Southern Illinois teammates Landon Lenoir (17) and Avante Cox (11) celebrate earlier this season. The No. 4-ranked Salukis host No. 22 North Dakota Saturday. (photo courtesy SIU Athletics)

Many coaches are concerned about their team’s mental letdown coming off an emotional win. Don’t put Southern Illinois’ Nick Hill in that group.

SIU is fresh off consecutive one-point overtime road victories, including last week’s 42-21 thriller over then No. 2-ranked South Dakota State. In that game, the Salukis rallied from a 20-0 deficit and secured the win by stopping a two-point conversion attempt in overtime.

“Honestly you look for all of those outside narratives, but I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. We talk about it,” Hill said Monday. “I don’t think that’s a worry of mine. We get 11 opportunities this season to play football. I don’t care how they line up against us. There’s a standard of how we play and we’re going to be excited.

“I guess that’s just how I’m wired, and as a player, I never got into, ‘well, this is a good game to play in and this one’s not,’” said the former record-setting SIU quarterback. “We only get so many opportunities. I’m fired up to play and play at my best. I don’t want to throw and incompletion. I don’t want to turn the ball over.”

Not that it’s needed in Hill’s view, but the Salukis do have several additional factors at work including . . .

SIU Homecoming

“That hits close with me, being a past player,” Hill said. “So now you’ve got some expectation (following last week’s win). You want a bigger crowd, so maybe this is the first time 1,000 of those people have ever seen you play, they’ve heard about it, but they’ve never seen you play. So what are they going to say about it when they leave the stadium?”

playing a North Dakota team that beat the Salukis 44-21 in Grand Forks in February.

“A team that got after us at the beginning of the spring season and had an excellent year,” Hill said of the playoff-qualifying Fighting Hawks.

national rankings

Southern Illinois (5-1, 3-0) is ranked No. 4 in both the STATS Perform FCS poll and the American Football Coaches Association poll.

After losing 20-13 to rival South Dakota last weekend, North Dakota enters Saturday’s game with a 2-3 overall record. The Fighting Hawks — coached by former SIU assistant Bubba Schweigert — are 0-2 in the Missouri Valley.

North Dakota dropped 12 slots in the STATS Perform rankings from No. 10 to 22nd following last Saturday’s loss.

Injury update

Center Calvin Francis Jr. had surgery Monday to repair a torn ACL/meniscus. Francis will miss the rest of the season, according to Hill.

Wide receiver Avante Cox is questionable for Saturday’s game. Cox traveled with the team to South Dakota State, but only watched from the sidelines with his arm in a sling.

“We’re just trying to be smart with Avante for the longevity of the season,” Hill said. “He’ll be questionable for this week.”

Fullback Jacob Garrett and linebacker Bryson Strong are on schedule for returns in early November, Hill said.

Other thoughts on returning alumni

“I’m excited, I’m going to see a lot of guys,” Hill said. “Every Wednesday, I meet on Zoom with the Gridiron Club, which is nice and we’ll have a lot of people back. They’ll get the opportunity to come to practice on Friday before the game, introduce themselves to our team, tell us what year they played, some stories will be told.

“It’s always an exciting time for our players to meet them with a sense of pride to come back. I want them to be able to know that they’re back, it’s Homecoming, bring your families, talk about the good ‘ole days, meet up with your friends; it’s an important part of your program.”

SIU Hall of Fame

The Salukis will also induct its 2021 Hall of Fame class during Homecoming festivities Saturday. The 2021 class features Randal Falker (men’s basketball), Damon Jones (football), Cartaesha Macklin (women’s basketball), DeAnna Price (track & field), MyCole Pruitt (football), John Smith (frack & field) and Meg Viggars (volleyball).

According to the official SIU release, Jones played tight end at SIU from 1994-96 and finished his career ranked third in receiving yards (1,542) in school history and fifth in receptions (99). He was a three-time All-Conference selection, including first-team honors in 1995 and 1996. Jones played in the 1996 Senior Bowl, was a five-year pro in the National Football League with the Jacksonville Jaguars (1997-2001) and was named to SIU’s All-Century team. He is retired and lives in Jacksonville, Florida.

Pruitt played tight end for Southern from 2011-14 and was a two-time First-Team All-American. Pruitt set the school record for career pass receptions (221) and pass receptions in a season (81 in 2014). He also finished second in career TD catches (25) and had a streak of 31-consecutive games with at least one reception. A three-time, First-Team All-MVFC pick and three-time National Player of the Week, Pruitt was selected in the 2015 NFL Draft and is entering his seventh season in the NFL and is a member of the Tennessee Titans.

News & notes

The last time the Salukis were ranked in the Top 4 was on Sept. 6, 2010, when Southern was ranked No. 2 in the nation. In its last eight games versus ranked opponents, SIU is 6-2. The six wins are against #1, #2, #3, #4, #15 and #25 . . . Prior to his return to North Dakota, Schweigert was the defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois for the previous six seasons (2008-13) and served as associate head coach for the last five of that stretch. His 2010 defense led the Missouri Valley in total defense and his unit finished in the top half of the league in four of his six campaigns at SIU . . . The last time SIU was 3-0 in the MVFC was 2009 when the Salukis went 8-0 . . . Saluki receiver Landon Lenoir ranks No. 2 in the nation in receiving touchdowns (7) and No. 6 in yards (576) . . . Lenoir has caught passes in 26 consecutive games.

Where to find the game

North Dakota at Southern Illinois, Saturday, Oct. 16. Kickoff at 2 p.m. The game can be found on ESPN3 and at CILFM.com (SIU radio).