Salukis win overtime thriller at Western Illinois, 31-30
MACOMB - Nic Baker threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to Landon Lenoir on the first play of overtime, and No. 7-ranked Southern Illinois held on to beat Western Illinois, 31-30, in a thriller on Saturday night at Hanson Field.
The Salukis (4-1, 2-0) still needed to get an overtime stop on defense, and after Western running back Myles Wanza scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, the game came down to a two-point conversion. SIU linebacker Jakari Patterson rose to the occasion, stopping receiver Dennis Houston behind the line of scrimmage.
"I recognized it instantly, this is not going to be a run, so I aborted what I was supposed to do, read the man and made the play," Patterson said.
"This team never shies away from the big moment, and when we have to get something done, it seems like we always do," added Baker, who completed 26-of-43 passes for 240 yards, including two touchdown passes to Lenoir.
After a 45-minute lighting delay before the game even started, the Salukis jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
On the third play of the game, SIU defensive end Anthony Knighton deflected a Connor Simpson pass, and Bryce Notree picked it off at the WIU 44.
Three plays later, Baker threw a 32-yard TD pass to Lenoir, who broke a tackle near the 20 and sprinted to the end zone. Baker made it 14-0 on a nine-yard quarterback keeper, and Donnavan Spencer added a four-yard touchdown run to put Southern up by three TDs.
The momentum turned late in the first half with Western's Jalen Powe picked off a Baker sideline pass and returned it 29 yards for a score to make it 21-10 at halftime.
"I don't think we played our prettiest football," said SIU head coach Nick Hill. "I liked the way the guys came out after the lighting delay, their approach. We played excellent defense in the first half."
The Leathernecks (1-4, 1-1) clawed back into the game in the second half with a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes by Sampson to tie it up, 24-24, with 6:50 to go.
Southern's offense managed only a Nico Gualdoni 37-yard field goal in the second half, and Baker was sacked five times on the night.
"We were a little bit out of a rhythm, they started bringing some pressures - a credit to them," Hill said. "We weren't running the ball really well and they were really just bringing everybody (on blitzes)."
The Salukis had a chance to win it in regulation. Baker led an impressive two-minute drive and he hooked up with Lenoir on a spectacular back-shoulder throw and catch for 23 yards down to the WIU 23.
"Nic has a demeanor about himself that's pretty special," Hill said. "You can coach him as hard as you want and he doesn't shrug you off. He'll look you in the eye and say, 'I got it.' And you believe him."
The play set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Gualdoni as time expired in regulation, but he missed wide left.
SIU had the ball first in overtime and came up big on the first play.
"We'd been running a counter play all night," Hill said of the game-winning play-action pass. "It was a one-receiver route with Landon like he's going to block and he goes on a seam route."
"If we have a chance 1-on-1 with Landon to win the game, that's who we're going to every time," said Baker.