#10 Liberty (2-1) goes on the road for the first of 4 games away from Williams Stadium as they take on Missouri Valley opponent Southern Illinois (0-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm.
Why Southern Illinois can win this game
The Salukis won’t be scared or intimidated by Liberty. They play in the best FCS football conference, the Missouri Valley. Playing top 10 teams is a routine occurrence for them.
Southern Illinois will be playing at home for the first time this season, and they are coming off a bye. That should give them an advantage over the Flames who have to travel and are coming off a very emotional win over Montana.
Senior QB Mark Iannotti is in his 2nd season as a starter for SIU, and he is off to a terrific start this year. Iannotti leads all of FCS in total offense at 426 yards per game, he’s 2nd best in the country in passing yards per game with 352. The transfer from Eastern Michigan leads the team in rushing and has 26 more carries than anyone else on the team.
Not only do the Salukis have an explosive offense, ranking in the top of the FCS in several statistical categories, they have also been very efficient on 3rd downs. SIU has converted on 55% of their 3rd downs this season, good enough for the 4th best conversion rate in the country.
Why Liberty can win this game
The Flames should know they will have their hands full against Southern Illinois. Liberty had to make the trek to the Midwest and face an Missouri Valley team in Indiana State last September, and LU got beat 38-19 in that game. That experience should keep the Flames’ mind right this week.
Coming off a very emotional win a week ago against Montana, the Flames must be focused on this game to play at their highest level as this could be your typical trap game. With Liberty’s senior, veteran leadership across the board, the Flames’ should be fine as they have their eyes set on a bigger prize than a regular season win in September.
Southern Illinois is dead last in the country in turnover margin at -9 through their first 2 games. The Salukis have yet to force a turnover.
The Flames’ have the perfect formula to offset SIU’s offense. Liberty is 7th best in the country in time of possession in comparison to Southern Illinois’ 91st national ranking. The Flames should employ a similar game plan as they did against both Montana and West Virginia in seeking to control the ball and keep their opponent’s offense off the field.
X-Factor for this game
Liberty’s motivation.
If the Flames have their minds right, which will be very difficult after the Montana win, they will have a great chance to win this game. Let downs after big games happen every week in college football though, and Southern Illinois is talented enough to beat Liberty if they’re off their game.
