TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (Interstat) — DJ Williams threw four touchdown passes and Southern Illinois defeated Indiana State 37-20 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Attendance was announced as 3,247. The Salukis improved to 5-5, while the Sycamores dropped to 2-8.

Indiana State opened the scoring with Sebastian Lopez’s 34-yard field goal. Southern Illinois responded when Williams connected with Kyle Thomas on a 57-yard touchdown pass. The Salukis continued to move the ball through the air and built a cushion before halftime, with Seth Adams making a 50-yard field goal and Williams finding Thomas again for an 18-yard scoring strike. Indiana State answered with Lopez’s 41-yard field goal.

Southern Illinois stretched its lead in the third quarter. Williams hit Markell Quick for a 25-yard touchdown, then connected with Thomas for a 7-yard score. The Sycamores kept working and broke through in the fourth quarter when Z. Prince raced 99 yards for a touchdown. Indiana State later added a 29-yard touchdown pass from Brock Riddle to Torey French, but Weston Schofield made field goals from 22 and 23 yards to help Southern Illinois close out the win.

Williams was the game’s top performer, completing 16 of 29 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns while adding nine carries for 17 yards. Thomas finished with seven receptions for 114 yards and three touchdowns and also had a 9-yard run and a 2-yard punt return. Quade Chatmon ran 13 times for 82 yards and caught one pass for 7 yards. Tae Marrero Jr. contributed 46 receiving yards, 81 kick-return yards and 106 punt-return yards. Markell Quick had one reception for 25 yards and a touchdown, one run for 11 yards and one punt return for 2 yards. Chandler Chapman added 11 carries for 41 yards, while Edward Robinson had five carries for 5 yards. Lem Wash ran four times for 8 yards. Elijah Gorman punted six times for 262 yards.

For Indiana State, Riddle completed 3 of 4 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. John Bargen was 11 of 18 for 57 yards, and Brady Allen completed both of his passes for 23 yards. Southern Illinois’ Matthew McClelland recorded six tackles and an interception, while Charles Whelpley and Chris Presto each made seven tackles. Andrew Behm added six tackles, and Sebastian Vargas intercepted a pass. Caillou Robinson had three tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Ibrahim Sanogo made three tackles with a quarterback hurry, and Nate Tronzo and Lance Bassett each had two tackles.

Indiana State’s defense was led by Xavier McIntyre with 15 tackles. Alex Rose made 13 tackles, Xavian Andrews had seven, and Micah McNair and Nic Yatsko each finished with six. Kolten Gajewski recorded five tackles and a quarterback hurry, while Jayden Childers had five tackles and a sack. Jaylan Johnson and Jacob Soley each had a reception, and BJ Wuest caught one pass for 4 yards.

Southern Illinois controlled much of the game with its passing attack and timely kicking. The Salukis scored through the air on four occasions, with Williams spreading the ball to Thomas and Quick. Indiana State found some late rhythm behind Prince’s long run and Riddle’s touchdown pass, but Southern Illinois answered with Schofield’s final field goal to secure the victory.

The game was played in the NCAA Football Championship Division and gave Southern Illinois its fifth win of the season. Indiana State fell to its eighth loss. Southern Illinois’ defense came up with two interceptions and applied pressure when needed, while the Sycamores’ tackling effort was led by McIntyre and Rose.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Southern Illinois 49, Indiana State 36. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Southern Illinois with a 77.6 percent probability to win.