Southern Illinois upsets No. 21 Northern Iowa on walk-off field goal

DJ Williams ran for two touchdowns and set up the decisive drive alongside Quade Chatmon, lifting the Salukis past No. 21 Northern Iowa 20-17 after the Panthers tied it late.

Oct 24, 2026 at 5:50 pm ET • 1 min read

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) Walk-on freshman Weston Schofield kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired to give Southern Illinois a 20-17 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday.

The Panthers (3-4, 2-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference), ranked No. 21 in the Stats Perform poll, had tied the game on Jaxon Dailey’s 6-yard TD pass to Cyrus Courtney with just over two minutes to go. Quarterback DJ Williams and running back Quade Chatmon then accounted for all but 3 yards in the Salukis' winning drive that started on the SIU 35 with 2:10 remaining and reached the Northern Iowa 17 before Schofield's winner.

Williams rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns for Southern Illinois (4-5, 2-3) He passed for 112 more with an interception.

Jaxon Dailey threw for 240 yards on 25-of-41 passing with two touchdowns and a pick for the Panthers. Xavier Terrell rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries.

Northern Iowa: Home against Indiana State next Saturday.

Southern Illinois: At Indiana State on Nov. 7.

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