{
  "id": 8547858,
  "title": "Collin Dixon catches two more TD passes, Illinois beats Southern Illinois 48-10",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/collin-dixon-catches-two-more-td-passes-illinois-beats-southern-8547858",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-19T22:18:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/collin-dixon-catches-two-more-221855313.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Collin Dixon added two more touchdown receptions to help Illinois defeat Southern Illinois 48-10 on Saturday. Dixon, the Illini's leading receiver, caught eight passes for 131 yards. The Illini, who began the season with three home games, opened their season with three victories. Dixon has now amassed seven touchdown catches, setting a new single-season record for the Gies Memorial Stadium with four home games still to play. Hudson Clement contributed five catches for 69 yards, the sixth-longest active streak in the nation after catching a pass in 30 consecutive games. Illinois quarterback Katin Houser completed 23 of 29 passes for 305 yards but made one interception. Aiden Laughery rushed for 93 yards on four carries and scored a touchdown, helping Illinois take a 14-7 lead in the first quarter following a play where Houser was sacked for the first time this season. This was the longest run for the Illini in five years. Southern Illinois quarterback D.J. Williams completed 20 of 38 passes for 168 yards, but was intercepted once. Following an interception by Matthew Bailey, Williams was sacked for a 88-yard touchdown. Williams was in contention for the Walter Payton Award, given to the best player in the Championship Subdivision, last season. Southern Illinois had only 29 yards rushing on seven attempts after running for four touchdowns the previous week against Southeast Missouri. The Salukis had only one turnover going into the game against Illinois, forcing a dozen last season. Illinois improved their tackling and running game compared to their first two games but it remains to be seen if they have progressed enough for their upcoming Big Ten games. Southern Illinois had eight turnovers before facing Illinois, including four interceptions against Southeast Missouri. To secure a win against the Illini, Southern Illinois needed to add more turnovers, but they only achieved one, an end zone interception by Sebastian Vargas in the third quarter. Up next, Illinois will travel to No. 6 Ohio State next Saturday, while Southern Illinois will play at Murray State the following week.",
  "summary": "Dixon has seven TD catches, already the single-season record at Gies Memorial Stadium with four home games remaining.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Collin Dixon catches two more TD passes, Illinois beats Southern Illinois 48-10",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/collin-dixon-catches-two-more-td-passes-illinois-beats-southern",
        "published": "2026-09-19T21:42:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}