Southern Illinois became the first team in conference history to record an 8-0 mark as the Salukis extended their league record to 14-straight conference wins in a convincing 44-24 against Missouri State on Saturday.  Deji Karim led the way with 117 yards and three TDs for the nation's top-ranked team.

#1 Southern Illinois 44, Missouri State 24
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Missouri State outgained the No. 1 team in the nation 464-358 and gave up just 13 first downs, but the Bears' season-high five turnovers was the difference in a 44-24 loss at Southern Illinois here Saturday in the final regular-season game at SIU's McAndrew Stadium. 

No. 1 Southern Illinois defeated Missouri State, 44-24, Saturday to set a new Missouri Valley Football Conference record with its 14th-straight league victory in the final regular season game ever at McAndrew Stadium.  The victory secures the outright MVFC Championship for SIU. This is the second time that Southern has won the conference outright and the fifth time it has shared at least part of the title since 2003.  The Salukis (9-1) have now won nine-straight games and finished the conference slate of their schedule with a perfect 8-0 record. Missouri State ends its season with a 6-5 record and a 4-4 mark in Valley play.

The Saluki defense created five turnovers on the day and returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Mike McElroy's 80-yard interception return for a TD in the third quarter is the fourth longest in school history.   Seniors Brandin Jordan and Marty Rodgers led the defense with seven tackles each and Kyle Russo added two sacks.

Walter Payton Award candidate and senior running back Deji Karim rushed for three touchdowns and had his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season. Karim totaled 160 all-purpose yards and 117 rushing yards on 14 carries.   Quarterback Paul McIntosh threw for 150 yards with one 27-yard touchdown pass to Marc Cheatham. He completed 8-of-12 passes and led the Saluki offense to 358 yards of total offense.

Chris Douglas rushed for 106 yards with one touchdown and Cody Kirby threw for 180 yards to lead the Bears.

Southern Illinois scored four touchdowns over a seven-minute span between the end of the first quarter and the start of the second to take a commanding lead. Karim had two of his three touchdown runs in that span, including a 73-yarder, and Brandon Williams returned an interception 34-yards to the house.

SIU held a 34-7 lead at halftime and ended up scoring 41 unanswered points up until the five-minute mark of the third quarter to seal the deal. Missouri State threw the first punch in the game, as they scored on a 65-yard Douglas rush on its fourth play from scrimmage.

The Salukis countered the quick Bear strike with one of their own. Karim scored on a seven-yard run at 11:30 after a six-play, 76-yard drive. McIntosh's 56-yard completion on a third-and-nine to Joe Allaria set the Dawgs up in the red zone and Karim followed a wall created by the offensive line to walk across the goal line.

After the Salukis forced a pair of fumbles, the second of which was forced by Connor James on a punt return, Karim's second his rushing touchdown of the first quarter. His three-yard TD run ended a five-play, 39-yard drive to give the Salukis a 14-7 lead.

Williams gave the Dawgs a 14-point cushion before the end of the first quarter, as he returned an interception 34-yards for a touchdown. It was his second interception return for a TD this year and the third of his career.

Southern Illinois continued on with its barrage of points early in the second quarter. The Salukis scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the period to extend its lead to 34-7. McIntosh hit Cheatham for a 27-yard touchdown pass and Karim broke free for a 73-yard touchdown run.

The Saluki offense cooled down and did not score again before halftime, but neither did the Bears and SIU held a 34-7 lead at the half.

Seven minutes into the third quarter, McElroy picked off Kirby and returned it 80-yards for a touchdown. That interception gave the SIU 21 on the season, which ties the 2007 squad for the second most in program history.

After 41-unanswered points, Missouri State kicker Matt Hottelman hit a 40-yard field goal to end the bleeding for the Bears. Miguel Warren added a seven-yard rushing touchdown with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Kyle Dougherty added a 31-yard field goal for the Salukis and MSU got a late touchdown pass before the final bell rung for the last time in a regular season game at McAndrew Stadium.

For Missouri State, TE Clay Harbor finished with a career-high 11 catches for 111 yards, giving him four 100-yard games this season and six for his career, both of which tied MSU records. Harbor finished the season with 59 receptions for 729 yards and completed his run with the Bears as the squad's all-time receptions leader (150).  Jordan Chiles' career-long 75-yard punt was one of just a few significant highlight for MSU in the second quarter.  It was the longest punt in the MVFC this season.  Chiles also had a 67-yard punt later in the quarter.  Derek Miller intercepted a McIntosh pass in the end zone with 1:47 to go in the half, his fourth of the season.

Youngstown State 30, Illinois State 18
The Youngstown State football team pulled out all the stops against Illinois State on Saturday afternoon to help send 12 seniors out in style with a 30-18 victory over the Redbirds at Stambaugh Stadium. YSU tried two onside kicks, kicked three field goals and faked a punt to offset a blocked punt and blocked field goal during an entertaining and emotional Senior Day victory.

Senior quarterback Brandon Summers paced the offense, which had a season-high 472 yards, by completing 25-of-38 for 346 yards and two touchdowns. It was Summers third time in his career that he threw for over 300 yards - tying Keith Snoddy's school record - and the second time against Illinois State. He was one yard shy of his career high, which was 347 yards last year at ISU.

On the ground, senior tailback Kevin Smith had his third 100-yard game of the year, as he carried the ball 27 times for 121 yards, including a second-quarter touchdown.  Guin receivers Dominique Barnes and Donald Jones both eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards, while adding a touchdown each. Barnes hauled in eight balls for a career-best 122 yards, while Jones, another senior, tallied seven catches for 105 yards.

Junior wide receiver Dominique Barnes had a 55-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. He had a career-high 122 yards receiving against the Redbirds.   Defensively, seniors Lenny Wicks and Draye Ersery led the the team in tackles as both had 11. It was a career high in tackles for Ersery, who had eight solo stops in the game. Entering the game, Ersery had 10 total career tackles in his two seasons with the program.

Safety Nick Gooden forced the lone turnover of the game early in the fourth quarter, that led to a score by Barnes that sealed the game for YSU with 9:32 remaining.

North Dakota State 56, Indiana State 17
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Despite a valiant offensive effort from senior Antoine Brown on his final day in a Sycamore uniform, Indiana State fell to North Dakota State by the score of 56-17 on Senior Day at Memorial Stadium in front of 2,878 fans.  The 2009 season concludes with the Sycamores owning a 1-10, 1-7 MVFC record while North Dakota State improves to 3-7, 2-5 MVC.

Antoine Brown went out for the Sycamores in fine fashion, rushing for a career-high 111 yards on 23 attempts with a 42-yard touchdown included. Brown also was the team's leading receiver, catching six passes for 35 yards. It marked the second time this season Brown eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark as he had 102 yards on the ground at Illinois State (10/17).

Ryan Roberts went 13-of-23 passing for 119 yards, including a long of 28 to Darrius Gates.  Aaron Archie led the team defensively with 16 tackles, boosting his season total to 117. Those 117 tackles now rank 15th best all-time for the Sycamores in a single season.

NDSU's Pat Paschall gained 129 yards on 16 carries and scored four touchdowns. 

The Bison got on the board first with a 29-yard touchdown run to give the NDSU a quick 7-0 advantage just over two minutes into the first quarter.  Braulio Martinez connected on a 38-yard field goal at the end of the quarter to cap a 15-play, 52-yard drive which consumed 8:27 of the clock to cut the NDSU lead down to 7-3.

North Dakota State made it back to the end zone quickly on a three-play, 49-yard drive that took just 51 seconds off the clock to give the Bison a 14-3 lead. In the second quarter, Ryan Roberts plunged in from a yard out to inch the Sycamores closer to the Bison, 14-10 with 10:29 left in the second quarter.

After NDSU stretched the lead back to 21-10 on a 2-yard run by Paschall, Brown countered with a 42-yard touchdown scamper to make it 21-17 with 2:22 left before the break.

NDSU came right back with nine yard touchdown pass just before the half for the 28-17 lead.

The Bison added a block punt return for score, a Paschall 4-yard run and a 3-yard score by Sam Ojuri in the third quarter as well as a 15-yard pass from Voigtlander to Jose Mohler in the fourth for the 56-17 victory.

Minnesota 16, #12 South Dakota State 13
Minneapolis -- A defensive battle between Minnesota and South Dakota State went to the Golden Gophers in a 16-13 victory on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota held the Jackrabbits to 229 total yards and managed 231 yards of its own. The Gophers took advantage of a late fumble by South Dakota State on its own 11-yard line and got a game-winning 25-yard field goal from Eric Ellestad with 2:22 left to become bowl eligible for the second straight year with a 6-5 overall record.

The Gophers then stopped the Jackrabbits twice, including a drive in Minnesota territory, to finish off the victory. It was the first time since 1933 that the two schools have met, as Minnesota improved to 7-0 all-time against South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits, who are ranked 12th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, fell to 7-3 for the season.

The Jackrabbits took a 10-6 lead with 13:25 left in the second quarter when Derek Domino picked off an Adam Weber pass and returned it 22 yards for the first touchdown of the game. The interception was Domino's fifth of the season.  Minnesota retook the lead, 13-10, with 9:04 left in the first half when freshman Michael Carter came from O'Brien's blindside and knocked the ball into the air from the Jackrabbit quarterback. Gopher teammate D.L. Wilhite snatched the ball in the air and returned it for a three-yard touchdown, the first touchdown of his career. Michael Carter also had a first on the play, earning his first sack of his career with an 11-yard sack of O'Brien.

With two seconds left in the first half, South Dakota State tried to tie the game with a 49-yard field goal attempt. Kicker Kyle Harris had previous hit from that mark earlier in the season, but missed the field goal as time expired.

Harris missed his second field goal of the game with 7:25 left in the third quarter when he pushed a 26-yard field goal wide left of the uprights. The missed opportunity came after a nine play, 50-yard Jackrabbit drive that started at their own 41 and lasted 3:52.

The Jackrabbits tied the score at 13-13 with 8:27 left in the second half when Reifenrath hit a 34-yard field goal to cap a drive that lasted 5:13. O'Brien led South Dakota State on the 13 play, 60-yard drive with 60 yards passing, completing six-of-11 passes.

The Gophers pulled back in front by the final score of 16-13 with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter when Ellestad hit a 25-yard field goal for his third of the game. Minnesota started with fantastic field position after defensive lineman Cedric McKinley recovered O'Brien's fumble at the Jackrabbits' 11-yard line. Minnesota went four plays and three yards in 1:40 before settling for Ellestad's eventual game-winner.

Kyle Minett led all rushers with 79 yards on 19 carries. O'Brien was 15-for-39 passing for 183 yards with Glen Fox catching five passes for 95 yards. Whaley had 56 yards rushing on 16 carries and Weber was 10-for-21 passing for 94 yards.

#11 UNI vs. Western Illinois 0

The University of Northern Iowa football team scored a 34-0 shutout victory Saturday over Western Illinois on senior night in the UNI-Dome. The shutout marked only the fifth time in WIU school history that the Leathernecks had been held scoreless.
 
UNI outgained WIU, 398-112, and the Panthers were plus-2 in turnover margin for the contest. The UNI defense held the Leathernecks to 0-for-11 on third-down conversion attempts and 0-for-2 on fourth-down attempts.
 
Senior quarterback Pat Grace was 9-of-17 passing for 213 yards and three touchdowns. Grace was a dual threat to the Leatherneck defense, also rushing for 63 yards on 15 carries. Senior running back Derrick Law gained 63 yards rushing on 17 carries.
 
Schuylar Oordt caught three passes for 79 yards to lead the Panthers. Jarred Herring and D.P. Eyman each had two receptions and one touchdown catch apiece.
 
Senior safety Quentin Scott snared two interceptions, returning the second pick 45 yards for a touchdown. Defensive linemen Wes Lane and James Ruffin, both seniors, recorded 1.5 sacks apiece. Ben Boothby also had 1.5 sacks in the contest.
 
Linebacker Jordan Smith and senior defensive tackle Chuck Kinney led the Panther defense in tackles with eight each. Andre Martin added an interception.
 
UNI opened the scoring in the first quarter with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Grace to Ryan Mahaffey. The Panthers' opening drive covered 73 yards on nine plays, spanning 4:40.
 
UNI went up 14-0 with 8:40 left in the second quarter when Grace found Herring across the middle on third down, and Herring turned it into a 56-yard touchdown catch with his breakaway speed, eluding several Leathernecks along the way.
 
A 42-yard field goal by Billy Hallgren put the Panthers up 17-0 with 0:48 left in the first half.
 
On the Panthers' first possession of the second half Grace found Oordt down the middle of the field for a 50-yard completion. Hallgren added another field goal, this time from 37 yards out to make the score 20-0.
 
Grace found fellow senior Eyman in the endzone for an 18-yard scoring strike on the first play of the fourth quarter. The touchdown put UNI on top 27-0 with 14:54 left in the game.
 
Senior safety Quentin Scott intercepted his second pass of the game and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown with 13:20 left in the fourth quarter to score the final points of the day.
 
With the victory, UNI improves to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Western Illinois fell to 1-9 overall and 0-7 in league play.