Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University (SIU) will host Illinois State on Saturday at 6 p.m. in a matchup of ranked FCS football teams. Ticket prices start at $10. The first 1,000 fans to enter Saluki Stadium will receive a Brandon Jacobs bobblehead as part of SIU's series honoring former NFL players from the university.

Brandon Jacobs led the Salukis in rushing twenty years ago during an undefeated season in the Gateway Conference. He was drafted by the New York Giants in 2004 and set the franchise record for rushing touchdowns, winning two Super Bowl rings.

Last year's bobblehead featured Jeremy Chinn, a second-round draft pick in 2019 who currently plays as a starting safety for the Washington Commanders.

The game is also the 14th annual Blackout Cancer event, organized by Saluki Athletics and the Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) Foundation. Since its inception in 2011, this initiative has raised awareness and support for cancer patients in Southern Illinois. Proceeds from Blackout Cancer events go to a fund that assists cancer patients with expenses such as prescriptions, nutritional needs, transportation costs, and medical bills related to treatment.

Head coach Nick Hill has an even record against Illinois State at 3-3, including wins in 2021 and 2022. The teams did not play each other last year. In their last meeting, SIU secured a narrow victory with Richie Hagarty sacking ISU quarterback Zack Annextad late in the game.

SIU has won its last eight games against other schools from Illinois, including Northern Illinois and Northwestern.

Quarterback Hunter Simmons has made history by passing for over 300 yards in his first two career starts — a first for any SIU quarterback. Linebacker Ben Bogle ranks second nationally with 12.5 tackles for loss and tenth with 5.5 sacks.

In their recent game against South Dakota, four players made their first career starts on offense: Cameron Dye (RT), Blaine Halley (LG), Jay Jones (WR), and Colton Hoag (TE). Iverson Brown recorded a career-high of 14 tackles against his former team.

The Salukis have been nationally ranked for nineteen consecutive weeks across both the current season and all of last year’s polls. They are currently facing one of their toughest schedules ever with five consecutive games against ranked opponents.

Attendance at Saluki Stadium reached its second-highest mark ever during Family Weekend versus SEMO with over thirteen thousand fans present.

Three out of four team captains have missed recent games due to injuries: Aidan Quinn (TE), Dewey Greene (DE), and Colin Bohanek (LB). Chase Evans (C) is the only captain who has played through these matches. The team ranks sixteenth nationally in sacks with fourteen so far this season.