SIU vs. SDSU Game Preview: Salukis can change the 2026 narrative
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois arrives at a critical crossroad on Saturday with an opportunity to change the narrative of the 2026 season. A win over No. 4-ranked South Dakota State would legitimize the team’s late-season turnaround and put it back in the playoff hunt.
For those who haven’t followed along, the Salukis (5-5, 3-3) opened the season with a No. 16 national ranking, but All-American quarterback DJ Williams was injured early during a 34-31 loss at West Florida, changing the trajectory of the season.
Southern rebounded to win non-conference games against Samford and SEMO, and opened Missouri Valley Football Conference play with a resounding win at Murray State. Then came a three-game losing streak to Top 10 teams Youngstown State, South Dakota and Illinois State, which pushed SIU out of the Top 25 and off the list for playoff consideration.
Since that time, the Salukis rebounded to beat Northern Iowa and Indiana State. Williams is starting to regain his form, accounting for all six of the team’s touchdowns in those wins (4 passing, 2 rushing).
Jackrabbits head coach Dan Jackson said he sees a different Saluki team than the one he followed earlier in the season.
“You could just tell (Williams) was really toughing it out and he just wasn't moving around,” Jackson said. “Now I've watched their last two games … if they call a pass play and it's not there, he's tucking it and running and looks very explosive. With their offense, they've got a quarterback run-game element now that they did not have for most of the season.”
The Salukis have not beaten a Top 5 team since they topped the Jackrabbits in overtime five years ago and now would be the perfect time to snap an eight-game streak of Top 5 losses. The Salukis have nothing to lose.
“As a competitor, you’re excited to go compete and cut it loose,” said SIU head coach Nick Hill. “You don't go into these games trying not to make a mistake. You got to attack and you got to believe we have a good football team. We have to do those things that we know win games.”
Game Facts
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Kickoff: 1 PM CT
Location: Carbondale, IL
Facility: Saluki Stadium (15,000)
Radio: WCIL (101.5 FM), Varsity Network App
TV: ESPN+
Series: SDSU leads, 11-4
Spread: SDSU -16.5
Weather at kickoff: Sunny, 48 degrees, 5 mph NNW
First and Ten
The Salukis will celebrate Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day on Saturday.
Saturday will be the 16th meeting between the schools in a series that began in 2008.
South Dakota State is the only conference school DJ Williams has never faced. He was injured when the teams last played on Nov. 16, 2024.
In the last 10 years, the Jackrabbits are 8-1 against SIU with their only loss coming in Brookings in 2021.
The Salukis are 1-6 all-time at home against SDSU. They were 1-0 at McAndrew Stadium, winning in 2008, and are 0-6 at Saluki Stadium.
Due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the teams did not meet in 2022 or 2025.
The teams played each other twice during the COVID season, with the Jackrabbits winning both times, 44-3, on March 20, 2021, and 31-26 in the Elite Eight of the playoffs on May 2, 2021. Both games were held in Brookings.
SDSU can secure its sixth Missouri Valley Football Conference title by beating SIU and Indiana State to finish the season, or with one win and a Youngstown State loss to Illinois State on Saturday.
In the decade of the 2020s, SDSU has a 76-17 record.
No. 4 South Dakota State Notebook (8-2, 5-1)
South Dakota State moved up from Division II to join the FCS in 2004. The Jackrabbits played four seasons in the Great West Football Conference until joining the Valley in 2008.
They have won five MVFC championships, most recently in 2024, and two national championships (2022 and 2023).
SDSU’s only losses this season are at Northwestern (34-18) and at North Dakota (21-10).
In seven of its eight wins this season, the Jackrabbits never trailed. They trailed for three minutes in their win over Youngstown State.
South Dakota State averages an FCS-best 259.3 yards per game on the ground and are led by running backs Josiah Johnson (1,061 yards) and James Basinger (744 yards).
The Jackrabbits are also sixth in total yards (470.8) and ninth in scoring (36.9).
SDSU has held five of its six Valley opponents under 100 yards rushing.
Payton Award finalist QB Chase Mason has a 14-3 record as a starter. He’s thrown only one interception this season and just five in his career.
During its current three-game winning streak, SDSU has recorded 10 sacks.
FB Andrew Gustad has either gained a first down or scored a touchdown on all 10 of his offensive touches since the start of the 2025 season.
SDSU leads the league with nine active alums on NFL rosters: RB Isaiah Davis (Jets), TE Dallas Goedert (Eagles), OT Sam Hagen (Texans), RB Amar Johnson (Chargers), TE Tucker Kraft (Packers), G Mason McCormick (Steelers), LB Christian Rozeboom (Buccaneers), LB Isaiah Stalbird (Saints), RB Pierre Strong Jr. (Packers).
Southern Illinois Notebook (5-5, 3-3)
In his third season at SIU, DJ Williams has a 13-11 career record as a starter for the Salukis. He has 66 career touchdowns — 36 passing and 30 rushing. Last season, he set the school record with 40 touchdowns.
Williams ranks eighth in passing at SIU with 5,077 yards and needs 107 yards to pass Nick Hill into 7th place.
Including his career at Murray State, Williams is second in the FCS among active quarterbacks with 9,820 career yards (7,834 passing, 1,686 rushing). Youngstown State’s Beau Brungard is first with 11,572 yards.
DE Ibrahim Sanogo leads the league with 15.5 tackles for loss and needs three more to break the SIU single-season record of 18 held by Bart Scott. He also has 7.5 sacks this season. The school record for a season is 12.0 by James Phillips, set in 1978. The last player to reach double-digit sacks at SIU was Andre Bailey with 10.0 in 1998.
S Vinny Pierre Jr. has the longest active starting streak (22) on the team and the most-career games played (45).
Three Salukis rank among the Top 15 in tackles per game in the Valley: LB Andrew Behm (7.2/7th), LB Ben Fiegel (7.0/10th) and Pierre Jr. (6.2/14th)
CB Sebastian Vargas Escobar has four interceptions to lead the league.
RS Tae Marrero averages 25.9 yards per punt return this season and 17.4 yards for his career. Both currently stand as school records.
SIU is second in the Valley with 21.0 sacks on the season. Southern had 18.0 in 2025.
SIU is 4th in the nation in Net Punting (42.24) and P Elijah Gorman is 16th in the nation in punting average (43.8).
K Weston Schofield is 10-for-10 on field goal attempts this season, including a 31-yard game winner versus UNI.
The Salukis are the least penalized team in the Valley, penalized 54 times for an average of 43.00 yards per game, which ranks 14th in the nation.
The Salukis lead the league in turnovers forced (18) and interceptions (13). They added two more INTs last week at Indiana State and rank fourth in the nation in picks.
Quoting South Dakota State head coach Dan Jackson
On DJ Williams:
“Their quarterback has not been healthy all season. You could just tell he was really toughing it out and he just wasn't moving around, and now I've watched their last two games … if they call a pass play and it's not there, he's tucking it and running and looks very explosive. With their offense, they've got a quarterback run-game element now that they did not have for most of the season and that I'm sure Coach Hill was planning on having.”
On SIU’s defense, special teams:
“They play a defensive scheme very similar to ours. Their defensive coordinator is a North Dakota State guy, and I see some similarities in scheme. They play very hard and they've been a consistent group. Their punt returner/kick returner is one of the best in the entire country. I like the design that they have. They scheme a lot of returns up for him.”
On his team’s buy-in:
“Regardless of your scheme or regardless of your talent, if you don't have the ability to build culture and get your players to believe that what they're doing is the best for them and for the program, it's tough. I appreciate our coaches getting the players to buy in, and then the players believe and trust in this system and this scheme.”
Quoting Southern Illinois Coach Nick Hill
On South Dakota State:
”Coach Jackson's done a great job. It’s a talented group. They don't do anything flashy. They have a really good offensive line, backs who can run the football, a talented quarterback, and a defense that leads the conference in (fewest) yards allowed.”
On the mindset it will take to beat SDSU:
“As a competitor, you’re excited to go compete and cut it loose. You don't go into these games trying not to make a mistake. You got to attack and you got to believe we have a good football team. We have to do those things that we know win games.”
On the Military Appreciation Day theme:
“There's a lot of young men and women that are the same age as our players, making sacrifices, being deployed or being away, the National Guard training on weekends. We get to go play a game, so just making sure that we take a moment to show our respect and gratefulness.”
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