Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University football team, ranked No. 11/13 nationally, will travel to Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) this Saturday for the annual "War for the Wheel" rivalry game. The matchup is set for 6 p.m. at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

This contest marks the 93rd meeting between Southern Illinois and SEMO, making it the longest-running series for both programs. Since 2018, the rivalry has been known as the "War for the Wheel," referencing a trophy awarded to the winner.

Southern Illinois currently holds a record of 40-44-8 against SEMO. In recent years, visiting teams have had success; each of the last four games has been won by the away team. The Salukis are 20-20-4 all-time when playing in Cape Girardeau.

Last week, Southern Illinois secured its largest road win since October 2023 by defeating UT Martin 37-10. The Salukis gained a total of 490 yards on offense and limited their opponent to 291 yards. SIU rushed for 273 yards—its highest mark since November 2021—and quarterback DJ Williams led with a career-high 128 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Williams also completed 13 of his 18 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown during that game. Wide receiver Fabian McCray scored his second touchdown as a Saluki and recorded two receptions for 62 yards. Jay Jones led in receiving with 65 yards, while linebacker Colin Bohanek made a team-high of 13 tackles.

Running back Chandler Chapman contributed with a career-best performance of his own, rushing for 78 yards and scoring once.

Senior Paul Geelen was named Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Special Teams Player of the Week after converting all four extra-point attempts and making a field goal against UT Martin. He also executed six touchbacks on kickoffs and averaged over 48 yards per punt.

Defensively, Southern Illinois has allowed an average of just under sixteen points per game through three contests this season—second-best in their conference and tied for eighth nationally among FCS teams. They rank third in their conference and fourteenth nationally in total defense by allowing only about 285 yards per game so far this year.

The Salukis' turnover margin stands at +1.67 per game, which leads their conference and is tied for fifth nationwide; they have recovered eight turnovers overall.

Quarterback DJ Williams ranks near the top among MVFC players in several statistical categories: fourth in total offense (270.3 yards/game), fourth in passing yardage (646), fourth in passing touchdowns (five), tied-second in rushing touchdowns (five), eighth in rushing yardage (165), and ninth nationally in scoring.

Linebackers Andrew Behm and Colin Bohanek—both returning from injuries last season—have combined for fifty-six tackles through three games this year; Behm’s twenty-nine tackles rank fourth among MVFC players while Bohanek’s twenty-seven place him sixth.

Southern Illinois recently moved up to No. 13 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll after its victory over UT Martin, with six MVFC teams appearing overall—including North Dakota State at No. 1 and South Dakota State at No. 2.

In addition to these rankings, SIU climbed from No. 17 to No. 11 in this week’s AFCA FCS Coaches Poll following its most recent win.

Among individual performances through three weeks: Vinson Davis III is seventh among MVFC receivers with one hundred seventy-nine receiving yards; he also leads his conference with an average kick return distance of thirty-nine yards.

Fabian McCray has six catches totaling one hundred fifty-five receiving yards plus two touchdowns; he averages more than twenty-five yards per reception.

Vinny Pierre Jr.’s two interceptions are tied for second-most within MVFC play.

Cornerback Jeremiah McClendon has broken up four passes so far—a figure tied for third-best league-wide.

Behm and Bohanek are both inside the top six tacklers within their conference—the only teammates to do so thus far this season.