Katin Houser threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as Illinois eased to a 48-10 nonconference win over Southern Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
Houser completed 23 of 29 passes with an interception for the Fighting Illini (2-1), who bounced back from last week’s 31-27 loss to Duke by outgaining the Salukis 503-257. They allowed only 29 rushing yards in 27 attempts.
DJ Williams hit 20 of 38 passes for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception for SIU (2-2), which entered the game ranked 24th and 25th in the two major FCS polls. The Salukis converted just 3 of 15 third downs.
Illinois never trailed as it scored on its first four possessions. Jordan Anderson gave the Illini a 7-0 lead at the 9:25 mark of the first quarter with a 1-yard run that capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive.
Williams evened the score at 7 with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Allen Middleton, but the Illini reclaimed the lead two plays later when Aidan Laughery sprinted untouched 77 yards down the left sideline.
Houser cranked up his arm after that, finding Collin Dixon for 45- and 27-yard touchdown strikes less than five minutes apart to give Illinois a 28-7 lead with 9:44 left in the half. Dixon has seven scoring catches in three games to lead all FBS receivers.
Weston Schofield booted a 27-yard field goal for SIU with 2:18 remaining in the half but Ethan Moczulski hit from 36 yards out on the final play of the first half to make it 31-10.
The Illini made it a laugher with 17 fourth-quarter points. Moczulski drilled a 42-yarder on the first play of the period, followed by Matthew Bailey intercepting a tipped pass and returning it 88 yards for a touchdown with 13:03 remaining. Javari Barnett capped the scoring with a 5-yard run at the 8:38 mark.
Laughery ran for a game-high 93 yards on just four carries while Dixon caught eight passes for 131 yards. He has 25 receptions in the first three games.
