon Lenoir finished it with a 30-yard scoring reception. After forcing a Bears punt on the ensuing drive, SIU did most of its damage on the ground to extend its lead to double digits. Keyed by a 25-yard run from DeSomer, the Saluki ground game accounted for 68 of 72 yards on another scoring march that was punctuated by D.J. Davis’s 14-yard run—his second rushing TD of the afternoon.
Next, the SIU defense joined the onslaught, as Elbert stepped in front of a Huslig pass at the SIU 45 and brought it all the way back to make it a 21-point spread with 7:45 left in the quarter. The Salukis would record a second interception in the fourth quarter, while limiting the MSU offense to 63 rushing yards on 34 carries for the afternoon.
DeSomer completed 19-of-24 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, while the Saluki ground game racked up 264 yards against the Bears. Davis rushed for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 12 carries, while DeSomer added 92 yards on the ground and Leonard topped the 100-yard receiving mark with eight catches for 103 yards.
The Salukis’ victory overshadowed a big day for MSU quarterback Peyton Huslig, who threw for a career-best 404 yards and four touchdowns. The Bears signal-caller also posted a career-high 27 completions, two of which went to Tyler Currie, who reeled in five catches for 84 yards. Lorenzo Thomas starred as well, bringing in a career-best eight receptions for 173 yards, while Jordan Murray caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
In spite of the 14-point final margin, the game’s first 30 minutes played out nearly as evenly as possible. After trading punts with the Salukis on their first two offensive possessions of the day, the Bears (4-4, 2-3 MVFC) seized the upper hand with a 12-play drive, punctuated by a six-yard Huslig run. The junior quarterback set up the scoring opportunity with three separate completions of 10 yards or more, including a 44-yard toss to Thomas that moved the ball to the Saluki 20. Three plays later, Jason Randall took a direct snap and converted the fourth-and-one try with a five-yard run, and Huslig scampered into the end zone untouched on the following snap to give the home club the early 7-0 lead.
SIU answered with 75-yard scoring drive of its own, as Davis took a handoff from DeSomer and raced around the left end for an 18-yard touchdown to knot the score.
Huslig’s four-yard scoring pass to Murray set off a late scoring flourish that saw each of the offenses register a pair of touchdowns in the final 5:19 of first-half play. DeSomer responded by hitting Kirby for a 35-yard TD toss—the first of two key scoring passes the duo teamed up on in the closing minutes of the period.
Huslig connected with Thomas and Currie on a pair of long completions to spark another MSU scoring march. He found Thomas for 39 yards, then hooked up with Currie on a 25-yard gain to the SIU 3. Currie then out-jumped a Saluki defender in the corner of the end zone to put the Bears back on top with 2:17 to play in the half.
But once again, DeSomer and the Salukis bounced back with an equalizing score, this time moving the ball 75 yards on 11 plays. DeSomer hit Lenoir for a 13-yard gain, then broke free for a 20-yard run to move SIU to the MSU 17. Three plays later, DeSomer hooked up with Kirby once again over the middle for a four-yard strike that evened the score at 21-21.
After snapping the Salukis’ scoring run with another Huslig-to-Currie touchdown connection early in the fourth quarter, SIU answered one more time to seal the outcome. Jonathan Mixon’s five-yard run capped a short Saluki drive after a second Huslig interception by SIU’s Bryce Notree set up the visitors at the MSU 13.
Huslig became just the third MSU quarterback to top the 400-yard passing plateau late in the game, ending his day with a three-yard scoring pass to Mauricio Chio with 3:00 to play.
The Bears will look to bounce back next Saturday (Nov. 3) when they travel to Brookings, S.D., for a 2 p.m., game with No. 7 South Dakota State.
