University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Indiana State
UNI football to square off with Indiana State under the lights
10/3/2023 9:41:00 AM | Football
Panthers look for back-to-back conference wins on Saturday night in Terre Haute. UNI has won six of last seven at Indiana State.
RV/RV UNI (2-2 / 1-0 MVFC) at Indiana State (0-4 / 0-1 MVFC)
- 6 p.m. CT | Oct. 7, 2023
- Terre Haute, Ind. | Memorial Stadium (12,764)
- ESPN+ (Grant Pugh: Play-by-Play / Jim Leisure: Analyst / Kelsie Kasper: Sideline)
- Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- After balancing out its record at 2-2 at home last weekend, UNI football hits the road for the first of back-to-back road games on Saturday night as the Panthers take on the Indiana State Sycamores in Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) play under the lights at Memorial Stadium.
UNI has won five straight games against ISU, its longest active streak against current conference opponents as the Panthers visit Terre Haute for a primetime kickoff. The Panthers, who are 12-4 playing against Indiana State in Terre Haute, narrowly defeated the Sycamores at home last October, 20-14.
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UNI PANTHERS
The Panthers take to the road following a 44-41 home win against No. 23/19 Youngstown State last Saturday, the program's 94th win all-time against a top-25 opponent and 60th such win under head coach Mark Farley. UNI will attempt to start 2-0 in MVFC play in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2010 and 2011.
Quarterback Theo Day's performance was critical in the Panthers' win over Youngstown State, with the redshirt senior throwing for 337 yards and four touchdowns, plus an additional rushing score. The reigning Co-MVFC Offensive Player of the Week also moved up to fifth on UNI's all-time passing yards list (6,631) and recorded his 50th career touchdown pass against the Penguins. With touchdown passes in a program-record 26 straight games, Day leads the league with 1,201 passing yards on the season and is fourth in the nation in passing yards per game (300.2).
UNI's running game received a key boost against Youngstown State with Tye Edwards notching his first 100-yard rushing game of his Panther career, finishing with 124 yards and a touchdown. Through the air, Naran Buntin and Jaiden Ellis-Lahey both recorded their first career receiving touchdowns with Buntin finishing the game with a team-high 79 yards. Sam Schnee tallied a team-high five catches for 73 yards and a score, his MVFC-leading fourth receiving touchdown of the year. Schnee, who led the Panthers in receiving yards last season, ranks fifth in FCS in receiving touchdowns and sixth in receiving yards per game (94.5).
On special teams, Josh Jenkins became the first Panther to record over 100 yards in kick returns since Xavior Williams in 2018 against North Dakota State, finishing with 103 yards on five returns against the Penguins. Jenkins ranks third in the conference, averaging 20.6 yards per return.
Defensively, linebacker Tucker Langenberg recorded a career day with a game-high 11 tackles, while Jahsiah Galvan notched his first career interception in the second quarter against Youngstown State. The Panthers rank fourth in the MVFC in third down defense, stopping their opponent on 35.3% of plays.
On special teams, placekicker Matthew Cook continued to make history with his 72nd career field goal made, while also remaining perfect on his career with his 136th made PAT kick. In the punting game, Noah Pettinger ranks second the MVFC and 13th in the FCS with a 44.1 yard average, including six kicks inside the 20-yard line and four punts over 50 yards.
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INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
The Sycamores will attempt to beat UNI for the first time since 2014 and earn their first win of the season after a rough 0-4 start to the 2023 campaign. Indiana State was outscored 113-14 in its first three games against Eastern Illinois (L, 27-0), Indiana State (L, 41-7) and Ball State (L, 45-7).
In their MVFC opener last weekend at Murray State, the Sycamores pulled within two points of the Racers with just over three minutes to play but were unable to move the ball down the field down the stretch in a 30-28 loss in Kentucky.
Quarterback Cade Chambers, the 2022 MVFC Freshman of the Year, made his season-debut against Murray State, completing 15 passes for 159 yards with one interception. Having rotated quarterbacks to start the season, the Sycamores have struggled to convert on third down play and score in the red zone, ranking last in the league in red zone offense (.400).
Indiana State's run game has seen success with Plez Lawrence in the backfield, leading the Sycamores with 242 rushing yards and three touchdowns, which included a career-high 203 yards against Murray State. Harry Van Dyne meanwhile leads ISU with 242 yards receiving, averaging 60.5 yards a game after hauling in 122 yards against the Racers last week.
Despite the Sycamores allowing nearly 400 yards of offense this season, Indiana State has shown strong glimpses of defensive prowess, led by defensive back Maxdix Blackwell's 8.4 tackles per game. Garret Ollendieck has notched 7.2 tackles a game with a pair of sacks this year.
