With his 6-yard touchdown run on the last play of the first half, SIU’s Javon Williams Jr. (15) sparked 27 consecutive points by the Salukis. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — With 5 seconds remaining before halftime Saturday and the ball at the Indiana State 6-yard line, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill trusted his gut … and his veteran offense.

Leading by 6 points, Hill entrusted running back Javon Williams Jr. – playing the role of wildcat quarterback — to run a sweep to the right. The result was Williams Jr. bulldozing his way into the end zone behind a bevy of blockers, which ignited 27 consecutive SIU points and a 47-21 Missouri Valley Football Conference victory against Indiana State at Memorial Stadium.

“I said in the headset, ‘I just have a gut feeling about this. Let’s put it in Javon’s hands,’” Hill said. “It’s a play we haven’t shown all season. I knew if we could sustain the line of scrimmage and get some pullers out front, Javon could get downhill and get it in.”

With the win, SIU (7-3 overall, 5-2 MVFC) erased a two-game losing streak in which its offense went through some uncharacteristic stumbles. The Salukis are now in a third-place tie in the conference with South Dakota. Indiana State fell to 4-6, 2-5.

After Williams put SIU ahead 19-7 (a two-point conversion pass failed), the Salukis scored 21 points in the first 6:39 of the second half to put the game away. Running back Donnovan Spencer’s 2-yard scoring run and wide receiver Avante Cox’s 9-yard TD catch in the corner of the end zone early in the third quarter were sandwiched around a 19-yard interception return by senior defensive end Anthony Knighton.

“We needed this momentum to go into the next game, and we need the next win next week,” Williams said of the regular-season finale against Youngstown State (2-7, 1-6) in Carbondale. “It will help us out a lot and put us in the better situation for the (FCS) playoffs.”

Getting to eight wins could put the Salukis in consideration for a top-eight playoff seed, which carries a first-round bye and a home game in the second round.

Here are three things Prairie State Pigskin learned about the Southern Illinois victory:

Baker-to-Cox rocks

After missing several connections in last week’s loss to Missouri State, high school teammates Avante Cox and quarterback Nic Baker hooked up twice for touchdowns in Saturday’s win – a 31-yarder in the first quarter and a 9-yard connection in the back corner of the end zone in the third quarter.

“It was nice to see,” Hill said. “Both of those were tough catches. They’re great friends. They grew up together, and they trust each other so much.”

Baker overthrew a deep ball down the middle of the field to Cox — the All-American wide receiver — in the second quarter that could have provided another big play.

“(Avante) never gets mad at Nic,” Hill said. “It’s always, ‘He’ll throw it in the right spot next time.’ It was good to see them connect today.”

The duo overcame an often breezy and mostly cloudy day that featured pregame snowflakes in the air. But Hill said weather doesn’t impact the duo, which played together at Illinois powerhouse Rochester High School.

“This was like a Rochester, Illinois day,” Hill said with a smile. “I always talk about the day I went to see (Baker) throw. It was way worse than this. This wind was blowing and he was out there throwing spirals.”

Baker was 17-for-26 for 233 yards Saturday, while Cox had a team-high four catches for 48 yards.

2. Knighton adds to Saluki legacy

A week after becoming SIU’s all-time sacks leader, Knighton added to his resume in the third quarter. He grabbed a pass tipped in the air by fellow lineman Jordan Berner and ran 19 yards for his first career interception return for a touchdown.

“I feel like that touchdown helped give our team momentum after the offense scored on the first drive out (in the second half),” Knighton said.

The soft-spoken Knighton was greeted by numerous happy teammates after scoring. The Florida native added the pick-six to a career that has included the most sacks, tackles for loss and starts of any player in SIU history.

“The team loves Anthony Knighton,” Hill said. “He’s a throwback. He’s not tweeting about himself. If his personality was bigger and he wanted to be out front, people would talk about him more. He’s put together one of the best careers in Saluki football history.”

3. Back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back

The Salukis – who rushed for 36 yards last week in what Hill called the worst run game output in three years – revved up the ground game thanks to five different backs that piled up 282 yards and three touchdowns.

“We wanted to come out here and make a statement and prove we can still run the ball and that we’re a great running team,” said Williams Jr., a Centralia native. “Everyone wants the ball. We just have to stick together and continue to play.”

Williams Jr. led the way with 79 yards on 10 carries, including a 43-yard score 10 seconds into the fourth quarter. Spencer rushed for 39 yards on eight carries and made a big impact on the opening drive of the second half.

In the final four plays of the drive, Spencer had a 4-yard reception, runs of eight and 16 yards, and the 2-yard scoring plunge.

Fellow backs Justin Strong and Romeir Elliott contributed 35 yards, while Pop Jones III added 48 yards on four carries during the final drive of the day in the fourth quarter.

Each back had a run of at least 10 yards on the day, and wide receivers Landon Lenoir, Izaiah Hartrup and Cox all were used on jet sweep plays.

“When we can have explosive runs in a series, this offense gets going,” Hill said.

News and notes

With his eight points Saturday – including two field goals – senior kicker Nico Gualdoni of Johnson City moved into seventh place on the all-time SIU scoring list (225 points), surpassing wide receiver Cornell Craig, who scored 222 points from 1996-99. Gualdoni is 10 points away from taking over the No. 6 spot. … Freshman cornerback David Miller, a transfer from Navy, intercepted two passes on the day, giving him three picks in the past two games. … Cornerback P.J. Jules led the team with nine tackles in the win, followed by safety Qua Brown with eight. … Freshman defensive lineman Adam Hundemer recorded his first career sack. … How effective was the SIU offense? The Salukis had 29 first downs on 74 plays, which equals a first down on 39% of their offensive plays. SIU also rushed for 5.9 yards a carry. … Indiana State’s first scoring drive of the day benefitted from two SIU assists – an 18-yard Saluki punt that set the Sycamores up at midfield, followed five plays later by a personal foul on SIU. … Indiana State’s Dante Hendrix led all receivers on the day with 10 catches for 83 yards, including two for touchdowns.

What’s next?

The Salukis host Youngstown State for Senior Day in Carbondale on Saturday, Nov. 20. The game kicks off at noon.