No. 13 Panthers Stuff Youngstown Running Attack to Earn 21-14 Win

Saturday, October 5

Cedar Falls, Iowa

4 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Youngstown State

No. 13 Panthers Stuff Youngstown Running Attack to Earn 21-14 Win

10/5/2019 9:40:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI defense held Youngstown State to just 55 yards rushing and sacked quarterback Nathan Mays six times while the Panther offense built a 21-7 lead en route to a 21-14 win over the previously unbeaten Penguins Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

The 18th-ranked Youngstown State offense averaged nearly 300 yards a game rushing entering Saturday's matchup against No. 13 UNI, but the Panthers made it clear early that it was going to be tough sledding for the Penguins. UNI held YSU to just 32 yards rushing in the first half on 17 carries.

The UNI offense got the ball rolling with 2:03 left in the first quarter when Will McElvain scrambled out of pressure and perfectly floated a 39-yard pass right into the hands of Isaiah Weston to put the Panthers up 7-0.

The touchdown was Weston's fourth of the season. He is the first Panther receiver to score a receiving TD in four consecutive games since at least 2008.

UNI got back on the board with 5:07 left in the second quarter when Trevor Allen rushed for the 10-yard touchdown, his first rushing touchdown of the season. A pair of YSU defenders met Allen at the two-
yard line, but he powered his way into the end zone for the score.

On the ensuing Penguin drive, Mays found Jeremiah Braswell for the 75-yard touchdown down the sideline on the first play of the drive to cut the lead to 21-7, but the Panthers answered with a seven-play 75-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard Tyler Hoosman touchdown, the first of his career.

Youngstown State scored on the first drive of the second half, but the remainder of the game turned into the defensive slugfest many thought it would be in a contest of the 12th and 13th ranked teams in the country in total defense.

The difference for UNI came sacked Mays six times for negative 40 yards, including 2.5 for Elerson G. Smith and 1.5 for Brawntae Wells. The Panthers totaled 10 tackles for loss on the day. Youngstown State notched just two sacks on Will McElvain.

Youngstown attempted one field goal in the third quarter, but the 44-yard attempt was wide right.

The Penguins recovered a fumble near midfield with 5:07 remaining in the game, but Smith and Tim Butcher combined for a sack to push the drive to the YSU territory on third down and Youngstown was forced to punt.

UNI put together an eight-play, 67-yard drive to kill the clock and clinch the win.

The Panthers are now 3-2 on the year and remain perfect at home at 3-0. It is the first setback of the season for the Penguins. They are now 4-1.

UNI is on the road next Saturday at top-ranked NDSU in the Fargo Dome while YSU hosts No. 3 South Dakota State.

NOTES

Isaiah Weston scored a touchdown in his fourth consecutive game. He is the first Panther since Kevin Vereen scored touchdowns in four consecutive games in 2014. The last player to score a TD in five consecutive games was James Lindgren in 2006,
Jaylin James 42-yard reception is his longest of the season.
Tyler Hoosman's 24-yard carry is his longest of the season.
Isaiah Weston notched a career-high 108 receiving yards, his previous best was 105 against Southern Utah earlier this season.
Tyler Hoosman scored his first career touchdown.
Will McElvain tossed for 187 yards in the first half.
McElvain now has surpassed the 1,000-yard passing mark on the season. He has 83 completions for 1,075 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception on the year. Four out of the five games on the season, he has not recorded an interception.
UNI held Youngstown State to just five first downs in the first half.
The Youngstown rushing attack ranked fourth in the FCS in yards per game at 296.3. The Panthers held them to 55 yards rushing and 294 total yards on the game.
The last time YSU was held under 100 yards rushing was Nov. 10, 2018, against North Dakota State when they rushed for 75.
Seventy-five of Youngstown State's 134 first-half yards (55.9 percent) came on one play, the 75-yard Touchdown. Outside of the touchdown, YSU averaged 2.68 yards per play in the first half.
Isaiah Weston's 47-yard reception is his longest of the season.
Seth Thomas recorded a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss. His previous best was 2.0 at Iowa State.
Elerson Smith recorded 2.5 sacks and 3.0 TFLs. He has 7.5 sacks on the season. He leads the conference with 1.5 per game, two players are tied for second with 1.0. He also leads the league in TFLs at 10.5.
Including the final three games of last season, he is 12.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in the last eight games.
Austin Evans recorded the first sack of his career.
Brawntae Wells recorded 1.5 sacks, his first of the season and a career-high.
Chris Kolarevic recorded a season-high and game-high 10 tackles.
Mark Farley is 9-0 at home against Youngstown State and 14-3 overall.
The Panthers are 3-0 at home for the first time since the 2011 season. UNI finished that year 10-3 and advanced to the FCS Quarterfinals.
UNI made a trip to the red zone without scoring for the first time this season, on the final drive which ended in the victory formation. UNI is now 13-14 on the year, good for 92.9 percent.
Freshman phenom kicker Matthew Cook did not kick a field goal for the first time this year. He was 3-3 on extra points. He is still the holds the top spot in the Valley for made field goals at 9-9.