UNI Posts 42-7 Win at Missouri State

Saturday, October 1

Springfield, Mo.

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

3-1 , 2-0

Missouri State

0-5 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UNI

Missouri State

UNI Posts 42-7 Win at Missouri State

10/1/2011 1:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

By: UNI Athletics Communications

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The University of Northern Iowa football team served up head coach Mark Farley's 55^th career Missouri Valley Football Conference victory on Saturday with a 42-7 win over Missouri State.

Farley's 55 MVFC wins gives him one more than Missouri State head coach Terry Allen to put Farley on top in career victories in league history.

UNI improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in MVFC action. The Panthers rushed for three scores, passed for two and had an interception return for their other score. Missouri State fell to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in MVFC play.

UNI broke into the scoring column on its first drive of the game. UNI marched 87 yards in nine plays, capped by a 7-yard scoring run by Chad Owens. It was Owens' first career carry and came off an option pitch from quarterback Tirrell Rennie. Rennie was 5-for-5 passing for 72 yards on the first drive.

MSU knotted the game at 7-7 with a 5-yard touchdown run from quarterback Trevor Wooden with 13:22 left in the second quarter. The Bears took over a short field following a partially blocked punt by Dan Reichart that gave MSU possession at the UNI 30-yard line.

UNI's David Johnson found the endzone for the sixth time this season on a 4-yard run with 9:33 left in the second quarter. The Johnson TD run capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive that answered the Bears' TD on the previous possession.

The Panthers' defensive unit joined the scoring side of things when Varmah Sonie returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. Sonie's score came with 4:53 left in the second quarter.

UNI increased the lead to 21 points, 28-7, following a 1-yard touchdown run by Johnson. The Johnson score came with 13:12 left in the third quarter. The key play on the drive was a 40-yard pass from Rennie to Terrell Sinkfield.

UNI's L.J. Fort forced his second fumble of the game and Ben Boothby recovered it to give the Panthers the ball at the 38-yard line. The Panthers scored on a four-play, 38-yard drive capped by a 26-yard pass from Rennie to Jarred Herring. Herring's score gave UNI a 35-7 lead with 11:08 left in the third stanza.

The Panthers added a sixth touchdown with 5:04 left in the game when a pair of redshirt freshmen hooked up for their first collegiate touchdowns. Jared Lanpher connected with Kevin Vereen Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown pass. The score gave UNI a 42-7 lead.

Johnson led the Panthers with 114 yards rushing and two scores. It marked the second straight 100-plus rushing effort for Johnson. Terrell Sinkfield set a pair of career-highs with five receptions for 94 yards. Jordan Smith and L.J. Fort led the defensive effort. Smith tied a season-high with 16 tackles. Fort notched a career-best 14 tackles and forced a pair of fumbles in the victory.

UNI will return home next Saturday to play host to the Indiana State Sycamores in the Panthers' annual Homecoming contest. Kick is slated for 4 p.m. in the UNI-Dome.

NOTES: Sonie's interception return for a TD was the first for a Panther since Andre Martin returned a pick 62 yards for TD against Illinois State (Oct. 23, 2010) ... redshirt freshman quarterback Jared Lanpher completed his first career pass in the contest ... UNI has won six straight matchups against Missouri State and 20 of the last 22 ... announced attendance Saturday was 14,827 (the 13^th-highest in Plaster Field history).