2018 Southern Illinois Salukis football team
The 2018 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Nick Hill and played their home games at Saluki Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 1–7 in MVFC play to finish in last place.
| 2018 Southern Illinois Salukis football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| 2018 record | 2–9 (1–7 MVFC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | John Van Dam (3rd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Kraig Paulson (3rd season) |
| Home stadium | Saluki Stadium (Capacity: 15,000) |
| 2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 North Dakota State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 15 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 South Dakota State ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Northern Iowa ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Previous season
The Salukis finished the 2017 season 4–7, 2–6 in MVFC play to finish in a tie for eighth place.
Preseason
Preseason MVFC poll
The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Redbirds predicted to finish in eighth place.[1]
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State | 390 (39) |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 270 |
| 3 | Northern Iowa | 258 |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 248 |
| 5 | Illinois State | 248 |
| 6 | South Dakota | 206 |
| 7 | Western Illinois | 163 |
| 8 | Southern Illinois | 139 |
| 9 | Missouri State | 90 |
| 10 | Indiana State | 41 |
Preseason All-MVFC Teams
The Salukis placed four players on the preseason all-MVFC teams.[2]
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Offense 1st team Darrell James – WR |
Defense 1st team Jeremy Chinn – DB Lane Reazin – P 2nd team Anthony Knighton – DL |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 6:00 p.m. | at Murray State* | ESPN+ | W 49–10 | 6,350 | |
| September 8 | 3:00 p.m. | at Ole Miss* | SECN | L 41–76 | 53,339 | |
| September 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Southeast Missouri State* | ESPN+ | L 44–48 | 8,592 | |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | South Dakota |
| ESPN+ | L 24–31 | 8,546 |
| October 6 | 5:00 p.m. | at Youngstown State | ESPN+ | L 14–17 | 14,581 | |
| October 13 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 12 Illinois State | ESPN3 | L 3–51 | 11,247 | |
| October 20 | 2:00 p.m. | Indiana State |
| ESPN+ | L 21–24 | 6,435 |
| October 27 | 2:00 p.m. | at Missouri State | ESPN+ | W 49–35 | 6,374 | |
| November 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Western Illinois |
| ESPN3 | L 31–34 | 4,780 |
| November 10 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 6 South Dakota State |
| ESPN+ | L 38–57 | 4,433 |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 1 North Dakota State | ESPN+ | L 17–65 | 18,008 | |
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- Source: Schedule
Game summaries
at Murray State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salukis | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
| Racers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Ole Miss
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salukis | 21 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 41 |
| Rebels | 14 | 21 | 14 | 27 | 76 |
Southeast Missouri State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redhawks | 14 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 48 |
| Salukis | 10 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 44 |
South Dakota
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coyotes | 7 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 31 |
| Salukis | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Youngstown State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salukis | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Penguins | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 17 |
at Illinois State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salukis | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 12 Redbirds | 7 | 24 | 7 | 13 | 51 |
Indiana State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sycamores | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| Salukis | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Missouri State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salukis | 0 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
| Bears | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
Western Illinois
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leathernecks | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 34 |
| Salukis | 7 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
South Dakota State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Jackrabbits | 10 | 20 | 20 | 7 | 57 |
| Salukis | 3 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 38 |
at North Dakota State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salukis | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 1 Bison | 28 | 7 | 16 | 14 | 65 |