CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois led 21-14 at the half before Southern Illinois scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to pull away for a 38-21 win in a match-up of two nationally ranked teams. 
 
SIU, ranked No. 25, improved to 2-0.  EIU, ranked No. 14, dropped to 0-2 and will play at Illinois State next Saturday in the 103rd playing of the Mid-America Classic.
 
Malcolm Agnew rushed for three touchdowns and 147 yards to carry the Saluki offense.  Agnew scored on a two-yard run with 5:06 to go in the first to put SIU up 7-0.  He would add a 32-yard run with 6 minutes to go in the second half that broke a 7-7 tie.  On that run, Agnew rolled off an EIU tackler as he appeared to be down, but continued to run towards the end zone for the score.
 
Despite the production by Agnew in the first half, EIU was able to go into the locker room with a 21-14 lead.  Andrew Manley hit Anthony Taylor with a 6-yard pass with 28-seconds left in the first quarter which tied the contest.  Manley passed for 240 yards going 19-of-30 with the one touchdown.  He did throw two interceptions, one inside the EIU red zone.
 
Taylor Duncan tied the game for EIU with a 4-yard run with 3:13 left in the first half and Manley scrambled for a 7-yard score with 32 seconds left in the half to put EIU in the lead.
 
SIU tied the contest to open the second half going 75-yards on nine plays as LaSteven McKinney caught a 19-yard touchdown from Mark Iannotti.   Agnew broke the tie with his third touchdown coming with 5:44 left in the third. 
 
SIU closed out its scoring with a 50-yard field goal by Thomas Kinney and a 2-yard Hans Carmien touchdown reception from Iannotti. 
 
For the second straight week EIU's offense outgained its opponent finishing with 451 yards of total offense compared to 379 for SIU.  Shepard Little rushed for 76 yards for EIU while Adam Drake caught nine passes for 139 yards.
 
MyCole Pruitt was SIU's top pass receiver with seven catches for 61 yards.  Iannotti finished 25-of-34 for 233 yards with one interception.
 
Adam Gristick led EIU's defense with nine tackles.  Anthony Standifer had five tackles with one interception.  SIU's defense was led by Tyler Williamson with 11 tackles and one sack.