Late Rally Lifts UNI Past No. 6 South Dakota

Saturday, November 4

UNI-Dome

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

5-4 , 4-2

South Dakota

7-2 , 4-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

South Dakota

UNI

Late Rally Lifts UNI Past No. 6 South Dakota

11/4/2017 6:09:00 PM | Football

Box Score

CEDAR Falls, Iowa – Sparked by three fourth-quarter turnovers, Northern Iowa surged past No. 6 South Dakota as the Panthers stormed into FCS Playoff contention with the 34-29 upset.

"When offense, defense and special teams is clicking on all cylinders like that it's beyond fun," sophomore tight end Briley Moore said. "As a whole team we played a great game and I am so happy for this team."

With the win, UNI earned its third victory over a top-10 foe this season. The three top-10 wins in one year is the most for UNI since 2015's squad also earned a trio of top-10 victories.

"We had a big win today, but it was only one win," head coach Mark Farley said following the game. "That's what everybody will talk about, but what I want to talk about is what we still need to do. You have to have a great November, if you do that then you're in a good position."

The Panthers improved to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the MVFC, while the Coyotes dropped to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the MVFC.

Eli Dunne tallied 228 yards through the air on 14 of 24 passing, with both of his touchdown tosses going to freshman Isaiah Weston. The scores for Weston marked the first time this decade the Panthers have had a freshmen wideout score at least two touchdowns in a game.

With Dunne's performance on Saturday, the junior become only the second quarterback at UNI with over 2,000 passing yards this decade. The last Panther to pass the 2000-yard mark was Sawyer Kollmorgen in 2012, after throwing for 2,460 yards that season.

The defense carried UNI to victory however, as the Panthers earned three crucial turnovers late to keep the Coyotes caged. Jared Farley's fumble recovery set up a Marcus Weymiller eight-yard score, while Keelon Brookins' interception return for a touchdown put the Panthers ahead 34-23 with 2:23 remaining in the game.

USD gained 490 yards of offense on 87 plays, but could only score 29 points on the afternoon. The 29 points was the second-lowest total the Coyotes tallied this season, with a season-low of 21 coming against Illinois State in a losing effort.

USD opened the game with a quick, seven-play drive that ate up only three minutes off the clock as Chris Streveler found Josh Hale for a 16-yard touchdown reception.

The Panthers and Coyotes traded four field goals before UNI finally found the end zone on a 59-yard strike from Dunne to Weston as the score become knotted up at 13-13 with 4:50 remaining in the second quarter. The Coyotes pulled back ahead with 35 seconds remaining after a 33-yard kick sailed through the uprights to give USD a 16-13 lead heading into the locker room.

A short punt set up the Coyotes with a four-play, 46-yard scoring drive as USD's Brett Samson scampered up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown run. With the Panthers trailing 23-13, UNI capped a six-play, 62-yard drive after Dunne found Weston in the back of the end zone for a four-yard score to close out the third quarter.

Trailing late in the fourth quarter, Farley would scoop up a loose ball and return it to the 11-yard line as Weymiller bounced it outside for the go-ahead touchdown with only 3:02 remaining. The Panther defense forced another turnover the following drive, but this time turned it into six points as Brookins sprinted in for a 29-yard touchdown to ignite the home crowd.

USD's Streveler threw a one-yard touchdown to give the Coyotes a glimmer of hope, but that was quickly stomped out after UNI recovered an onside kick to seal the 34-29 win.

UP NEXT
UNI hits the road for Missouri State next Saturday, with the Panthers and Bears kicking off at 2 p.m. CT. The Panthers will close out the regular season the following weekend when UNI hosts Indiana State for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. CT.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase season and single-game tickets to UNI football home games through UNITIX. Call 319-273-4849 or visit www.UNITIX.uni.edu.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the UNI football program, follow the Panthers on Twitter at "@UNIFootball" and on Facebook at "UNI Football."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI is 7-2 against South Dakota during the Mark Farley era.
The Panthers have now defeated three top-10 opponents in one season.
The three top-10 wins in one season is the most for UNI since the Panthers took down four top-10 foes in 2015.
The most top-10 wins UNI has recorded in one season was in 2005 after beating No. 6 Western Kentucky, No. 4 Southern Illinois, No. 1 New Hampshire and No. 5 Texas State.
The four forced fumbles were the most by a UNI squad since 2008 against South Dakota on Sept. 6.
With his performance on Saturday, Eli Dunne became the first Panther quarterback since Sawyer Kollmorgen to throw for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
Dunne and Kollmorgen are the only two UNI quarterbacks to pass the 2,000-yard mark through the air this decade.
The 59-yard touchdown pass from Dunne to Weston was a season-long for both players.
Briley Moore caught five passes for 100 yards, becoming the first tight end this decade to go over the century mark in a game.
Moore is the 19th player overall for UNI to go over 100-yards receiving in a single game since 2010.
With 13 tackles on Saturday, junior Duncan Ferch has 150 total tackles for his career at UNI.
Senior wide receiver Daurice Fountain is tied for eighth at UNI for career receptions, with 129 total catches for his career.
Isaiah Weston became the first freshman this decade to catch at least two touchdowns in a single game.
Keelon Brookins' 29-yard interception return for a touchdown marked career firsts in both categories for the senior.
Freshman Xavior Williams earned his career first interception at UNI.
Attendance for Saturday's game was 10,814.