Carbondale Reporter

CARBONDALE, Ill. — In the annual War For The Wheel, No. 21 Southeast Missouri rallied to beat No. 7 Southern Illinois, 38-21, on Saturday in front of a packed house of 13,421 at Saluki Stadium.

The Salukis (2-2) briefly took a 21-16 lead on a three-yard touchdown run by Willtrell Hartson with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter, but the Redhawks (3-1) responded with three unanswered touchdowns.

"We got off to a slow start, found a way to get the lead in the third quarter, and from that point on, they really controlled the rest of the game," said SIU head coach Nick Hill.

SEMO quarterback Paxton DeLaurent passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns, and freshman Payton Brown took all of the team's carries at running back and had 124 yards rushing.

Southern played with an entirely new backfield after losing quarterback DJ Williams and its top two running backs — Shaun Lester Jr. and Jaelin Benefield — to injuries in last week's win over Incarnate Word.

Marion native Hunter Simmons made his first career start at quarterback for SIU and completed 28-of-48 passes for 341 yards and one TD.

"I was proud of Hunter," Hill said. "I think he'll watch the tape and wish he had a couple throws back, but he took care of the ball. We didn't turn the ball over and we punted twice and we scored 21 points. We have to score more points."

The Salukis missed out on several scoring opportunities, settling three times for short field goals and making two of them. They also turned the ball over on downs three times in SEMO territory.

"We played alright at times; we moved the ball, but we have to finish in the red zone," Simmons said. "Most of it is on me; I'll take the blame for it. I just have to see some things and make the most of those opportunities."

Wide receiver Vinson Davis III led the offense with nine catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. True freshman Jerrian Parker made his first career start at running back and had 15 carries for 32 yards. Hartson, a redshirt freshman, added 22 yards.

The crowd was the second biggest in stadium history, behind opening night versus Quincy in 2010.

"That's my biggest disappointment, not putting together a better performance out there for everybody who came out," Hill said.

The Salukis open conference play next week at South Dakota, whose only loss this season was at Wisconsin, 27-13.

"We have to show up tomorrow," Hill said. "I know what I can control — showing up with a work-like attitude and holding everybody accountable; hold myself accountable; what ways can we get better? This isn't just the players; this is the staff too. Where can we be better to put our players in a better position?"