Salukis blast through Western
No. 8 ranked Southern Illinois defeats Western Illinois 30-10 Saturday night at Hanson Field.
Bill Welt
Issue date: 10/5/09 Section: Sports
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The Salukis' offense proved unstoppable in the first half, jumping to a 27-10 lead at the break.
Southern (3-1, 1-0) was able to score on their very first play of the game when senior running back Deji Karim burst through the line of scrimmage untouched for a 92-yard touchdown sprint.
"My performance would've been nothing without the offensive line," Karim said. "Those guys work week in and week out and so I give thanks to them. It wasn't just me, it was all the team."
Karim finished the day rushing for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries for the Salukis.
Junior quarterback Matt Barr led the Western offense and kept the 'Necks within striking distance before being pulled due to a hand injury.
Barr led the 'Necks to their only touchdown drive early in the second quarter on senior running back Dre Gibbs' two-yard rushing touchdown to put Western within four points, 14-10.
Barr injured his hand during the drive and was forced to sit out the remainder of the game.
"He (Barr) said he couldn't hang onto the ball well enough to actually play," said head coach Mark Hendrickson. "He played a few plays with it like that. He did the best he could and we did score, but he knew he couldn't handle the ball from that point on."
Backup redshirt freshman Wil Lunt made his second appearance on the field this season to replace Barr at quarterback.
Lunt struggled throughout most of the game but showed improvement as play wore on.
He completed only one pass by the end of the third quarter on seven attempts and finished the night going 7-for-19 for 50 yards and two interceptions.
"Wil had at least a couple of passes that were dropped that were put right on the money," Hendrickson said. "I thought he kept his poise very well considering they (Salukis) got to him on a couple sacks. He hung in there. For a freshman in his first real live action, I thought he did a good job overall."
Lunt was sacked four times as the offense proved stagnant without Barr.
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Bill King
posted 10/05/09 @ 2:53 PM CST
How bad is Matt Barr's hand and what is his status for next weeks game?
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