The Southern Illinois Salukis turned the football over 3 times in the redzone, but came back to notch a 31-20 win over Houston.

The Salukis spoted Houston a 13-0 lead early in the game, as the Cougars took advantage of early SIU turnovers. The SIU offense finally got on track, posting 16 unanswered points to take a 16-13 3rd quarter lead.

Houston regained the lead immediately on the ensuing kickoff, as Michael Carter went 87 yards to put the Cougars back on top. But the Salukis owned the 4th quarter, outscoring the Cougars 15-0 en route to their 8th straight win of the season.

Freshman quarterback Courtney Smart, overcame an awful first half in which he through two interceptions and got on track for a big second half. Smart finished the game 15-of-30 for 324 yards and 2 touchdowns. Senior running back Isaiah Mack had another spectacular game, posting 129 yards on 22 carries.

The Salukis will have next weekend off before traveling to Columbia to take on the #18 South Carolina Gamecocks.

Salukis Land Cooper To Close Out Early Signings

SIU football landed another big signing for the defensive backfield this week. Strong safety Phil Cooper, of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, commited to play for the 2008 Salukis. Cooper is the 9th rated strong safety in the country and chose the Salukis after visits with Miami and Georgia.