CARBONDALE, Ill. — If we were on the committee, here’s how StrongDawgs would see the FCS Playoff field, ranked 1-24.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — In speaking to the defense this week, Lee Pronschinske was philosophical about the five-overtime loss to South Dakota, telling his players a story about a sculptor who was crafting an eagle.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Three days later, the heartbreaker loss to South Dakota doesn’t sting nearly as much for Saluki Football, especially not with a game at No. 11 Illinois State coming up and the team clinging to an outside chance of making the FCS Playoffs.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — In the four years that wide receiver Alan Turner (2004-07) played at Southern Illinois, Saluki Football won 40 games, including four playoff victories, beat two FBS teams and won two conference titles.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Watching a four-hour, college football drama unfold at Saluki Stadium yesterday, you knew it was either going to be a storybook-ending for the ages for Saluki Football, or the ultimate gut-punch.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — It was the kind of game where you wish neither team had to lose. Unfortunately for Southern Illinois fans, it was their club that absorbed the final gut punch in a five-overtime loss to South Dakota, 53-51, on Saturday.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Have the playoffs already begun? By the sound of it, both head coaches in tomorrow’s Top 25 showdown between Southern Illinois and South Dakota think so.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Having long since conquered the disorders that slowed his childhood development, Aidan Quinn became an immediate contributor to Saluki Football as a true freshman in 2022.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — When Southern Illinois tight end Aidan Quinn was diagnosed with multiple disorders as a child, doctors told him he would never have the ability to play sports or even attend college.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — After giving up a season-high 48 points at Youngstown State, the Southern Illinois defense dropped from 33rd in the nation in points allowed per game (23.6) to 57th (26.0)

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois true freshman linebacker Alex Broshears is a walk-on from Evansville, who has earned a starting spot on all four of SIU’s special teams.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The fate of the 2025 season depends on the outcome of two, must-win games for Saluki Football.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — In a shootout between two teams jockeying for playoff position, Youngstown State rallied from an early 17-point deficit to beat Southern Illinois, 48-38, on Saturday.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois and Youngstown State have a lot in common, and that should make for a fascinating matchup when the two playoff-hungry teams square off on Saturday.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Jeremiah McClendon is having one of the best seasons by a cornerback in Southern Illinois history, consistently locking down wide receivers and ranking among the nation’s leaders in pass breakups.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — SIU defensive coordinator Lee Pronschinske believes the Saluki defense has not yet played its best 60 minutes of football. It would be perfect timing if that top performance came this week against a high-powered Youngstown State offense.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Beginning with Youngstown State on Saturday, Southern Illinois faces three nationally ranked teams to finish its regular season. The stakes are high, because in just 19 days, the FCS Playoff bracket will be set.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois junior linebacker and Florida native Chris Presto offers StrongDawgs readers an inside look at the trip to Murray State from a player’s perspective.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Two upsets and one near-upset in the Missouri Valley Football Conference turned the playoff picture murky for six of the seven teams still in the hunt for a playoff spot with three weeks left in the regular season.

MURRAY, Ky. — It was cold, windy and rainy at Roy Stewart Stadium on Saturday, yet Southern Illinois savored every moment of miserable weather throughout a 27-7 win at Murray State.