Williams passes for 301 yards, accounts for 3 TDs; S. Illinois beats Incarnate Word 35-28

Updated Sep. 15, 2024 12:43 a.m. ET

Associated Press

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — DJ Williams passed for 301 yards and two touchdown and added 79 yards rushing, including a 28-yard TD, to help Southern Illinois, ranked No. 8 in the FCS coaches’ poll, beat Incarnate Word 35-28 on Saturday night.

Keontez Lewis had eight receptions for 148 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown to open the scoring, and added a 57-yard touchdown run. Nah’shawn Hezekiah added 118 yards on five receptions for the Salukis.

Southern Illinois (2-1), which has won back-to-back games following a 41-13 loss at BYU to open the season. scored a touchdown on each of its first three drives and five of its first six to take a 21-point lead into halftime and held on from there.

Hezekiah caught a swing pass and turned it into a 50-yard gain to set up a 10-yard touchdown run by Shaun Lester Jr. that gave the Salukis the lead for good at 14-7 with 2:37 left in the first quarter.

After Williams' TD run early in the second quarter, Lewis found the end zone on a reverse with 2:06 left in the half. The SIU defense got a stop and then Williams led a nine-play, 83-yard drive in 43 seconds that culminate when Ryan Schwendeman caught a 1-yard scoring pass with time expired to make it 35-14 at halftime.

Zach Calzada was 35-of-54 passing for 366 yards and three touchdowns with and interception for Incarnate Word (1-2) and added 61 yards rushing, including a 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

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