Southern Illinois at Youngstown State game preview

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.

Both teams feature prolific, dual-threat quarterbacks, who can beat you by land or by air. SIU’s DJ Williams ranks third in the nation in Points Responsible For with 168 (13 rushing/15 passing TDs). Guess who’s first? That would be YSU’s Beau Brungard with 188 PRF (17 rushing/14 passing TDs).

Both teams have a dynamic wide receiver threat. SIU’s Vinson Davis III ranks third in the MVFC with 663 receiving yards. Barely ahead of him in second place with 664 yards is Youngstown’s Max Tomczak.

The similarities are everywhere. Both teams’ offenses rank in the Top 25 in rushing yards, total yards, first downs and overall scoring. The defenses are comparable, with Southern giving up 371.3 yards per game, versus 349.6 for Youngstown. Both teams even have explosive return games — SIU is second in the nation in punt returns, while YSU is fourth in kickoff returns.

Perhaps the most important similarity — both the No. 15-ranked Salukis (6-3, 3-2) and the No. 21-ranked Penguins (5-4, 2-3) recognize how much a win would bolster their playoff resume. Welcome to November football in the Valley.

Quick Facts

Date: Saturday, November 8, 2025

Kickoff: 2 PM ET (1 PM CT)

Location: Youngstown, Ohio

Facility: Stambaugh Stadium (20,630)

Radio: WCIL, 101.5 FM

TV: ESPN+

Series: YSU leads, 20-14-1

Spread: YSU -3.5

Weather: Partly cloudy, high of 53 degrees

First and Ten

• Saturday will be the 36th meeting all-time between the schools in a series that dates back to 1965. There have been some wild finishes in recent years.

• In 2024, SIU pulled off the biggest comeback in school history, rallying from a 28-0 deficit to stun Youngstown State, 37-33. True freshman quarterback Jake Curry threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final three minutes, including a 20-yard game-winning strike to Bradley Clark with 1:04 remaining.

• In 2022, YSU scored three, unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally for a 28-21 win over the Salukis.

• After beating Murray State last week, the Salukis moved up one spot to No. 15 in the Stats Perform FCS poll and No. 16 in the AFCA poll.

• Despite only losing by a touchdown at North Dakota State last week, the Penguins dropped three spots to No. 21/22 in the polls.

Quoting Youngstown State Coach Doug Phillips

“Getting three losses in the league, you can't have any more, so that's pressure. We talk about how pressure is a privilege. That means there's a certain expectation for you. We did the same thing when we had to get on a plane to go to Normal, Illinois. We knew we had to get a win there, so our kids are used to that pressure.

We've had crazy games with (SIU) in the last three years. They're explosive. I think they have one of the best running back rooms you're going to see. They have a quarterback that does what Beau does, can run, can pass, can create. Defensively, they went to a new defense this year, more of a four-down, and I think they're strong up front. They got big guys in the middle, just like a Missouri Valley team. They got solid linebackers like (Colin) Bohanek. I feel like we've been going against him for quite a while, and then they have skill on the perimeter at corner, safety and at the wide receiver room. So they got a lot of guys that can hurt you.

Year-in, year-out, Coach Hill is building a winning program there.”

Quoting Southern Illinois Coach Nick Hill

“Youngstown is a talented team with one of the top offenses in the country. Their quarterback makes them go and could very well be a Walter Payton finalist. He's rushed for over 1,000 yards through nine games, so he's gonna run the ball, whether it's by design or off-schedule. They have good skill players. Max Tomczak's been there for a long time, is the all-time leading receiver at Youngstown. They do a lot of similar stuff that we do offensively.

This game is what you want to have in November. You want to play big-time games where you got to be at your best. Everybody's going to go through trials in a season, and it's the teams that end the season well who go into the playoffs with a lot of confidence. Confidence and momentum is huge in this game and so I think this team has that.”

Scouting No. 21/22 Youngstown State (5-4, 2-3)

• Sixth-year head coach Doug Phillips has made one playoff appearance at YSU (2023).

• YSU’s four losses this season were to Michigan State, plus the top three teams in the MVFC standings (North Dakota State, North Dakota and South Dakota State).

• Nationally, QB Beau Brungard ranks first in Total Offense (3,123) and Points Responsible For (188), second in touchdowns scored (17) and fourth in rushing yards (1,041). He won National Player of the Week for his performances against Robert Morris and Illinois State.

• Brungard is a Youngstown native, whose father, Mark, quarterbacked two National Championship teams at Youngstown in the 1990s.

• WR Max Tomczak has a school-record 42-game streak with at least one reception. He has 204 career catches at YSU.

• WR Ky Wilson had a 100-yard kickoff return for touchdown two weeks ago vs. Murray State.

• YSU’s offensive line features four starters with double-digit starting experience, led by LT Desmeal Leigh with 34 starts.

• The Penguins have only committed six turnovers this season, while their defense ranks 14th in the nation with nine interceptions.

Scouting No. 15/16 Southern Illinois (6-3, 3-2)

• The Salukis have won two-straight games, holding both opponents (Northern Iowa and Murray State) to 300 or less yards.

• Saluki S Cejai Parson is coming off a two-interception game against the Racers.

• Against Murray, QB DJ Williams rushed for 90 yards, giving him 569 for the season, which ranks third in school history behind Mark Iannotti (716 in 2015) and Paul McIntosh (588 in 2009).

• Southern has scored on its opening drive in eight of its nine games, including seven touchdowns.

• SIU is No. 11 in the nation in fewest sacks allowed (1.11/game). The offensive line has allowed one or zero sacks in seven games.

• DJ Williams is third in the nation in Points Responsible For with 168. He has 28 touchdowns to his credit — 15 passing, 13 rushing.

• With 146 career catches, WR Vinson Davis III needs three more catches to move into the top-5 in school history. He is third in the conference with 663 receiving yards in 2025.

• CB Jeremiah McClendon leads the conference and ranks sixth in the nation in passes defended per game (1.33). Against UNI, he had five tackles, one sack, one interception and two breakups.

Salukis By the Numbers

• SIU has the nation’s No. 18-ranked scoring offense (34.6 points) and is 20th in total yardage (434.9).

• SIU is 7th in the nation in third-down efficiency (49.1%) and 9th in fourth-down efficiency (71.4%).

• In 2025, SIU started the season 4-1 for the fourth time under head coach Nick Hill. The Salukis made the FCS Playoffs each of the previous three times (2020, 2021, 2023).

• The Salukis are one of the nation’s least-penalized teams, with an average of 42.78 penalty yards per game, which ranks 22nd in the FCS.

• RT Cam Dye extended his longest-active starting streak to 17 games, and WR Vinson Davis III has the most overall career starts among active players at 30.

• K Paul Geelen is 37-for-37 this season on PATs and has made 63-straight since missing his first kick in the opener at BYU in 2024. His longest career field goal is 53 yard at Purdue.

• The Salukis play seven regular-season road games in 2025, the most road games in school history.