Missouri valley football conference \ Saturday’s games

October 18, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Southern Illinois 27, Northern Iowa 20

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Deji Karim rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown and Brandon Williams returned an interception for a TD for Southern Illinois. Williams’ 21-yard return came with 2:48 remaining in the game and put the Salukis (5-1, 4-0 Missouri Valley) ahead 27-13. Pat Grace, who threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns, pulled the Panthers (5-2, 3-1) to within 27-20 with 1:50 left when he connected with D.J. Hord on a 3-yard pass, but Southern Illinois then ran out the clock. The Salukis, who ended an 11-game losing streak in Cedar Falls, took their first second-half lead with 5:06 remaining on Karim’s 1-yard run which broke a 13-13 tie. Steven Morse set up the touchdown, which came on a fourth-down play, when he recovered a fumbled punt at the Northern Iowa 7-yard line. Derrick Law ran for 123 yards for Northern Iowa.

Missouri State 17, Western Illinois 16

MACOMB, Ill. — Matt Hottelman kicked a 37-yard field goal with 36 seconds left to push Missouri State past Western Illinois. The kick gave Missouri State (4-3, 2-2 Missouri Valley) its only lead. The Bears, who trailed 16-0 in the second quarter, knocked down a pass at the 10-yard line as time expired to secure the win. Cody Kirby fired a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Saffold, and Chris Douglas ran in from 2 yards before Hottelman’s kick. Kirby finished 18 of 32 for a career-high 341 yards. Clay Harbor caught eight passes for 171 yards, also a career high. Western Illinois (1-5, 0-3) got a safety before Dre Gibbs rushed 8 yards for a touchdown, part of his season-best 39-carry, 162-yard effort. Then Kyle Glazier forced a fumble, and Patrick Stoudamire picked up the ball and ran it back 88 yards for his first career touchdown.

Illinois State 38, Indiana State 21

NORMAL, Ill. — Matt Brown threw two touchdown passes as part of a 24-point second quarter that lifted Illinois State. It was the 33rd consecutive loss for Indiana State. The Sycamores’ last win came nearly three years ago, on Oct. 21, 2006, when they beat Missouri State 28-22. Brown found Tyrone Walker and Eyad Salem, both on 28-yard scoring strikes, as the Redbirds (3-4, 2-2) took a 24-7 halftime lead. Geno Blow also scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.

Associated Press