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9/15/2018 | 6 PM

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OXFORD, Miss. —OXFORD, Miss. — No Missouri Valley Football Conference team has ever beaten an SEC opponent, but Southern Illinois had Ole Miss sweating after three quarters during a 76-41 shootout at Vaught Hemmingway Stadium on Saturday.

The Salukis (1-1) led at halftime, 38-35, and were marching for a potential game-tying score at the beginning of the fourth quarter when linebacker Vernen Dasher picked off a Sam Straub pass and returned it 88 yards for an Ole Miss touchdown. The pick-six made the score 55-41 and was the first of four unanswered TDs for the Rebels (2-0) that put the game on ice.

Southern Illinois played a nearly flawless first half on offense, scoring on all six of their possessions and holding the lead for 25 of the 30 minutes of time on the game clock. Straub passed for four first-half TDs and ran for another, finishing the game with 382 yards passing.

“We turned on the film (of Ole Miss) from last week and felt really good about what they were giving us defensively,” Straub said. “There’s nothing too big for us as a team. It was kind of a preview of how good we think we can be offensively. We’re still just touching the surface.”

The offensive fireworks came fast and furious with the teams combining for 73 first-half points. Straub spread the ball around, with TD strikes of nine yards to Nigel Kilby, seven yards to Landon Lenoir, nine yards to Raphael Leonardand then a spectacular 70-yard catch-and-run to Leonard just before halftime that put the Salukis back on top. A native of Starkville, Miss., Leonard caught six passes for 117 yards. 

“He was super-proud to come back to Mississippi,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said of his senior wideout. “I know that everybody in the South who plays FBS football missed out on one heckuva player. I don’t know how he’s playing at FCS. The performance he had was pretty outstanding.”

Southern piled up 629 yards of total offense in the game — the sixth most in school history — and they did it against a highly regarded SEC opponent.

“I thought the entire week, the way (the players) approached traveling (to Ole Miss) they weren’t wowed by the situation,” Hill said. “They came down here to win a football game. We knew it would take 60 minutes, unfortunately we kind of ran out of gas.”

Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and his gifted corps of receivers were as good as advertised. Ta’amu completed 28-of-38 for 448 yards and five touchdowns, and A.J. Brown (158 yards) and Braylon Sanders (133 yards) both had monster games. Four different receivers had catches of at least 45 yards, as Ta’amu showed impressive touch on his deep throws.

“Those balls were put in almost perfect position,” Hill marveled. “I thought we were in great position for a few of them and it’s going to take a perfect throw and catch, and that’s what they did consistently all night.”

The Rebels are well-known for their quick-strike capability, and that was true today as they needed five or fewer plays to score five of their  offensive touchdowns.

“They’re explosive, they spread the field out, there’s running lanes,” Hill said. “If you don’t every once in a while put two safeties back there, then it’s going to be bombs away.”

Southern’s offense got off-track on it’s first two drives of the second half with two dropped passes and four penalties. Although Straub threw two second-half interceptions, Hill didn’t blame his senior quarterback for the errant throws. On the pick-six, Hill said he changed the play during a timeout and regretted putting his QB in a tough spot.

“(He) tried to get it to (Jacob) Varble on a leak-out, they covered it well, and Sam kinda threw it blind, but he’s trying to make a play,” Hill explained. “It’s more on me than it is on him. The last pick, it’s 3rd-and-9 and we’re down by two (scores) and he’s trying to drill one into Ralph (Leonard).”

Straub left the game midway through the fourth quarter after he was sacked, fumbled and Ole Miss scored on a 56-yard scoop and score. He had an ice bag on his left shoulder after the game but said he’d be fine. 

Southern out-rushed the Rebels, 241-167. Salukis running back D.J. Davis had 121 yards on the ground for his second-straight 100-yard effort. 

“D.J. Davis continued to show that he’s an elite back,” Hill said. “He had some runs that he’s breaking tackles on linebackers.”

The Salukis, who play their home opener next Saturday against SEMO, did not take accept a moral victory, Hill said.

“There’s a lot of tears in their eyes in (the locker room),” he said. “They didn’t come down to get patted on their back. They’re a competitive group that expects to play at a high level. We set a standard with our program.”