BROOKINGS — Though Southern Illinois came into Saturday's Missouri Valley Football Conference game at No. 3 South Dakota State coming off a win, it has, overall, been a disappointing season for the Salukis.
They were ranked as high as 7th in the nation this year after being ranked in every poll last year, but a six-game losing streak and a host of injuries meant they were a collection of wounded dogs when they arrived at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
And like any compassionate dog-lover, the Jackrabbits did the humane thing and put the Salukis out of their misery with as little pain as possible.
If one wanted to be charitable they could characterize SDSU's 41-10 win in front of 17,268 fans as 'workmanlike'.
To put it in more blunt terms, it was boring.
The Jacks led just 3-0 after a quarter, and yet there wasn't even a hint of a sense that SIU (3-8) was a threat to win the game. SDSU (9-2) would score four consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter (the second game in a row they put up 28 points in the second) to essentially put the game away before the break, but even that second quarter explosion felt a little mundane, like taking out the garbage or unclogging a drain.
With a non-sellout crowd and the Salukis clearly not equipped to pull the upset, the atmosphere inside the stadium was somewhat muted, even for Senior Day. Part of that is because Senior Day doesn't pack the same emotional punch when everyone knows there are home playoff games on the horizon, and when linebacker Adam Bock, one of the most decorated of those seniors, was ejected for targeting on the literal first play of the game, it let even more air out of the stadium.
Jacks guard Evan Beerntsen said that meant the team had to create some of their own energy, and while that didn't happen until the second quarter (at least on the scoreboard), it came quickly thanks to the best performance of the season from running back Amar Johnson.
The senior tailback rushed for a career-high 157 yards and two touchdowns (on just 14 carries), showing off nifty cutbacks, hard running between the tackles and the breakaway speed he's always had.
Johnson's 43-yard run set up a Hunter Dustman field goal to open the scoring, and he added a beautiful 33-yard run that saw him brilliantly change direction in the second level, to set up his own 9-yard touchdown run that made it 24-0. Then came a 35-yard run in the third quarter, moments before his 3-yard run completed SDSU's scoring for the day and gave them a 41-0 lead.
Johnson had seen his carries eaten into of late as Angel Johnson got healthy and re-emerged, with Kirby Vorhees and others in the mix as well. And while the Jacks will continue to spread carries around to take advantage of the depth they have, Amar's performance on Saturday served as a reminder of what he can do when he's running hard to and through the holes created by the offensive line of Quinten Christensen, Ethan Vibert, Gus Miller, Beerntsen and Sam Hagen.
"It feels good to, I don't want to say get back on track, but to come out on Senior Day it means a lot to rush for a career high," Johnson said. "We stayed patient and eventually once we do what we do stuff will start hitting in spurts. I have to give it to the O-line. It might take a little time to get going but once they get going (the holes) are clear as day."
The other backs still factored into Saturday's win. Angel Johnson rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown, Vorhees 39 yards and a score, while Brenden Begeman had 37 yards on 10 attempts and freshman Quiton Renfro made his college debut with two rushes. Another true freshman, Maxwell Woods, will join the lineup next week and through the playoffs (preserving his redshirt) after rushing for 119 yards in three games so far, but coach Jimmy Rogers said it was encouraging to see Amar at his best. Johnson has 852 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season.
"He ran really hard," Rogers said. "It helps to have depth in that room and we have great depth with Angel and Kirby and the younger guys. It's a team sport, but Amar carried the weight tonight and made the most of every opportunity around him. The last couple weeks Angel has been playing really well, but Amar carried us through those first several games and it's good to see him back in the swing of things again. He can make a lot out of things at times and he did tonight."
Last year's Jacks had almost no weaknesses and cruised to the national title. This year's team is still on track to compete for another shot at Frisco, but it hasn't come as easy. The offense has been inconsistent at times, scoring just 24 points against Division II Augustana and only 23 combined points in the eight regulation quarters of their games against NDSU and USD.
But since then they've scored 52, 38 and 41 points. Sure, that's been against defenses weaker than the ones the Bison and Coyotes have, but this is an offense that clearly seems to be finding its stride at just the right time. All season long, players and coaches have insisted that panic about this offense was misguided and reactionary, and it looks like they were right.
"I think it just took a little time to gel, and we're still gelling," Beerntsen said. "You hate to look back on other (SDSU) teams, but it does kind of remind me of the 2022 season, where we had guys in and out (and struggled at times). It feels like it's starting to come together, and the 605 Hogs are playing as one. (Rogers) definitely talks about (playing their best at the end of the season). Keep climbing the mountain, and staying consistent."
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