Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University’s football team began its 2025 season with a decisive 49-3 win over Thomas More on Saturday in Carbondale. The Salukis demonstrated strong performances on both offense and defense throughout the game.

"I thought there was a lot of good, and there's a lot of things we're going to have to get better from," head coach Nick Hill said. "For the opening night, I was really happy with the effort, the cleanliness of the play. We didn't turn the ball over and we took it away."

The Salukis accumulated 386 total yards—148 rushing and 238 passing—while limiting Thomas More to 191 yards and preventing them from scoring any touchdowns. The defense forced five turnovers, including three fumbles and two interceptions.

"If we're a defense that continually makes teams kick field goals, we'll be where we want to be defensively," Hill said. "It's not looking at stats or yards. It's what's the score, how did we play in situational football, and tonight we did a great job."

Freshman linebacker David Obadein recorded his first interception for Southern Illinois, returning it for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Another freshman, Cameron Cason, also notched his first career interception during the final quarter.

Quarterback DJ Williams returned for his first game since September 14, 2024, against Incarnate Word. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns while adding another touchdown on four carries for 18 yards.

Williams led an eight-play opening drive capped by his own ten-yard rushing touchdown—the fifth of his collegiate career with Southern Illinois. The Saluki defense held Thomas More to two short drives in the first quarter as SIU took a 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Williams threw touchdown passes to Jay Jones (18 yards) and Jackson Parker (17 yards), helping extend SIU’s lead to 21-0. Thomas More scored their only points on a Luke Iden field goal late in the half before Lem Wash added another rushing touchdown for Southern Illinois just before halftime.

The Salukis continued their scoring after halftime with Williams connecting with Fabian McCray for a third passing touchdown. Obadein’s interception return for a score followed by Quade Chatmon’s first career rushing touchdown brought SIU’s total to seven touchdowns.

Vinson Davis III led all receivers with five catches for 89 yards while linebacker Andrew Behm made six tackles.

Southern Illinois will travel next week to face Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Fans can follow updates about the team through social media channels including Twitter (@SIU_Football), Facebook (Facebook.com/SalukiFootball), Instagram (@SIU_Football), or by downloading the “Salukis” mobile app from major app stores.