CARBONDALE, Ill. (SIU ATHLETICS) â€� Southern Illinois stormed back with 35 unanswered points to beat Illinois State, 35-17, on Saturday in the conference opener for both schools.Ìý
Staring down a 17-0 deficit midway through the third quarter, the Salukis (3-1, 1-0) came to life on a 70-yard kickoff return by . The play ultimately led to a Ìý³Ù´ÇÌý seven-yard touchdown strike, in which Baker eluded pressure and Lenoir made a spectacular diving catch. The senior wide receiver had seven catches on the day and surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards.
"It was a scramble play," Lenoir said of the touchdown. "As soon as I turned my head, the ball was there, the first thing I thought of was grab it. I don't know if it was for me or (), but as long as we got the touchdown, I'm happy.
The big kick return was only one part of a breakout game for Hartrup. The redshirt freshman caught seven passes for 82 yards, including a spectacular one-handed grab in the fourth quarter that extended a drive.
"I knew we needed a spark," Hartrup said. "I was really hoping coach would say we could take that kick return out. I knew as soon as he gave me the signal to do it, I was going to make a big play."
That spark turned into a blaze late in the third quarter when SIU's defense rose up to stuff Cole Mueller on 4th-and-1 at the SIU 6. It was followed by an 11-play, 94-yard touchdown drive, in which  busted loose for a 40-yard TD run to close the gap to 17-14.
"The fourth-down stop was a big momentum swing," said SIU head coach . "We had to have it. Our backs were against the wall. You just got to have the will to say they just can't get it."
The Salukis overwhelmed the Redbirds (2-2, 0-1) in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns â€� a 17-yard Baker to  touchdown pass, sandwiched between a pair of short TD runs byÂ
A vocal crowd of 8,618 on Family Weekend roared its approval throughout the second half of the stunning comeback.
"That was just an all-around team victory," Hill said. "This is a really tough league. Everything's not just going to go according to plan and easy. We've said since Day 1, whatever adversity comes our way, we're going to do it together."
Trailing, 10-0, at halftime and with only two first downs to its credit, Southern calmly regrouped in the locker room, Hill said.
"I'm not a huge yeller," he explained. "They know the standards and what needs to take place. Our leadership was outstanding. We all needed to just take a deep breath."
Southern's defense pitched a fourth-quarter shutout and applied heavy pressure to ISU quarterback Jackson Waring, sacking him four times, including a key strip-sack by .Ìý
"That was good for us to have one of those games where we had to battle back from being down to get the W," Berner said. "It teaches everyone how to win a game and that we're never out of it."
Baker was 21-of-32 passing for 227 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His head coach and teammates praised his resiliency.
"Nic's confidence never wavers, and I'm proud of him for that," Hill said.
The Salukis play their next two games on the road � at Western Illinois and at South Dakota State � before returning home for North Dakota on Homecoming weekend. It's an eight-week gauntlet in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
"This is really just the beginning," Hartrup said. "We have so much potential, so much in store."
