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Southern Illinois, 8-0 for the first time since it won the Division I-AA championship in 1983, faces defending national champ Western Kentucky this weekend. The Hilltoppers, 6-2 and ranked eighth in the nation in I-AA, beat the Salukis 48-16 last year and have outscored them 106-22 in Western’s last three victories in the series. Southern improved to third in the I-AA rankings this week. . . .
The Salukis are 4-0 in the Gateway Conference and are tied with Northern Iowa for the league lead. . . .
Muhammad Abdulqaadir led SIU’s win over Southwest Missouri State last weekend with 84 yards on 19 carries. Alexis Moreland blocked a punt and had a team-high 13 tackles, including nine solos.