Final
SIU 22 · SAM 18
ML W
our logged sides, graded on the record
Our side
MoneylineSIU to win logged
ours 17%
Our number: SIU by 14.9 — SIU to win.
Projected score
36–19
SIU – SAM
2026-09-03 · 7:00 PM
Seibert Stadium · Birmingham, AL
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
First recorded meeting between these programs
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
edge Southern Illinois Salukis
216 ranks
Southern Illinois Salukis #2 rush offense
Samford Bulldogs #218 run defense
Pass game
edge Southern Illinois Salukis
147 ranks
Southern Illinois Salukis #45 pass offense
Samford Bulldogs #192 pass defense
Run game
edge Southern Illinois Salukis
101 ranks
Samford Bulldogs #263 rush offense
Southern Illinois Salukis #162 run defense
Pass game
even
35 ranks apart
Samford Bulldogs #242 pass offense
Southern Illinois Salukis #207 pass defense
Southern Illinois Salukis
Balanced · 55% run
Ball-control
Dual-threat QB · 71 rush ypg
Samford Bulldogs
Pass-heavy · 39% run
Ball-control
Ranked by team-unit strength
(rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265
D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the
2025 season.
The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above
Who carried each team in 2025
Southern Illinois Salukis
DL
Ibrahim Sanogo
11 tkl · 3.5 sacks · 5.5 TFL
#15 DL
LB
Ben Fiegel
22 tkl · 4.5 TFL
#28 LB
LB
Andrew Behm
18 tkl · 1.5 TFL
#122 LB
WR
Kyle Thomas
6 rec · 150 yds · 1 TD
#218 WR
Samford Bulldogs
DB
LaShon Young
21 tkl · 1 PD
#53 DB
DB
Jalen Nelson
25 tkl
#101 DB
WR
Marquise Henderson
9 rec · 218 yds · 1 TD
#92 WR
LB
Spencer Conn
23 tkl · 2.5 TFL
#90 LB
Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their
position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no
2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for
these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.
Power breakdown
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
Southern Illinois offense vs Samford defense+8.7 pts
Samford offense vs Southern Illinois defense-10.9 pts
An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have
played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.