YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (SIU Athletics) � Southern Illinois rallied from an early 12-point deficit to beat Youngstown State, 30-22, on a cold, blustery Saturday in northeast Ohio. The No. 11-ranked Salukis (3-1, 2-1) are off to their best start since opening the 2015 season at 5-1.
The game didn't begin exactly as scripted for SIU. The underdog Penguins (0-3, 0-3) took the opening kickoff and marched 83 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown. On Southern's first drive, quarterback  was picked off at the YSU 47, and the turnover led to another Penguins touchdown to make the score 12-0.
"It's tough to go on the road in this league and win," said SIU head coach , whose team was coming off a 38-14 home victory over No. 1 North Dakota State. "In the first half, our backs were against the wall and it didn't go like you'd want to draw it up, but they just stuck together."
The comeback started early in the second quarter when  took over from the Wildcat spot and carried five times for 25 yards, including a six-yard diving touchdown that cut the deficit to 12-7.
Youngstown answered with a grinding, 19-play drive that was capped off by a 1-yard TD plunge by Jaleel McLaughlin. The shifty tailback caused Southern's defense fits with his cut-back running ability as he finished the game with 124 yards on 26 carries.Â
"He just made something out of nothing � (we'd) have the play dead to rights and he bounced it back and made us pay," Hill said.
Mixing run and pass, Southern countered with a 75-yard touchdown drive in which Baker made a dazzling 17-yard TD run, somersaulting over the goal line to draw SIU within 19-13 just before the half. Unfazed by the early interception, Baker completed 13-of-18 passes on the day for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
"You're never going to rattle Nick," Hill said. "The kid plays with an unbelievable amount of � the kid has something. I know he's 5-8-and-a-half, this, that and the other. He just has that 'it'. If he throws a pick, he doesn't lack confidence the next series."
After allowing 19 points and 146 first-half rushing yards, Southern's defense allowed only a second-half field goal and limited the Penguins to 76 second-half yards on the ground.Â
"(Defensive coordinator Jason) Petrino did a great job," Hill said. "We brought some pressures in the second half to get them into some more predictable down-and-distances. It's about winning on first down � you get them in second-and-long, now you have a pretty good idea what they're going to do."
Midway through the third quarter, the Salukis finally took the lead, 20-19, on a shovel pass from Baker to  that went for a two-yard touchdown.  added a 36-yard field goal with 5:14 left in the third quarter to make it 23-19. Youngstown countered with its own field goal to cut its deficit to 23-22.
SIU's biggest offensive play of the game came with 10 minutes to go in the contest. On 2nd-and-5, Baker rolled to his left off play-action and hit a wide-open  down the left sideline for a 37-yard touchdown to make it 30-22.
"We thought that play would be there," Hill said. "We were in a running formation, it's one-on-one on the outside, and Landon did a great job on a double move, and then Nic did a great job, especially with the wind, putting it right on him and not trying to overthrow him."
The Salukis' defense rose to the occasion on three-straight drives in the fourth quarter to secure the win.  forced a fumble that was recovered by Rod Campbell to end one drive, and with less than two minutes remaining,  chased quarterback Mark Wald into an errant throw on 4th-and-4 at SIU's 25 to secure the win.
³§²¹´Ú±ð³Ù²âÌý led the defense with 10 tackles, while Strong added nine stops. Defensive end , who had surgery on his hand on Tuesday and played with a cast, recorded eight tackles and a sack, to move within two sacks of the school record.Â
"Being able to get a stop to win the game in the fourth quarter � I'm proud of (the defense) for that," said Hill. "Whatever it takes � that was the motto for the week � to get on that plane with a win."
