University of Northern Iowa
North Dakota
The Panthers continue conference play at no. 9 North Dakota
10/17/2024 3:35:00 PM | Football
UNI makes stop number three on its MVFC dome tour with a visit to the Alerus Center on October 19.
UNI football (2-4 / 0-2 MVFC) at North Dakota (4-2 / 1-1 MVFC)
- 1 p.m. CT | Oct. 19, 2024
- Grand Forks, N.D. | Alerus Center (12,283)
- Midco Sports / ESPN+ (Alex Heinert: Play-by-Play / Ryan Kasowski: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network | (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI football team heads to North Dakota for game seven of the 2024 season. This matchup will be the Panthers' third matchup in the Valley after games against South Dakota State and South Dakota. It will also be the third of seven games in the MVFC portion of the regular season that will take place in a dome.
The Panthers are coming off a 42-17 loss at no. 4 South Dakota last week. That matchup saw Matthew Schecklman's first career start where the redshirt sophomore finished 18-26 for 250 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback put up the most yards in a first career start for the Panthers since a 265-yard game from Sawyer Kollmorgen in his first start at Wisconsin in 2012.
In the air, Desmond Hutson led the Panthers with 94 yards on four receptions. Tye Edwards led the ground game with 53 yards on 19 carries. On the defensive side of the ball, Albert Nunes led UNI with 11 total tackles.
The 49-yard pass and catch from Matthew Schecklman to Desmond Hutson was the longest pass play of Schecklman's career, the longest reception of Hutson's career, and the longest pass of the 2024 season until a 50-yard flea flicker from Schecklman to Jaiden Ellis-Lahey. The reception was Ellis-Lahey's longest reception in his career and his first touchdown of the 2024 season.
The Panthers head to Grand Forks, North Dakota to match up with the no. 9 Fighting Hawks inside the Alerus Center. This will be the 40th overall meeting between the Panthers and the Fighting Hawks. The last time these two teams faced off, the Panthers came away with a 27-0 victory over the no. 9 Fighting Hawks inside the UNI-Dome. The shutout was the Panthers' first shutout of a top-10 team in program history.
UNI remains one of the cleanest teams in the MVFC with just 26 penalties on the season. That mark is the second-best in the Valley behind 24 total penalties by Indiana State. UNI's 4.33 penalties per game are the 10th-fewest in the nation and second-fewest in the MVFC with just 40.17 penalty yards per game, also the second-best mark in the Valley and 18th nationally. UNI leads the Valley with an opponent fourth down percentage of 25%.Â
On the ground, Tye Edwards continues to be a force with 6.1 rushing yards per carry. That is the fifth-best mark in the conference, Edwards' 78.3 rushing yards per game is also the fifth-best mark in the Valley. Sergio Morancy has recorded an average of 19.6 yards per kickoff return. That number is the third-best mark in the MVFC.
UND has a 4-2 record and 1-1 in MVFC play. Most recently, North Dakota fell 41-17 at North Dakota State two weeks ago. Simon Romfo was 18-for-23 passing for 166 yards and a touchdown. Bo Belquist was UND's top receiver with four grabs for 61 yards and also added a career-best 66-yard punt return. Gaven Ziebarth led the backfield with 12 rushes for 65 yards. In the game, Caden Dennis had his first career touchdown reception in the form of a five-yard catch and C.J. Elrichs drilled a career-long 45-yard field goal. Wyatt Pedigo led the defense with six tackles and a half a tackle-for-loss, trailed by Josh Navratil with six tackles.
ÂUNI football action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Football), X (@UNIFootball) and on Instagram (@unipantherfootball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
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