Tulsa dared Southern Illinois to pass.

They begged for it.

And true freshman Courtney Smart obliged.

With 9, and sometimes 10 defenders in the box to stuff the run, SIU went arieal, as Smart tied a career high with 353 yards passing and set a career high with 4 touchdown passes. Smart completed 20 of 35 passes for the game to lead the Salukis to a 35-14 win over the Golden Hurricane.

With not only very little running game to help, but also having the top two SIU receivers out with injuries, Smart was forced to find new weapons in the passing game. Bilitnekov candidate Courtney Burns will miss one more week after an injury against South Carolina and #2 receiver Brandon Wilson went down in the second quarter and will miss 3 weeks. Mack and third receiver Phillip Marquardt filled in the gaps well, each catching 5 passes, for a touchdown apiece. Fullback Javon Bowie caught two passes, both for touchdowns, and backup safety Ben Bell caught 3 passes for 23 yards.

With the Hurricane lining up to stop the run, senior running back Isaiah Mack was held in check for nearly the entire game. Mack nearly suffered his second straight game rushing for under 100 yards and no touchdowns. But Mack broke a toss up the left sideline for 91 yards and a touchdown with less than 2 minutes remaining to notch his 8th 100-yard day of the season.

The Saluki defense played a crucial role in the victory as well, sacking Hurricane quarterback Caleb Henderson 5 times. Freshman defensive end Mark Webster led the way with 3 sacks as part of his 5 tackles, all behind the line of scrimmage. Defensive backs Tyler Williamson, Eric Williams, and Sean Finley also tied Webster for the team lead with 5 tackles apiece. Finley also added 2 interceptions.

The Salukis wrap up the regular seson next week at home against Cincinnati.