2018 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

2018 Southern Illinois Salukis football
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Record	2–9 (1–7 MVFC)
Head coach	Nick Hill (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	John Van Dam (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Kraig Paulson (3rd season)
Home stadium	Saluki Stadium

2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 North Dakota State $^		8	–	0					15	–	0
No. 3 South Dakota State ^		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 23 Northern Iowa ^		5	–	3					7	–	6
Indiana State		5	–	3					7	–	4
Western Illinois		4	–	4					5	–	6
Illinois State		3	–	5					6	–	5
Youngstown State		3	–	5					4	–	7
South Dakota		3	–	5					4	–	7
Missouri State		2	–	6					4	–	7
Southern Illinois		1	–	7					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2018 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Nick Hill, the Salukis compiled an overall record of 2–9 with a mark of 1–7 in conference play, placing last out of ten teams in the MVFC. Southern Illinois played home games at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

Preseason

Preseason MVFC poll

The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Redbirds predicted to finish in eighth place.[1]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	North Dakota State	390 (39)
2	South Dakota State	270
3	Northern Iowa	258
4	Youngstown State	248
5	Illinois State	248
6	South Dakota	206
7	Western Illinois	163
8	Southern Illinois	139
9	Missouri State	90
10	Indiana State	41

Preseason All-MVFC Teams

The Salukis placed four players on the preseason all-MVFC teams.[2]

Offense 1st team Darrell James – WR

Defense 1st team Jeremy Chinn – DB Lane Reazin – P 2nd team Anthony Knighton – DL

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:00 p.m.	at Murray State*	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	ESPN+	W 49–10	6,350
September 8	3:00 p.m.	at Ole Miss*	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	SECN	L 41–76	53,339
September 15	6:00 p.m.	Southeast Missouri State*	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	L 44–48	8,592
September 29	6:00 p.m.	South Dakota	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	L 24–31	8,546
October 6	5:00 p.m.	at Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	L 14–17	14,581
October 13	2:00 p.m.	at No. 12 Illinois State	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	ESPN3	L 3–51	11,247
October 20	2:00 p.m.	Indiana State	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	L 21–24	6,435
October 27	2:00 p.m.	at Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium Springfield, MO	ESPN+	W 49–35	6,374
November 3	1:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN3	L 31–34	4,780
November 10	1:00 p.m.	No. 6 South Dakota State	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	L 38–57	4,433
November 17	2:30 p.m.	at No. 1 North Dakota State	Fargodome Fargo, ND	ESPN+	L 17–65	18,008
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

[3]

Game summaries

At Murray State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	7	21	14	7	49
Racers	3	7	0	0	10

See also: 2018 Murray State Racers football team

At Ole Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	21	17	3	0	41
Rebels	14	21	14	27	76

See also: 2018 Ole Miss Rebels football team

Southeast Missouri State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redhawks	14	3	17	14	48
Salukis	10	10	7	17	44

See also: 2018 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team

South Dakota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Coyotes	7	3	21	0	31
Salukis	14	3	0	7	24

See also: 2018 South Dakota Coyotes football team

At Youngstown State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	0	7	0	7	14
Penguins	3	3	0	11	17

See also: 2018 Youngstown State Penguins football team

At Illinois State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	0	0	3	0	3
No. 12 Redbirds	7	24	7	13	51

See also: 2018 Illinois State Redbirds football team

Indiana State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Sycamores	7	7	10	0	24
Salukis	7	0	0	14	21

See also: 2018 Indiana State Sycamores football team

At Missouri State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	0	21	21	7	49
Bears	7	14	0	14	35

See also: 2018 Missouri State Bears football team

Western Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Leathernecks	7	7	0	20	34
Salukis	7	10	14	0	31

See also: 2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

South Dakota State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Jackrabbits	10	20	20	7	57
Salukis	3	14	21	0	38

See also: 2018 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team

At North Dakota State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Salukis	14	0	3	0	17
No. 1 Bison	28	7	16	14	65

See also: 2018 North Dakota State Bison football team

References

1. "North Dakota State Picked to Win 2018 MVFC Title".
2. "Preseason All-Conf and Team (PDF) - Missouri Valley Football Conference" (PDF).
3. "2018 Football Schedule". Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved September 29, 2022.