Carbondale Reporter

No. 2 North Dakota State maintained its unbeaten record against FCS opponents with a 24-3 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday in Carbondale, Illinois. Despite the scoreline, the game was more competitive than it appeared.

Southern Illinois (2-5, 0-3) faced challenges as they were without their top two quarterbacks for this match. The Salukis have played five consecutive games against ranked teams.

The SIU defense performed strongly, limiting North Dakota State to its lowest yardage of the season at 363 yards and its fewest points in the last 13 games. "There's no moral victories in this game, but there was progress made today," said SIU head coach Nick Hill. "It didn't come in a winning effort... but there are a lot of things we can build off of."

Jake Curry started as quarterback for SIU, marking the first time in 35 years that a true freshman has done so for the team. Injuries to DJ Williams and Hunter Simmons led to Curry's debut. Curry completed four passes during an opening drive before an unfortunate fumble by Allen Middleton halted progress.

Curry ended the day completing 15 out of 27 passes for 152 yards and one interception. A notable moment came when he ran for a ten-yard gain during the second quarter, demonstrating his determination on the field.

"I was proud of Jake," Hill stated. "Being 18 years old and making your first start against that defense — tough task... He's just going to keep getting better."

Curry contributed to scoring with successful passes leading to Paul Geelen's 50-yard field goal, which brought SIU's score to three points.

North Dakota State (6-1, 3-0) had only lost once this year in a close game against Colorado during Week One. They have consistently dominated offensively against other FCS teams until facing SIU's defense.

SIU limited NDSU's rushing attack effectively and saw defensive end Louis Wilbert make crucial stops early in the third quarter.

"The drives we gave up, they had to earn every yard," Hill noted about his team's defensive efforts.

Despite some missed opportunities on offense — including a failed fourth-quarter field goal attempt — Hill remains optimistic about his team's potential after their bye week: "We need a bye week pretty badly... We need some time off mentally."

The Salukis will return to action with an away game at Indiana State following their break.