In just its second year in the league, South Dakota State plays for the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship on Saturday.

In the first battle of 6-0 Valley teams, the No. 9-ranked Jackrabbits take on No. 3 Southern Illinois at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings, S.D.

The winner claims at least a share of the conference championship and secures the Valley's automatic bid to the Championship Subdivision playoffs. Both teams are 7-1 overall.

"There is a lot of excitement," SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. "Ideally, we can play some of our best football."

Stiegelmeier knows Southern Illinois coach Dale Lennon well from Lennon's days as the coach at North Dakota.

"It's fun to compete against a team like that," said the Jacks' mentor. "They force you to be perfect all the time because of how they play."

After missing three games because of injury, Ryan Crawford has returned as the SDSU quarterback.

Southern lost starter Chris Dieker to a broken collarbone, but replacement Paul McIntosh earned Valley Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in a win over Indiana State last week.

"This is what you work for. You spend the whole season trying to get to a significant game at the end," Lennon said. "It's bigger than a normal game, but we still need to prepare the same way and keep things in perspective."

SIU paces the Valley in rushing offense at 213.8 yards, while the Jacks are first in rushing defense (89.9).

Brown's bright spot: Although Illinois State redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Brown managed just 133 yards passing while completing 18 of 27 in last week's victory over Missouri State, ISU coach Brock Spack was pleased with how Brown reacted to adversity.

"He's had better games throwing the ball. He made some great plays and some not so great plays," Spack said. "His leadership was what I was impressed with. He was really good at halftime and good leading our team on the sideline and on the field."

Harbor eyes another record: Missouri State tight end Clay Harbor set the school record for career receptions with 138 last week.

The Dwight native is nearing another mark with catches in 31 straight games. The Bears' all-time record is 33 by Jason Cannon.

Gibbs piles up yards: Western Illinois' Dre Gibbs has rushed for at least 100 yards in five straight games.

The senior is fifth nationally at 111.9 yards per game. North Dakota State's Pat Paschall leads FCS at 141.0, SIU's Deji Karim is second at 139.0 and SDSU's Kyle Minett is sixth at 110.7.