DJ is back, the Dawgs win, and The Wheel stays
CARBONDALE, Ill. — DJ Williams is back. And the Saluki quarterback certainly didn’t look like a guy playing on a banged-up knee.
Two weeks after injuring his right knee in the opener at West Florida, Williams returned on Saturday night to lead Southern Illinois to an emotional, come-from-behind 34-20 victory over SEMO in the War For The Wheel.
He may not have been at full strength, but Williams was still the best player on the field. He passed for 286 yards, ran for 67 more, and accounted for all five Saluki touchdowns — throwing for one and running for four.
At the beginning of the week, Williams wasn’t even part of the game plan, SIU head coach Nick Hill revealed.
“During our Sunday quarterback meeting, I kept asking (backup) Jake Curry, are you good with this or that play, and DJ’s kind of getting mad,” Hill said. “DJ was dead-set on playing. He didn’t like that I kept talking to Curry, because DJ thinks he's playing.”
Ultimately, doctors cleared him to play, and Hill supported Williams' decision to suit up.
“God has the final say on my life,” Williams said. “God has the final say on what I can and cannot do, and God brought me back to this point where I can play the game that I love. If I can walk, if I can breathe, and I can do what I got to do to play, I'm gonna play.”
The Salukis (2-1) never led in the game until late in the fourth quarter, when Williams scored the game’s final two touchdowns. The first one was a 13-yard scamper down the right sideline with 4:11 to go that gave SIU a 27-20 lead, and the clincher was a 30-yard dash with a 1:08 remaining that put the game away.
“When the lights come on and it's time to go make a play, Coach Hill knows he can count on me and I'll do whatever it takes for this team,” Williams said. “I’d run through a brick wall for Nick Hill, because that's the type of trust and love I have for that man, his program and this community.”
Although the score was tied at halftime, 13-13, Southern could have had a sizable lead were it not for a handful of self-inflicted wounds.
On the first play from scrimmage, Williams tossed a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Thomas. While the receiver was celebrating in the end zone, the officials huddled and called the play back. The penalty that was announced over the PA was for the celebration, but clearly something else happened that wiped out the score.
Southern fumbled twice in the first half and both turnovers led to scores for the Redhawks (1-2). The Salukis also missed a field goal and an extra point.
“You just never know how these games are going to go,” Hill said. “There's got to be a constant belief that, in the moment, you're going to make plays. I thought there was just a constant strain to our team to play all four quarters.”
When the offense was struggling during a scoreless third quarter, it was the defense that provided Southern a lift. The Salukis intercepted SEMO quarterback Braylen Ragland four times in the second half.
The first pick by Sebastian Vargas-Escobar thwarted a Redhawk drive, and the second pick, by Gavin Shepard, led to the game-tying score. The third pick was the defensive play of the game, courtesy of linebackers Andrew Behm and David Obadein.
After SIU had taken a 27-20 lead, SEMO drove to the SIU 48 with under two minutes to play. Ragland threw a pass over the middle to Anthony Westervelt, who had the ball in his hands for a moment before Behm drilled him with his left shoulder. The ball popped high in the air to Obadein, who raced 57 yards down the Saluki sideline before being shoved out of bounds.
Obadein made his first-career start for the Salukis in place of injured linebacker Chris Presto.
“I just got to thank the coaches for putting me in this position and preparing me to go out and make plays,” Obadein said. “It was a great tip by Behm, and I just tried to run as fast and as far as I possibly can. I cramped at the end, but it was an amazing experience.”
The final interception was snagged by linebacker Charles Whelpley down the left sideline with just eight seconds to go.
The Salukis were officially credited with two sacks, but the defensive line was constantly putting pressure on Ragland.
“We hit him a lot,” Hill said. “He's been hit a lot the first two weeks, and we forced him into a couple bad decisions.”
Historically, the SEMO game has been a bellwether for SIU’s postseason chances. In seasons when the Salukis made the playoffs, they are 8-0 versus SEMO.
The 12,310 fans in attendance for Family Weekend were the most since the 2024 season when 13,421 watched the same two teams square off. The Salukis improved to 5-4 versus the Redhawks since the rivalry game was created in 2018.
“I'm just super proud of this team,” said Behm, who led the club with 12 tackles. “I love this team. That whole game was just so much fun. We were playing with a lot of joy out there.”
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