SIU sets scoring record; NIU trounced

Posted September 29, 2007 11:00 pm

Associated Press

Four turnovers in the first half helped give Southern Illinois a 72-10 blowout victory over Indiana State on Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind., the Sycamores' first game since coach Lou West was fired.

The Salukis (5-0, 1-0) scored 7 rushing touchdowns and returned an interception for another score as they set a Gateway Conference record for most points scored in a league game.

Southern Illinois opened the game with 3 rushing touchdowns in the first quarter. The Salukis then used an interception return, 2 more touchdown runs and 2 touchdown passes from quarterback Nick Hill to build a 55-10 halftime lead.

The Salukis ran for 321 yards on 58 carries, intercepted 4 passes and recovered an Indiana State fumble.

Cent. Michigan 35, NIU 10: Dan LeFevour completed 18 of 27 passes for 172 yards and rushed for another 42 yards as Central Michigan rolled past visiting Northern Illinois.

Northern Illinois amassed 522 offensive yards, but committed 5 turnovers, failed on 2 fourth-down attempts and missed a 21-yard field goal.

The conference win for the Chippewas (2-3, 2-0 Mid-American) was the first over the Huskies since 1997, ending a nine-game losing streak to NIU (1-4, 0-2).

Dan Nicholson was 21 of 41 passing for 293 yards for the Huskies, while Matt Simon caught 9 passes for 205 yards, including a 92-yarder that got NIU to within 14-7 in the first quarter.

N. Dakota St. 41, WIU 28: After falling behind 17-7, early in the second quarter, Western Illinois came back and took the lead against North Dakota State, but the Leathernecks couldn't hold it in a loss at Macomb.

A 44-yard pass from quarterback Matt Barr to tight end Matt Warner gave Western Illinois a 21-17 lead with 7:34 left in the half.

But Tyler Roehl scored a touchdown minutes later on a 41-yard run, and the Bison remained in control for much of the rest of the game.

Northern Iowa 23, Illinois State 13: Geno Blow ran for 167 yards on 31 carries, but it wasn't enough for Illinois State in a Gateway Conference loss to visiting Northern Iowa.

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.