Panther football struggles in loss at South Dakota State

Saturday, October 14

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

3-3 , 2-1

South Dakota State

6-0 , 3-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UNI

South Dakota St.

Photo by: © KehlexisLLC

Panther football struggles in loss at South Dakota State

10/14/2023 5:40:00 PM | Football

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

UNI’s three-game win streak snapped against the top-ranked Jackrabbits. Panthers host North Dakota next Saturday at 4 p.m. CT for annual Homecoming game.

BROOKINGS, S.D. --- First half turnovers and stalled offensive drives plagued UNI football as the Panthers fell to top-ranked and defending national champion South Dakota State at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Saturday by a score of 41-6.

The loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak for UNI, saw five consecutive first half possessions end with either a Panther fumble or interception, leading to 17 points off turnovers for the Jackrabbits.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Jackrabbits struck quickly after an opening three-and-out by the Panthers, scoring the game's first touchdown on a one-yard run by quarterback Mark Gronowski to cap an eight-play, 55-yard drive. UNI would fumble on its second possession of the afternoon at its own 35-yard line, setting up a short field for SDSU with running back Isaiah Davis finding the endzone on a three-yard scoring play, extending the Jackrabbit lead to 14-0.

UNI would fumble the ball on its next possession, but would get the ball back just two plays later as Jahsiah Galvan forced his first career fumble and Tate Sander's first career recovery. The Panthers would cross the 50 yard line for the first time in the matchup, but were quickly foiled by an interception on the 25 yard line.

The Panther defense would come up with another big stop on the ensuing Jackrabbit possession as Woo Governor forced and recovered a fumble by Gronowski near midfield, but UNI would not be able to hold onto the ball, fumbling on the very next play. South Dakota State would use that turnover to its advantage as receiver Jadon Janke scored the Jackrabbits third touchdown of the half on a 16-yard reception for a 21-0 lead.

A 33-yard reception by Logan Wolf on third and eight would be UNI's longest play of the first half, but momentum was short lived with another UNI turnover with Theo Day's pass being intercepted at the South Dakota State 36-yard line by DyShawn Gales two plays. A 42-yard field goal would follow the interception giving the Jackrabbits the 24-0 lead.

The Panthers recorded their first scoring drive of the game with 33 seconds remaining on the clock. The drive was highlighted by a 12-yard rush by Zach Brand, the first carry of his career, and a 23-yard reception from Sam Schnee, and a ten-yard reception from Desmond Hutson.

UNI would crack the scoreboard as time expired in the second quarter as Matthew Cook drilled a 38-yard field goal, sending the Panthers into the locker room down 24-3.

South Dakota State would open the second half with an eight play, 74-yard touchdown drive, shaving four minutes, ten seconds off the clock with Zach Heins finding the endzone on a six-yard pass from Gronowski. UNI would punt after just three plays on its first possession of the third quarter as the Jackrabbits extended their lead further with a 23-yard touchdown reception by Heins. The Panthers would punt with just under three and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter after a three-and-out, setting up an 11-play, 43-yard drive by the Jackrabbits, culminating in a 42-yard field goal to put SDSU up 41-3.

On the ensuing possession, UNI would drive deep into Jackrabbit territory with Day connecting with Schnee on a season-best 66-yard reception down to the SDSU 16-yard line. The Panther offense would stall out however, leading UNI to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Cook.

Northern Iowa would finish the afternoon with 264 total yards of offense, with Day accounting for 210 yards through the air. Schnee recorded his second game of 100+ receiving yards this season with a game-high 104 yards, with Wolf hauling in 50 yards. Brand would lead the Panthers in the running game with 30 yards on six carries.

Woo Governor anchored the UNI defense with a career-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops to complement his forced fumble in the opening half. Edwin Dearman recorded 11 tackles as both Dalsean Staley and Jahsiah Galvan both tallied seven stops.

OTHER NOTES

UNI leads the all-time series with the Jackrabbits 33-25-2 after Saturday's loss. The Panthers are now 13-13 all-time on the road at SDSU.
Saturday's game marked the first time the Panthers did not find the end zone since March 20, 2021 in a loss to Missouri State
Scoring all six of UNI's points on Saturday, Matthew Cook passed Bill Hallgren (2007-10) for second on the program's all-time scoring list with 367 career points. David Johnson (2010-14) holds the school record for points scored with 384.
Cook also tied Brian Wingert's (2003-06) program record for consecutive games with a point scored, having scored for the Panthers now in 36 straight games
Theo Day became the fifth player in UNI history to surpass 7,000 career yards of offense, joining Eric Sanders (9,579), Ryan Helming (9,217), Mike Smith (8,982) and Jay Johnson (7,992).

UP NEXT
The Panthers return home to take on the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota on Oct. 21 inside the UNI-Dome at 4 p.m CT. Coverage will be on ESPN+ and on the Panther Sports Radio Network.