Southern Illinois scores 59 in rout of SEMO

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Southern Illinois wasn’t letting the wheel stay in Cape Girardeau this year.

The 13th-ranked Salukis came into Cape Girardeau Saturday and beat archrivals SEMO 59-31, in the annual War for the Wheel.

Right out of the gate, SIU came in looking to dominate. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback D.J. Williams took off, scoring a 75-yard touchdown, putting the Dawgs out in front 7-0, silencing Houck Field in the process.

Things immediately got worse for SEMO and better for Southern. The Salukis forced a fumble with captain and linebacker Colin Bohanek returning it for a huge play, putting SIU well within the red zone.

Running back Lashaun Lester would finish that short drive a moment later to make it 14-0 Salukis.

Jax Leatherwood and the Redhawks then put together an impressive drive, with Leatherwood running it to cut the deficit in half.

But Williams was back right away with the answer, another rushing touchdown himself to make it 21-7 Dawgs.

Later in the second quarter, Williams found his veteran wide receiver Vinson Davis III, the first of two touchdowns between the duo. Davis finished the night with 8 receptions for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns.

SIU led 31-7 at halftime, but Leatherwood rallied SEMO right out of the half, with a touchdown pass to Cam Pedro.

But the Salukis knew how to answer on just about every occasion, scoring a touchdown of their own a few minutes later.

The offenses traded touchdowns for a good portion of the second half, with the final result being a 59-31 win for Southern Illinois.

Williams finished with 342 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 151 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

After the win, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill spoke on Williams’ performance, along with the whole team’s performance.

“Coming down here, (we) were focused on the task at hand, and playing our style of football,” Hill said. “Felt like we played disciplined. We didn’t turn the ball over, not a lot of penalties, played good on special teams. D.J., I think he’s the best player in the country and I think that nights like this prove why.”

Williams also spoke after career night.

“I just want to thank God first and foremost for allowing me to come out here and play this game that I love with my teammates and the guys that I love,” Williams said. “It meant a lot to me, seeing what happened last year, what transpired. Those guys came across the field taking the wheel. It felt very bad. It felt like a little bit of a slap in the face, a little disrespect, and I just wanted to make sure that we didn’t have that feeling tonight.”

Southern Illinois (3-1) opens Missouri Valley Football Conference play next Saturday vs. Indiana State, with kickoff at Saluki Stadium set for 6:00 p.m.

SEMO can take some positives away from the defeat. Leatherwood finished with 422 yards passing and 3 total touchdowns, in what’s been a solid start to his career as a Redhawk.

SEMO (1-3) heads on the road to open OVC-Big South conference play at rivals UT Martin, with kickoff in Martin set for 6:00 p.m. next Saturday.

This story will be updated with additional quotes.