Salukis-Illini Gameday Binoculars: Tape-Delayed Blogging & Play-by-Play

SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: The SIU-UI tape review has been completed and can be viewed after the jump. Following two games, I feel better about the Illini than the Bears, which just stole a win from the Lions thanks to an absolutely brutal call that negated a Calvin Johnson touchdown.

LATE SATURDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Illinois crushes Southern Illinois 35-3, evening its record at 1-1. Here are the final game stats. Writing Illlini will provide a tape breakdown tomorrow afternoon.

Unlike last weekend’s game against Missouri, Writing Illini will be unable to do its live Gameday Binoculars for tonight’s Southern Illinois contest, not due to a lack of interest but rather a prior obligation (babysitting my cousin’s kids). Simply put, it would be impossible to track each and every play while keeping an eye on a three-year-old and one-year-old as they run around the house with the downhill tenacity of Mikel Leshoure.

With that said, Illini fans can still follow the SIU-UI game via Writing Illini’s Twitter page. I have tonight’s game ready to record and will break it down either later tonight or early tomorrow morning (think along the lines of a tape delay, such as my Illini Tale of the Tape basketball series). Thanks for your understanding.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

12:13 p.m.

This will be my first look at last night’s game. I will provide play-by-play and commentary again.

Opening possession of the game

Southern Illinois wins the toss and deferred. SIU kicks to Illini defensive back Justin Green, who returns the ball to the 19-yard line before he is crushed by Blair Lane.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 19: Nathan Scheelhaase hands off to running back Mikel Lehsoure who goes off the left tackle for three yards. 2nd and 7 from the 22: Scheelhaase throws the ball away off a naked bootleg. Good to see Illinois go to this play, which worked well in the first half against Missouri. 3rd and 7: Scheelhaase in the gun and fires a strike to wide receiver Jack Ramsey for a first down. Scheelhaase with a nice job of moving and setting his feet before delivering that pass on target.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 34: Illinois in the gun and Scheelhaase hands off to Leshoure, who rips off 14 yards for a first down.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 48: Scheelhaase in the gun and checks down to Leshoure for a gain of 4 yards. Smart play by the redshirt freshman quarterback. 2nd and 6: Scheelhaase keeps the ball and is hammered for no gain. 3rd and 6: Scheelhaase in the gun and fires a pass to Fred Sykes, who can’t hold on after getting drilled. Scheelhaase got hammered on that throw, which was on the money and should have been caught. 4th and 6: Anthony Santella punts the ball into the end zone. Television timeout.

Illinois runs 7 plays before stalling on the first drive of the game. After 4 turnovers last week, Scheelhaase has a nice pocket presence early on, similar to the first half of the Missouri game.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 20: Southern Illinois quarterback Chris Dieker hits tight end Kyle Harruff on a pass for two yards, with Travon Bellamy providing a nice stick. 2nd and 8: Dieker hands off to Lucien Walker, who grinds his legs out to the 26-yard line. A tough run there by Walker. 3rd and 4 from the 26: Dieker in the gun and throws the ball behind Walker after Illinois got a decent push. Good coverage on Walker by Martez Wilson. 4th and 4: Southern Illinois in punting formation and sends the ball to the Illinois 26, where Jack Ramsey receives the ball and returns the ball past the 30-yard line.

Illinois forces a three and out.

1st and 10 Illinois from its 36: The Illini come out with a new look, as wide receiver Eddie McGee is in the gun and Scheelhaase is flanked out at wide receiver. McGee fakes a handoff to Leshoure and drills A.J. Jenkins on a bootleg for a first down.

1st and 10 ILL from the 46: Scheelhaase is back under center and hits A.J. Jenkins for a 54-yard touchdown after a play-action fake run to Jason Ford. Scheelhaase got smacked again when delivering that pass, which was slightly behind. Jenkins made a great adjustment on the play. Derek Dimke makes the extra point and Illinois leads 7-0.

Illinois takes a 7-0 lead with 9:38 remaining in the first quarter. A 2-play, 37-second drive culminates with Scheelhaase hitting A.J. Jenkins for a 54-yard touchdown. Give some credit to offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, who set up that score by having Eddie McGee in at quarterback the previous play. Scheelhaase is showing some toughness in the pocket, as he has been absolutely blown up on 2 of his 3 passing attempts. The offensive line needs to do a better job of picking up the delayed pressure from SIU.

Dimke kicks off to SIU’s Steve Strother, who returns the ball to the 25 before getting destroyed by Nate Bussey, who had several huge hits against Missouri in week one. There is a penalty on the play, with A.J. Jenkins called for grabbing the face mask. That will be a 15-yarder.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 40: Dieker hands off to Walker, who runs for 4 yards before Bussey makes another tackle. 2nd and 6: Dieker in the gun and overthrows his receiver on the sidelines. 3rd and 6 from the 44: Dieker in the gun with no backs and his pass over the middle is knocked down after the Illini defensive line got some gradual pressure. 4th and 6: SIU punts the ball to the Illini 15, where Jack Ramsey makes a fair catch.

The Illini defense holds SIU to another three and out. Dieker looks like he has some happy feet early.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 15: Leshoure runs for a yard. Not much there on that play. 2nd and 9: Scheelhaase in the gun and keeps up the gut for one yard. Southern Illinois isn’t allowing much room for the Illini to run. 3rd and 8: Scheelhaase in the gun and hits A.J. Jenkins right at the sticks for a first down. Great rhythm and timing there. Scheelhaase is staying strong in the pocket when throwing the ball.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 26: Eddie McGee is in at quarterback and lined up in the shotgun. McGee fakes a pass to Leshoure and throws an interception. Nothing was there on that play as McGee tried to throw the ball across the field (and off his back foot) to A.J. Jenkins. SIU freshman safety Boo Rodgers had an easy pick on that play.

Illinois turns the ball over in its own territory on a bad throw by backup quarterback Eddie McGee, who has too much experience to force a pass like that.

1st and 10 SIU from the Illinois 40: Dieker hands off to Shariff Harris, who runs for a yard. 2nd and 9 from the 39: Dieker rolls and fires a pass beyond the hands of Harruff. That play was there but Dieker was inaccurate on his throw. 3rd and 9 from the 39: Dieker hits wide receiver Matt Guinn, who is ruled out of bounds after getting pasted by Illini safety Trulon Henry. 4th and 9 from the 39: SIU lines up for a 56-yard field goal, but kicker Kyle Dougherty is short on the attempt.

After the Eddie McGee interception, the Illini defense holds down the fort, forcing a 56-yard field goal that is missed. SIU hasn’t gotten a first down in three possessions, and Dieker looks a bit out of sorts for a senior.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 39-yard line: Jason Ford runs up the gut for no gain. 2nd and 10 from the 40: Scheelhaase in the gun and fires an incomplete pass to Jarred Fayson. Scheelhaase got drilled again. 3nd and 10 from the 39: Scheelhaase in the gun and keeps the ball for a short-gainer. A very conservative call by the Illini. 4th and 9 from the 40: Santella punts the ball inside the five yard line, where it is downed. A 57-yard punt from Santella.

Illinois follows up with an unimpressive three-and-out that resulted in one yard. Illinois has pinned SIU inside its own five-yard line after a 57-yard punt from Anthony Santella.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 3: Dieker hands off to Walker, who is swarmed for a loss of a yard. Great pressure from Martez Wilson and pursuit by Ian Thomas. 2nd and 11 from the 2: Dieker overshoots another receiver. No touch thus far for Dieker. 3rd and 11 SIU from its own 2: Dieker in the gun and avoids a safety as Clay Nurse came off the edge. Dieker fires an incomplete pass. 4th and 11 from the 2: SIU punts the ball to the 50, where Ramsey receives the ball and brings it to the SIU 36. A nice return by Ramsey.

Make that 12 plays and no first downs for SIU, which has another three-and-out, this time inside its own five. Illinois got some nice pressure on that series, most notably Martez Wilson, Clay Nurse, Corey Liuget and Whitney Mercilus. With 3:29 to go in the first quarter, Illinois has the ball at the SIU 36 following a nice return by Jack Ramsey.

1st and 10 Illinois from the SIU 36: Scheelhaase in the gun and fakes a hand off to Mikel Leshoure before hitting tight end Evan Wilson for a big gainer to the 1-yard line. That was a great call by offensive coordinator Paul Petrino.

1st and goal Illinois from the 1: After a penalty on SIU (too many men in the huddle) puts the ball at the half-yard line, LeShoure runs up the gut for a touchdown. Dimke hits the extra point and Illinois leads 14-0 with 2:50 to go in the first quarter.

Illinois leads 14-0 with just under 3 minutes to go in the first quarter after a Leshoure touchdown. Illinois has scored both of its touchdowns on two-play drives. Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino is doing a nice job of using the Illini legs as a decoy to make some plays down field, and Scheelhaase has complied in the passing game. SIU looks overwhelmed thus far.

Derek Dimke kicks off to SIU’s Joe Alleria, who returns the ball to the 30. However, this play is going to go back 10 yards after a block-in-the-back penalty against SIU.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 14: Dieker hits Harruff for a first-down pass over the middle.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 25: Walker runs up the middle for one yard. 2nd and 9 from the 26: Dieker hits Guinn right at the stick. SIU is just short of the first down. 3rd and 1 from the 29: Walker runs up the gut and bounces off an Ian Thomas hit for a first down.

1st and 10 SIU from the 36: Dieker is under center, fakes a hand off to Walker and hits Harruff for five yards to end the first quarter.

Illinois leads 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Illini have controlled this game, though SIU is starting to pick up some momentum late in the quarter. With that said, Illinois looks too strong and deep for the Salukis, which haven’t lived up to the hype thus far.

2nd and 5 SIU from the 42: Dieker hits Jeff Evans on a pass to the Illini 45-yard line. Dieker is suddenly picking up his game.

1st and 10 SIU from the ILL 45: Dieker in the gun and loses 2 yards as no one was open down field. A nice job by the Illini secondary, and good pressure up front by Illini defensive lineman Akeem Spence. 2nd and 12 from the 47: Dieker keeps the ball and runs back to the original line of scrimmage. 3rd and 10 from the 45: Dieker in the gun, and his pass to Harruff is incomplete. A nice job by Whitney Mercilus, who got some good pressure off the left edge and hit Dieker’s arm as he threw the ball. 4th and 10 from the 45: SIU punts the ball to the Illini 14, where Jack Ramsey makes a fair catch.

Southern Illinois stalls and punts the ball after picking up a couple of first downs on that possession. Illinois is really getting some good penetration up front, though the Illini haven’t registered a sack yet.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 14: Scheelhaase in the gun and hands off to Troy Pollard for 6 yards. However, there is a penalty on the play: an illegal block below the waist by A.J. Jenkins (who has 2 penalties thus far). 1st and 17 from the Illinois 9: Scheelhaase hands off to Pollard, who picks up a couple of yards. 2nd and 13 from the 13: Scheelhaase floats a pass down the sidelines to Jenkins, who makes a great adjustment and catch. Scheelhaase and Jenkins are starting to develop some chemistry. A 27-yard gain on that pass.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 40: Scheelhaase in the gun and hands off to Pollard for one yard. 2nd and 9 from the 41: Scheelhaase under center and hands off to Leshoure, who gets to the outside and runs for 6 yards. 3rd and 3 from the 47: Scheelhaase under center and runs an option, handing the ball off to Pollard, who gets swarmed at the line of scrimmage. Bad call — running that play to the short side of the field. 4th and 3: Santella punts the ball into the end zone.

A questionable play call on 3rd and 2 forces the Illini to punt at midfield. Southern Illinois will have the ball at its own 20 with just under 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 20: Walker runs the ball outside to the 25-yard line before getting tackled by Trulon Henry. 2nd and 5 from the 25: Dieker is in the gun, rolls out and hits a receiver for a first down.

1st and 10 from the SIU 34: Walker gets out to the edge and rips off a 10-yard run to the outside. Southern Illinois is starting to gain some traction at the line of scrimmage.

1st and 10 from the SIU 44: Dieker goes deep but Travon Bellamy is there to knock the ball down after the play-action fake. 2nd and 10: Dieker hands off to Walker out of the gun and Mercilus stuffs him for a loss of 2 yards. 3rd and 12: Dieker hits Joe Alleria, who gets about 9 yards before Tavon Wilson makes the tackle a few yards short of the first down marker. SIU will punt. 4th and 2: SIU punts and Jack Ramsey calls another fair catch at the Illinois 17.

The Illini defense regroups after SIU picked up a couple of first downs, forcing another punt.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 17: Eddie McGee is in at quarterback and is the gun. McGee fakes a hand off, rolls and has another pass picked off, this time by Mike McElroy. That was another bad throw by McGee, so bad that it caused the SIU player to fall down. That easily could have been a touchdown if McElroy could have kept his feet. Questionable play calling by the Illini, especially with Scheelhaase playing well. Illinois tried to get too cute, and it cost them there.

Illinois turns it over again, as McGee has thrown 2 interceptions on 3 passes. SIU got a gift there and has the ball at the Illinois 20. Despite getting severely outplayed, the Salukis could cut this game in half with a touchdown. This will be a big stand for the Illini defense, which needs to hold Southern to a field goal.

1st and 10 Southern Illinois from the Illinois 20: Walker runs for no gain, with Ian Thomas and Daryle Ballew getting deep penetration. 2nd and 10 from the UI 20: Dieker hits Jeff Evans on a nice out pass for about 8 yards. 3rd and 2 from the Illinois 12: Dieker in the gun and temporarily has Evans wide open. However, Dieker’s pass has too much air on it and Tavon Wilson knocks it down. 4th and 2 from the 12: Dougherty hits a 29-yard field goal to cut the Illinois lead to 14-3.

SIU is on the board with a field goal from Dougherty, who has tied the SIU career record for made field goals. The Illini defense does a nice job of forcing a three-and-out after McGee turned the ball over on an intercepted pass. Illinois leads 14-3 with just under 5 minutes to go in the half.

SIU kicks off to the Illini 22-yard line, where Bud Golden receives the ball and gains 12 yards.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 34: Scheelhaase is under center and hands off to Leshoure, who picks up 2 yards to bring him to more than 1,000 yards in his Illini career. 2nd and 8 from the 36: Scheelhaase in the gun and hands off to Leshoure, who has a lot of room and rips off a big run to the SIU 30. A gain of 34 yards for LeShoure. Eddie McGee is down after the play. It looks like he got hit on the knee. McGee is helped off the field and favoring his left leg.

1st and 10 Illinois from the SIU 30: Scheelhaase in the gun and keeps the ball for 2 yards. An SIU player (Robert Spann) is down after the play. 2nd and 8 from the 28: Scheelhaase is in the gun and has his pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. 3rd and 8: Scheelhaase is lined up in the gun and uses his legs nicely to float a pass to Jarred Fayson past the first-down marker. There is a penalty on the play — a personal foul on Southern Illinois after the fact.

1st and 10 Illinois from the SIU 9: Leshoure with a beautiful touchdown run, making an SIU player miss with a nasty jump cut that allowed him to get to the far side of the field and extend the ball over the pile on. The play is under review. This play will likely be ruled down at the 1-yard line. It looked like Leshoure’s knee was out of bounds before the ball crossed the plane. Well, the referee doesn’t see it that way, maintaining the touchdown call. Dimke hits the PAT, and Illinois leads 21-3 with less than 3 minutes to go.

Leshoure rips off several big runs en route to his second touchdown of the game and a 21-3 Illinois lead with less than 3 minutes to go in the first half.

Dimke kicks the ball off and SIU returns the ball to the 27. There is a face mask on Travon Bellamy of Illinois during the play, so SIU will get 15 more yards.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 45: Dieker fakes a hand off and goes deep to Alleria, but the pass is overthrown. Corey Liuget hammered Dieker on that play, which was open. Liuget is called for a personal foul/roughing the passer.

1st and 10 SIU from the Illinois 41: Travon Bellamy eats up Alleria on a pass that loses 4 yards. 2nd and 14 from the 45: Dieker’s slant pass to Alleria is incomplete after some nice coverage by Justin Green. 3rd and 14 from the 45: Dieker is in the gun and fires down field to Alleria for a first down to the Illini 22. Joelil Thrash with the tackle after the 23-yard gain.

1st and 10 SIU from the UI 22: Dieker is sacked by Whitney Mercilus, who is having a nice first half after getting the start due to the suspension of Michael Buchanan. A loss of 7 yards on that play. 2nd and 17 from the 30: Out of the fun, Dieker hits Evans for a gain of 10 yards. Ian Thomas with a bone-crunching hit after the slant pass. 3rd and 7 from the 20: Dieker hits Walker for a loss of 3 yards. I’m not sure how Walker caught that pass. 4th and 10 from the 23: SIU will go for it with 18 seconds left in the half. Dieker fires into double coverage, trying to hit Evans but having the ball batted down by Green and Tavon Wilson.

Illinois forces a turnover on downs as SIU chose to bypass a field goal attempt late in the half.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 23: Leshoure runs for 7 yards to send us to the half.

Illinois leads 21-3 at the break. This game hasn’t been as competitive as many people were expecting. The Illini have pretty much dominated the first 30 minutes, and SIU has failed to sustain any rhythm. With the exception of two turnovers and a couple of personal fouls, Illinois has been very solid. It’s clear that the Illini didn’t take SIU lightly this week and came out ready to play. Let’s see how the Illini come out in the second half after looking great in the first half last week against Missouri but then struggling in the final 30 minutes.

SIU receives the ball first. Dimke kicks the ball to Alleria, who returns the ball to the SIU 34. Alleria had a lane and almost took that return much deeper.

1st and 10 SIU from the 34: Walker runs for a yard. 2nd and 9 SIU from the 35: Dieker’s incomplete pass is deflected by Mercilus. 3rd and 9 from the 35: Dieker avoids a sack and runs for 6 yards before Bellamy knocks him out of bounds. Mercilus with great pressure again. 4th and 4 from the 41: Jack Ramsey with a terrible error, indecisively touching the loose ball and losing the football to SIU.

Illinois forces a three-and-out but turns it over on the punt, with Jack Ramsey touching the ball as it bounced around on the ground and SIU recovering.

1st and 10 SIU from the Illinois 17: Shariff Harris runs for a tough two yards. 2nd and 8 from the 15: Dieker rolls out and hits Alleria at the 11-yard line. 3rd and 3 from the 7: Dieker lines up in the shotgun, scrambles around and fumbles the ball as Martez Wilson and Mercilus were in pursuit. Ian Thomas recovers the ball.

The Illinois defense does the job again, turning the Salukis right back over.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 10: Leshoure loses 2 yards as SIU gets great interior pressure. 2nd and 12 from the Illinois 8: Scheelhaase in the gun and hands off to Leshoure, who runs to the short field and gets 1 yard. There is a flag after the play. A personal foul against Southern Illinois will give Illinois an automatic first down.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 25: Leshoure runs for 3 yards as Illinois looks like it will be grinding out this half. 2nd and 7 from the 28: Scheelhaase in the gun and hits Jenkins on a quick hitter for a first down. Nice timing route by the Illini.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 44: Scheelhaase in the gun and throws a dangerous shuffle pass to Jason Ford. Luckily, that pass is deflected and caught by offensive lineman Jeff Allen. I don’t like that decision or play call. Illinois caught a break there. 2nd and 8 from the 46: Jason Ford rushes for 7 physical yards. 3rd and 1 from the SIU 47: Ford runs off the right tackle and rips off 7 yards for a first down. Very nice run by Ford, who is getting involved in the offense and showing off his rock ’em, sock ’em running style.

1st and 10 Illinois from the SIU 40: Ford runs for 1 yard. 2nd and 9 from the 39: Scheelhaase in the fun and hits Fayson over the middle for about 4 or 5 yards. 3rd and 3 from the 33: Scheelhaase scrambles out and lofts a touchdown pass to Justin Lattimore, who was wide open behind the back of the defense. Wow! What a play by Scheelhaase, who used his legs to allow the tight end Lattimore to get open. Dimke hits the PAT, and Illinois leads 28-3 with less than 8 minutes to go in the third quarter.

Scheelhaase throws his second long touchdown pass of the game, hitting a wide-open Justin Lattimore on a 33-yard strike. Scheelhaase certainly made something out of nothing on that play, using his legs to scramble to the sideline and then floating a pass down field to Lattimore, who got behind the SIU defense. Illinois leads 28-3 with 7:08 to go in the third quarter.

Dimke kicks the ball into the end zone for a touch back.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 20: Dieker in the gun and hits Alleria for a 24-yard gain. A nice job of scrambling by Dieker.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 44: Dieker hits Alleria for a gain of 4 yards as Nate Bussey brought some pressure. 2nd and 6 from the 48: Dieker’s pass to Harruff is incomplete as Tavon Wilson hammered the Southern Illinois tight end right when the ball arrived. 3rd and 6: Harruff drops another pass as Ian Thomas drills him in the back just as the ball arrived. The Illini have been hitting hard the first two weeks of the season. 4th and 6 from the 48: SIU punts, with Ramsey making a fair catch in Illinois territory.

The Illini defense is playing with some swagger this season, flying to the football and hitting hard. It’s nice to see the Illini play with some physicality.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 15: Jason Ford runs for 6 yards. 2nd and 4 from the 21: Scheelhaase is in the gun and hands to Ford for 2 yards. 3rd and 2 from the 23: Scheelhaase is sacked on a questionable bootleg, as Spann ate him up. Illinois loses a good 9 yards on that play. 4th and 11 from the 14: Santella punts the ball, where it is fair caught in SIU territory.

Illinois with a rare three and out on offense.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 34: Walker runs for 6 yards on first down. 2nd and 4 from the 40: Dieker takes a timeout as the play clock was close to zero. 2nd and 4 with 2:58 remaining in the third: Dieker avoids the Illini pressure and hits Harruff at the Illinois 47.

1st and 10 SIU from the Illinois 47: Dieker hits Alleria for 10 yards and a first down.

1st and 10 SIU from the Illinois 36: Dieker is under center and hits Alleria for four yards. Alleria fumbles the ball but Southern Illinois recovers it back at the 39. 2nd and 14: Dieker hits Alleria for a first down, with Illini cornerback Ashante Williams not seeing the football.

1st and 10 SIU from the Illini 15: Dieker’s pass to Evans is short and incomplete. 2nd and 10 from the 15: Dieker is under center and hands off to Harris, who is stretched out to the sidelines for no gain. 3rd and 10 from the 15: Southern Illinois takes another timeout, this time with 19 seconds left in the third quarter. 3rd and 10: After the timeout, Dieker is sacked by Ian Thomas, and Illinois takes a strange timeout with :08 seconds left in the third quarter. 4th and 15 from the 20: Dougherty is wide right on a 38-yard field goal attempt with three seconds left. Actually, the ball hit the right goalpost.

Southern Illinois misses a 38-yard field goal as its frustrating night continues, with one more quarter still to play.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Leshoure runs for 5 yards as the third quarter comes to an end.

Illinois leads 28-3 at the end of the third.

2nd and 5 Illinois from the 25: Scheelhaase keeps the ball, gains about 10 yards and then pitches to Leshoure for a few more yards.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 46: Scheelhaase avoids a sack and makes something out of nothing by rushing for 4 yards. 2nd and 4 from the 50: Leshoure runs for a first down.

1st and 10 Illinois from the SIU 39: Jason Ford runs for a loss of one yard. 2nd and 11 from the SIU 40: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and pitches to the short side of the field to Troy Pollard, who loses 1 yard. I don’t like any play that tries to stretch the field to the short side. 3rd and 12 from the 42: Scheelhaase hits Sykes right at the marker for a first down. A nice job by Sykes of running after the catch to get the first down. SIU has taken a timeout to challenge the spot of the play. The call stands.

1st and 10 Illinois from the SIU 29: Ford runs for 4 yards on first down. 2nd and 6 from the 25: Scheelhaase in the gun and dumps a pass to Troy Pollard for roughly 4 yards. 3rd and 1 from the 20: Scheelhaase rolls out and hits Ryan Lankford for a first down. Nice play call and execution.

1st and goal Illinois from the SIU 10: Scheelhaase bobbles but recovers the snap before getting hit at the line of scrimmage. 2nd and goal from the 10: Jason Ford spins for a tough 5 yards. 3rd and Goal from the 5: Scheelhaase is in the gun and rolls out before firing an incomplete pass. However, there is a roughing the passer call on SIU. Illinois will get a first down.

1st and goal Illinois from the SIU 3: Scheelhaase hands off to Jason Ford, who just misses a touchdown. 2nd and goal from the SIU 1: Ford goes over the top and is stuffed at the goal line. 3rd and goal from the 1: Ford scores a touchdown, standing up a Southern Illinois defender at the goal line and then muscling his way into the end zone. Dimke hits the extra point, and Illinois leads 35-3.

Illinois leads 35-3 in the fourth quarter after a Ford touchdown run. Got to love the Illini offensive effort tonight, with the exception of McGee’s two INTs. Scheelhaase has been very efficient.

Dimke kicks the ball short to Alleria.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 26: Backup quarterback Paul McIntosh is in the game and runs for 9 yards on first down. 2nd and 1 from the 35: Walker runs for a first down.

1st and 10 SIU from the 37: McIntosh hits an SIU receiver for a gain of 8 yards. 2nd and 2 from the 45: SIU runs up the gut for one yard. 3rd and 1 from the 46: Harris runs for a first down in garbage time.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 49: McIntosh runs for 8 yards. 2nd and 2 from the Illinois 43: McIntosh hits Matt Guinn for a first down.

1st and 10 from the Illinois 36: Illini defensive end Justin Staples crushes McIntosh on a sack. The ball is fumbled and recovered by Illinois defensive lineman Wisdom Onyegbule.

Illinois turns over the Salukis with a little less than 5 minutes to go and this game certainly over.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 44: Illinois has brought in Miles Osei at quarterback. Osei is in the gun and hands off to Troy Pollard, who runs to the SIU 38.

1st and 10 Illinois from the SIU 38: Osei keeps the football out of the spread and runs for one yard. 2nd and 9 from the 37: Osei’s pass to freshman Darius Millines is behind the line of scrimmage and dropped. That is technically a fumble, but the ball luckily rolls out of bounds. 3rd and 21 Illinois from the 50: Osei is very short on an incomplete pass. 4th and 21 from the 50: Santella punts to the SIU 6.

Osei and the Illini can’t sustain a long enough drive to run this game out.

1st and 10 SIU from its own 6: Running back Steve Strother runs for 4 yards. 2nd and 6 from the 10: Strother runs for 1 yard with 1:30 remaining. 3rd and 5 from the 11: Strother loses five yards as Steve Hull and Brandon Denmark make the play. 4th and 10 from the 5: SIU punts the ball to the Illinois 45, where Ramsey bobbles the ball but holds on with 15 seconds left.

Illinois forces another three and out.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 40: Bud Golden runs for a yard and this game is over.

Illinois wins 35-3. Post-game analysis coming soon.