PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Southern Illinois University football team trailed by 18 points eight minutes into the second half, but took West Florida down to the wire Thursday night.

Jake Curry, in for the injured DJ Williams, rallied the 16th-ranked Salukis with two straight touchdown drives but couldn't pull the team over the top. His pass toward the Argonauts' 30-yard line was intercepted on the final play at Pen Air Field, sealing a 34-31 loss. Curry took over for Williams in the second quarter and finished 14 of 31 passing for 153 yards and 31 yards on the ground.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior's 19-yard touchdown run around the right sideline pulled SIU (0-1) within four with 7:39 to play. Seth Adams' extra-point kick made it a three-point game, 27-24.

The Saluki defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession to get the ball back to the offense. Linebacker Ben Fiegel, who had five stops and two fumble recoveries, stopped Argos quarterback Ty'Ray Davis after a 1-yard gain on second down. Davis then threw incomplete over the middle to set up a punt.

West Florida (1-0) got the ball back after a costly fumble at the Saluki 43-yard line and capitalized. Davis, a 6-3, 205-pound redshirt sophomore from Orlando in his first start, converted a third-and-5 with an 8-yard run to keep the drive alive. He then delivered a 22-yard touchdown pass to Luc Carroll with 2:37 to go. Brogan Woeber's kick put the Argos up 34-24, but the Salukis never quit.

Chandler Chapman broke off a 10-yard run in the middle of the field on a third-and-3 to get SIU to the 34-yard line. Curry then found Markell Quick for a 10-yard gain on another third down. Curry found wideout Kyle Thomas for his second touchdown of the game to help pull the Salukis within three with 1:09 to go, but they were unable to get any closer. 

In front of a record crowd of 6,124 fans, UWF won its first game as an FCS school after competing in Div. II for its first 10 seasons. Temperatures hovered near 85 degrees most of the game. 

Thomas finished the game with four catches for 71 yards. Chapman rushed for a team-high 75 yards on 10 carries. Eddie Robinson added 30 yards on nine carries. 

Allen Middleton caught a team-high five passes for 42 yards. Seven different Salukis caught at least one pass in their season opener.

Adams, a transfer from Div. III Wisconsin-Whitewater, converted three field goals and both of his extra-point attempts. He made a 50-yarder early in the second quarter and connected from 31 and 47 yards, respectively. His 41-yard attempt with 12:10 to go in the third went wide. 

Williams, a senior quarterback on the Payton Award preseason list, completed 3 of 8 passes before leaving the game in the second quarter. He also rushed for 46 yards on five carries. 

Linebacker Andrew Behm had a team-high nine tackles for SIU in what was the first of seven road games this season. Defensive end Ibrahim Sanogo and Fiegel added five stops each. The Salukis forced three turnovers after getting only 12 all last season. 

SIU is next at Samford on Thursday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

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