CARBONDALE, Ill. (Interstat) — Southern Illinois defeated Southeast Missouri State 34-20 on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Saluki Stadium. The Salukis improved to 2-1 with the home victory. The Redhawks fell to 1-2. The game featured a strong rushing performance from Southern Illinois quarterback D.J. Williams and a late push by the Salukis after Southeast Missouri State had built an early lead.

The opening minutes produced a near score for Southern Illinois. D.J. Williams completed a deep pass to Kyle Thomas that reached the end zone, but the 75-yard touchdown was nullified by a Southern Illinois pass interference penalty at 14:46 of the first quarter. The score remained tied. Southeast Missouri State then put together a drive that ended with Justin Keller making a 39-yard field goal at 8:31. Later in the first quarter, Payton Brown rushed up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown at 3:59, and Keller added the extra point. Southern Illinois responded before the end of the quarter when Williams rushed left for a 16-yard touchdown at 1:03, and S. Adams made the extra point.

In the second quarter, Southern Illinois had a chance to cut into the lead when S. Adams attempted a 28-yard field goal at 10:50, but the kick was no good. Southeast Missouri State later added to its advantage when Keller made a 21-yard field goal at 3:01. The Redhawks went into halftime with momentum, while the Salukis looked for a way to get their offense moving consistently.

The third quarter brought a big play for Southeast Missouri State. Braylen Ragland completed a deep pass to John Anthony Jr. that covered 63 yards for a touchdown at 7:14. Keller made the extra point, and a Southern Illinois pass interference penalty was declined. The Redhawks extended their lead with the touchdown. Southern Illinois scored 21 points in the third quarter, according to the game summary.

The fourth quarter belonged largely to Williams and the Southern Illinois rushing attack. Williams scored on a 2-yard run at 7:48, and Weston Schofield made the extra point. Williams then scored again on a 13-yard run at 4:11, with Schofield converting again. The final blow came at 1:08, when Williams rushed up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown. Schofield’s extra point capped the scoring sequence and helped Southern Illinois secure the 34-20 victory. Williams scored three rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Southern Illinois listed a long group of key performers. D.J. Williams, a 6-foot-2, 202-pound quarterback from Harvey, Ill., was among them. Allen Middleton, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound wide receiver from Mascoutah, Ill., was also listed. Ibrahim Sanogo, a 6-foot-2, 244-pound defensive player from Darby Township, Pa., was included. Cameron Cason, a 6-foot-0, 170-pound cornerback from Weldon Spring, Mo., was listed as well. Te’Nerrean Jackson, Ben Fiegel, Vinny Pierre Jr., Andrew Behm, Miles Marshall, ET Harris, Lance Bassett, Kyle Thomas, Edward Robinson, Quade Chatmon, Markell Quick, Chandler Chapman, Elijah Gorman, Jaden Hudgins-Key, Weston Schofield, Sebastian Vargas, Sam Farmer, Clayton Lakatos, Gavin Shepard, Max Bremer, Joshua Newkirk, Blaine Halley, Seth Adams, Alex Broshears, Charles Whelpley, Lukus McDaniels, Camron Miller, Amir Dwight, Naz Hill, and David Obadein also were among Southern Illinois’ key performers. ET Harris, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound quarterback from Louisville, Ky., was listed. Miles Marshall, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end from Kansas City, Mo., was listed. Lance Bassett, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive player from Lawrence, Kan., was listed. Edward Robinson, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back from Maple Heights, Ohio, was listed. Quade Chatmon, a 6-foot-0, 205-pound running back from Kansas City, Mo., was listed. Markell Quick, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound wide receiver from Cornelius, N.C., was listed. Chandler Chapman, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back from Bay St. Louis, Miss., was listed.

Southeast Missouri State’s key performers included Braylen Ragland, a 6-foot-0, 207-pound quarterback from Memphis, Tenn. Clayton Leonard, Nehemiah Scott, Adrian Patterson, KJ McRae, Timothy Maxson, DJ Delmore, Cyler Christmas, Josiah Raven, David Jones, LJ Minner Jr., Jobe Bryant, Tristin Purnell, Khylen Harris-Norman, and Anthony Westervelt also were listed among the Redhawks’ key performers. Ragland’s touchdown pass to John Anthony Jr. was one of the defining plays for Southeast Missouri State. Adrian Patterson, a 6-foot-0, 182-pound defensive back from Wichita, Kan., KJ McRae, a 6-foot-3, 222-pound linebacker from Covington, Ga., Timothy Maxson, a 6-foot-1, 277-pound defensive player from New Orleans, DJ Delmore, a 6-foot-0, 187-pound safety from Baton Rouge, La., and Cyler Christmas, a 5-foot-11, 192-pound safety from Saint James, La., were among the listed defenders. David Jones, a 6-foot-0, 210-pound defensive back from Baton Rouge, La., Jobe Bryant, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound wide receiver from Park Hills, Mo., Khylen Harris-Norman, a 5-foot-11, 183-pound wide receiver from Atlanta, and Anthony Westervelt, a 6-foot-1, 197-pound wide receiver from Imperial, Mo., also were among the names noted.

The result continued the early-season schedule for both programs. Southeast Missouri State had opened the season with a 23-21 win at Indiana State on Aug. 29, before falling 38-10 at Iowa State on Sept. 5. The Redhawks will next host Central Arkansas on Saturday, Sept. 19. They will then host West Florida on Sept. 26, before traveling to Lindenwood on Oct. 10. Western Illinois visits Southeast Missouri State on Oct. 17. The Redhawks travel to Eastern Illinois on Oct. 24, host Gardner-Webb on Oct. 31, visit Tennessee State on Nov. 7, travel to Charleston Southern on Nov. 14, and host Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 21.

Southern Illinois had beaten Samford 22-18 on Sept. 3, after opening with a 34-31 loss at West Florida on Aug. 27. The Salukis will next travel to Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 19. They will then visit Murray State on Sept. 26. Youngstown State visits Southern Illinois on Oct. 3. The Salukis travel to South Dakota on Oct. 10, host Illinois State on Oct. 17, host Northern Iowa on Oct. 24, visit Indiana State on Nov. 7, host South Dakota State on Nov. 14, and visit North Dakota on Nov. 21.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Southern Illinois 58, Southeast Missouri State 29. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Southern Illinois with a 91.6 percent probability to win. The projection was issued before the game.