CARBONDALE, Ill. — On a day when teammate Javon Williams Jr. had a league season-high four rushing touchdowns, Southern Illinois quarterback Nic Baker set a school record for pass completion percentage, connecting on 25-of-28 passes — 89.3 percent — during SIU’s 30-7 win over Western Illinois on Saturday.
Those marks earned Baker the league’s Player of the Week honors for the fifth time in his career. He won it twice during the 2021 fall season, once during the 2021 spring season, and won it earlier in 2022 after leading SIU to a win over Northwestern.
Baker completed his first 15 throws versus the Leathernecks, which is the longest streak to start a game in school history and tied for the longest streak at SIU overall. He passed for 227 yards with no interceptions and has not thrown an interception in his last 120 pass attempts.
Baker’s performance was two completions shy of setting the FCS all-time completion percentage record established by Ricky Santos of New Hampshire (96.2; 25 of 26 vs. Northeastern in 2005).
The Salukis have won five-straight games, matching their longest winning streak since 2009.
