Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University (SIU) is set to host Murray State in a regional rivalry game this Saturday at Saluki Stadium. The event, scheduled for noon, will also mark Senior Day, with twenty seniors being recognized on the field at 11:35 a.m.

In addition to the senior celebrations, the game coincides with Brown Dawg's Kids Club Day. Members of the club are eligible for a free ticket and an opportunity to form the pregame tunnel. Parents can claim these tickets by presenting their child's membership name at the ticket window. Additional tickets are available for $10.

SIU has dominated recent encounters with Murray State, winning their last four meetings since 2003. The previous match held at Saluki Stadium was on September 17, 2016, where SIU secured a victory with a score of 50-17. Notably, wide receiver D.J. Davis returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown during that game.

True freshman Jake Curry has stepped into the quarterback role following injuries to other team members. Curry's performance includes rallying SIU from a significant deficit against Youngstown State, earning him recognition as Stats Perform National Player of the Week.

In recent developments, SIU faced South Dakota State but suffered from injuries within its lineup. Linebackers Chris Presto and Shug Walker were absent due to injury and replaced by Shane Roth and Andrew Behm. Safety Ubayd Steed led his team with twelve tackles during this match.

The Salukis have encountered challenging opponents throughout their season, facing seven ranked FCS teams and one highly-ranked FBS team, BYU.

With three quarterbacks injured this season, Michael Lindauer has been activated under an NCAA waiver to support the team in upcoming games.

Sophomore linebacker Ben Bogle leads his league in tackles for loss (TFL) and ranks ninth nationally with sixteen TFLs. He achieved a school record of 3.5 sacks earlier this season against Austin Peay.