Ro Elliott rushed for two touchdowns, including a 60-yarder, and Nic Baker threw for two scores as Southern Illinois shut out Nicholls 35-0 on Saturday in Carbondale, Ill., in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
The Salukis (8-4) will travel to play No. 4 seed Idaho next Saturday.
Elliott ran for 111 yards on nine carries and Baker was 12 of 22 for 168 passing yards, including scoring tosses to Aidan Quinn and Vinson Davis III.
Brandon Combs and DJ Johnson made interceptions that led to touchdowns, and the Salukis twice stopped the Colonels on downs inside the red zone. The Colonels also lost a fumble.
SIU scored on its first three possessions to lead 21-0 at halftime.
Pat McQuaide was 12 of 26 passing with the two picks for the Colonels.
This was the Salukis’ second shutout this season.
Nicholls (6-5) was in the playoffs for the first time since 2019. It’s the third appearance in four years for SIU, which hosted a playoff game for the first time at Saluki Stadium, which opened in 2010.
Luke Lehnen passed for 245 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 94 yards as top-ranked North Central cruised to a 71-28 victory over Trinity (Texas) in the second round of the Division III playoffs Saturday in Naperville.
The defending national champion Cardinals (13-0) will face Wisconsin-Lacrosse in a quarterfinal next Saturday.
The two other remaining Illinois teams were eliminated. Wheaton fell 49-42 at Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Aurora lost 56-35 at Wisconsin-Lacrosse.