Panthers return home for Homecoming Weekend matchup against Missouri State

UNI football (2-5 / 0-3 MVFC) vs. Missouri State (5-2 / 3-0 MVFC)

4 p.m. CT | Oct. 26, 2024
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI-Dome (16,324)
ESPN+ (Brad Wells: Play-by-Play / Justin Surrency: Analyst)
Panther Sports Radio Network | (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI Panther football team comes home after back-to-back road contests to take on the Missouri State Bears for Northern Iowa's annual Homecoming Weekend contest.

The Panthers are coming off a 31-7 loss at no. 9 North Dakota. In that matchup, Matthew Schecklman finished the contest with 178 yards on 16 completions and a touchdown. Through the air, JC Roque Jr. led the Panthers with 85 yards on 4 receptions and a touchdown. Tye Edwards finished with 31 rushing yards.

JC Roque Jr. recorded his first collegiate touchdown on a 60-yard reception in the second quarter at North Dakota. The reception was also the longest of his career.

Matthew Schecklman recorded the longest pass and longest passing touchdown of his career on the 60-yard touchdown pass to Roque Jr. in the second quarter at UND.

The Panthers match up with the Missouri State Bears for UNI's homecoming weekend. This will be the 44th overall meeting between the two teams with UNI holding a 35-8 lead in the all-time series and a 7-3 lead in the last 10 matchups.

This will be the last conference matchup between two of the charter members of the MVFC with the departure of Missouri State to the Conference USA next season.

The Panthers remain the cleanest team in the MVFC with just 31 penalties on the season. UNI's 4.43 penalties per game are the seventh-fewest in the nation and fewest in the MVFC with just 42.43 penalty yards per game, the second-best mark in the Valley and 21st nationally. On the ground, Tye Edwards continues to be a force with 6.11 rushing yards per carry. That is the fourth-best mark in the conference, and Edwards' 71.6 rushing yards per game is the seventh-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. Noah Pettinger averages 43.5 yards per punt, the third-best average in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and 20th-best average nationally.

Missouri State returns to the road this Saturday when the Bears put their five-game win streak on the line against fellow MVFC charter member Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. (ESPN+). MoState has won three of the last four meetings against the Panthers, including a 35-16 win over UNI last season in Springfield. Missouri State's five-game win streak matches the 6th-longest active streak in the FCS ranks headed into this week's competition. The Bears are also ranked in the official FCS top 25 poll for the third straight week, checking in at No. 18 this week in the AFCA rankings as well as No. 9 in the MasseyRatings.com metrics.

A Missouri State win against Northern Iowa would give the Bears a 4-0 start in conference play for the first time since 1992 (coach Jesse Branch), 6-2 overall start for the first time since 1996 (coach Del Miller), and a 6-game winning streak for the first time since 2001-02 (Oct. 27, 2001 to Sept. 7, 2002) (coach Randy Ball).

UNI Athletics is proud to offer the Hy-Vee Fan Zone located on the north side of the West Dome lot on Saturday. The hassle-free tailgate experience features live music and free food samples, drinks and beer for sale. Fans can arrive at the Fan Zone at 1:30 p.m. and stay until 3:30 pm.

Panther fans with a football ticket will also be granted entry to the UNI volleyball game inside the McLeod Center as the Panthers take on the Sycamores of Indiana State. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. CT.

UNI 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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