Panthers Pick Up 20-7 Win Over South Dakota

Saturday, October 31

Cedar Falls, Iowa (UNI-Dome)

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

4-4 , 2-3

South Dakota

4-4 , 2-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

South Dakota

UNI

Panthers Pick Up 20-7 Win Over South Dakota

10/31/2015 5:02:00 PM | Football

Box Score

FINAL BOXSCORE

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa picked up a 20-7 win over the South Dakota Coyotes in the UNI-Dome Saturday afternoon, improving their record to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in league play.

Aaron Bailey led the Panthers with a career-high 231 passing yards, going 16-27-0, adding one passing and one rushing score to his stat line. Savon Huggins finished with 66 yards on the ground on nine carries while Braden Lehman grabbed three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Brett McMakin turned in a team-high eight tackles with Karter Schult adding seven, including two sacks. Isaac Ales also racked up seven total tackles, adding two tackles for loss to rank him fourth all-time at UNI in career TFL.

Special teams also shined for the Panthers, pinning the Coyotes inside their own 20-yard-line three times on an average of 52.4 yards per punt from sophomore Sam Kuhter. His 52.4 average set a new school record for punting average in a game, passing Derrick Frost who had a 52.0 punting average against Western Kentucky in 2002.

South Dakota jumped on the scoreboard late in the first quarter, taking a 7-0 lead with 1:25 on the clock. Ryan Saeger found Brandt Van Roekel open in the end zone for a 23-yard passing play, ending a drive that lasted 6:10 for 13 plays and 81 yards.

The Panthers evened the score with 7:31 left in the second quarter when Bailey found Lehman wide open in the end zone for 14 yards. It was Lehman's fifth career touchdown, ending a six-play, 74-yard drive that burned 2:31 off the clock.

UNI took its first lead of the half when a diving catch from senior Cody McCoy to the South Dakota one-yard-line set up UNI's second touchdown of the game. On the next play, Bailey jumped over the pile for the one-yard score to put UNI up 14-7 at the 3:32 mark in the second quarter. It ended an 83-yard drive for eight plays and 2:24.

Michael Schmadeke extended UNI's lead to 17-7 at the 9:45 mark in the third quarter after knocking in a 48-yard field goal. His longest kick of the season ended a 10-play, 44-yard drive that took 5:15 off the clock.

The senior All-American followed it up with a career-best 50-yard field goal after a 26-yard interception return from Deiondre' Hall. The field goal gave UNI a 20-7 lead with 8:34 on the clock, ending a minute-long drive for four plays and a yard.

Kuhter continually put the Coyotes in poor field position in the fourth quarter, giving the UNI defense an entire field to defend on two consecutive punts. His career-long punt of 68 yards to the USD three-yard-line, followed by a 51-yard punt to the USD one-yard-line with less than five minutes to play helped seal UNI's 20-7 victory.

The Panthers will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 7 when they host Indiana State. The game is set to kick off at 4 p.m. CT.

Post-Game Notes vs. South Dakota

Captains against South Dakota: Savon Huggins, Isaac Ales, Braden Lehman and Tim Kilfoy.
Sam Kuhter had his best punt of the season in the fourth quarter, booming a 68-yarder to pin the South Dakota Coyotes on their own three-yard-line. With his 52.4 punting average against the Coyotes, he set a new school record for punting average in a game. The previous record was 52.0 by Derrick Frost against Western Kentucky in 2002.
Michael Schmadeke knocked in a career-long 50-yard field goal to put UNI up 20-7 in the third quarter. The last time UNI kicked a 50-yard or longer field goal was in 2013 when Tyler Sievertsen knocked one in against North Dakota State. Schmadeke's previous career-best was 49 yards against Western Illinois last season.
Deiondre' Hall's interception against South Dakota gives him four on the season and 11total in his career. His 11 interceptions ties him for seventh all-time at UNI in career interceptions.
With his 2.0 tackles for loss against South Dakota, Isaac Ales has moved into fourth all-time at UNI with 36.5 in his career.
Aaron Bailey went 16-27-0 for a career-high 231 yards and a touchdown against South Dakota.
UNI held South Dakota to just 54 yards rushing Saturday, the fourth time this season that the Panther defense has allowed 100 yards or less on the ground. The lowest total rushing yards against UNI this season was 26 against Eastern Washington (9/12).