CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki Football head coach Nick Hill often calls them the “hidden yards,” but Southern Illinois’ return-game yardage was easy to spot on Saturday, and the advantage for SIU was enormous.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — When Southern Illinois and Indiana State collided in Carbondale a year ago, the two teams combined for an incredible 752 rushing yards. The Salukis had a 430-322 rushing advantage and averaged a mind-boggling 11.6 yards per carry.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Since the bye week didn’t arrive until Week 10 this season for Southern Illinois, head coach Nick Hill made sure to give his team a breather last week. Players had Friday and Saturday completely off with no practices or meetings.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — SIU head coach Nick Hill raved about Miles Marshall’s performance in Saturday’s dramatic, 20-17 win over Northern Iowa. That might sound odd, since a quick scan of the final stats shows the fifth-year tight end didn’t catch a single pass in the game, nor did he make a big play on special teams.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — One thing is certain about Northern Iowa — it is the surprise team of the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season. Picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, no one expected them to become a ranked team (currently No. 21) or to be tied for the fewest league losses at mid-season.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — After another sub-par performance by the offense on Saturday, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill said during his weekly presser that the team is still searching for ways to “unleash some of the explosiveness” in the offense.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Two teams fighting to avoid a third conference loss will square off at Saluki Stadium later today in a nationally televised showdown on ESPNU.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — During his weekly presser on Monday, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill said both the Salukis and Illinois State have their “backs against the wall” heading into Saturday’s nationally televised showdown on ESPNU.

VERMILLION, S.D. — It has been exactly five years since Southern Illinois beat a Top 10 team, a 42-41 victory at No. 2-ranked South Dakota State during the 2021 season.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — During his weekly presser on Monday, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill said the team’s defense played “winning football” in the 28-16 loss to Youngstown State, while adding that his review of the film showed “we weren’t good enough” on offense.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — You get the feeling that today’s Saluki Football game versus Youngstown State could be a bellwether for the rest of the season.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — During his Monday morning presser, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill listed a handful of things his team could’ve done better during its 40-point win over Murray State.

MURRAY, Ky. — We’ve heard a lot of talk this week about staying “focused on Murray State,” going “1-0 this week,” and treating “every game like our Super Bowl.”

CARBONDALE, Ill. — During his Monday presser, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill said he’s excited to turn the page and start conference play on Saturday at Murray State. Down to nine teams in the league after North Dakota State’s exit, every team will play each other this season.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — We’re just hours away from kickoff at Memorial Stadium, where the Salukis (2-1) will make their fifth appearance all-time against Illinois. The Fighting Illini (1-1) have won the previous four matchups by an average margin of 19 points, and they are 19-0 all-time against FCS schools. What are some things that need to go right for the Salukis today to keep up with the Big Ten power? We discuss that and much more in our final thoughts on the Illinois game. ⬇️P

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois re-entered the FCS Top 25 rankings on Monday, coming in at No. 24 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 25 in the Coaches poll, ahead of this week's game at Illinois.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — It’s been nine days since the Salukis beat Samford and there’s a sense of eagerness to get back at it. No more build-up, let’s play football, seems to be the mood in the building. Here’s some final thoughts heading into tonight’s game.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — During his Monday presser, SIU head coach Nick Hill updated the status of quarterback DJ Williams, saying the fifth-year QB is still “week-to-week” with a knee injury.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Southern Illinois continues its tour of the South tonight with a game at Samford, on what will likely be one of the hottest Saluki games on record. Here’s some last-minute scribbles from my notebook on this important contest for SIU.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — It was not the outcome Saluki fans were expecting on Thursday night, a 34-31 loss to a West Florida team making its Division I debut. Today, we take an in-depth look at the good, the bad and the ugly, and what it means for Saluki Football.