University of Northern Iowa
North Dakota State
Panthers head to Fargo to face the no. 1 ranked Bison
10/31/2024 1:00:00 PM | Football
The UNI football team takes on its second no. 1 ranked opponent of the season on Saturday inside the Fargodome.
UNI football (2-6 / 0-4 MVFC) at North Dakota State (8-1 / 5-0 MVFC)
- 2:30 p.m. CT | Nov. 2, 2024
- Fargo, N.D. | Fargodome (18,700)
- ESPN+ (Dom Izzo: Play-by-Play, Kyle Emanuel: Analyst, Sam Goetzinger: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network | (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI football team heads to Fargo, North Dakota to take on the Bison of North Dakota State on November 2 inside the Fargodome. The Bison will be the Panthers' second no. 1 ranked opponent of the season after facing the no. 1 ranked South Dakota State Jackrabbits on October 5. The Panthers and the Bison have met 56 times heading into Saturday with NDSU holding a slight 30-26 edge over UNI.
The Panthers are coming off a 42-49 loss to Missouri State over UNI's annual Homecoming Weekend inside the UNI-Dome. In that matchup, Matthew Schecklman finished the day with 270 yards on 20-for-30 passing and three touchdowns. Tye Edwards led the Panther ground game with 114 yards and a touchdown while Tysen Kershaw led the receiving core with 96 yards and a touchdown.
Tysen Kershaw's 30-yard reception in the third quarter was the longest of his career. UNI set a new 2024 season high with 42 points against the Bears. Desmond Hutson caught his first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter. Tye Edwards recorded his third 100+-yard game of the season. Matthew Schecklman set a new career high with 270 passing yards.
This will be the first time in program history that the Panthers have faced two no. 1-ranked opponents in the same season after facing the no. 1-ranked South Dakota State Jackrabbits inside the UNI-Dome in game 5. This matchup will also be UNI's fifth-straight ranked opponent of the season and fourth total top-10 opponent of 2024.
The contest will be held inside the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota. The matchup will be the Panthers' fifth-straight matchup inside a dome and the fifth of seven such matchups of the season.
The Panthers remain one of the cleanest teams in the MVFC with just 34 penalties on the season. UNI's 4.25 penalties per game are the ninth-fewest in the nation and second-fewest in the MVFC with just 40.63 penalty yards per game, the third-best mark in the Valley and 17th nationally.
On the ground, Tye Edwards continues to be a force with 6.03 rushing yards per carry. That is the fourth-best mark in the conference, and Edwards' 76.9 rushing yards per game is the sixth-best mark in the Valley. Sergio Morancy has recorded an average of 19.6 yards per kickoff return. That number is the fourth-best mark in the MVFC. Noah Pettinger averages 43.6 yards per punt, the third-best average in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and 20th-best average nationally.
The Bison are coming off a 59-6 victory at Murray State last weekend. That matchup saw North Dakota State score on all five possessions in the first half. NDSU scored 24 points off five Murray State turnovers, including a 34-yard interception return touchdown by linebacker Enock Sibomana in the first quarter as the Bison built a 42-3 halftime lead. Bryce Lance caught four passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns, CharMar Brown rushed 13 times for 97 yards and three TDs, and backup quarterback Nathan Hayes completed 9 of 15 passes for 141 yards and two scores in relief of starter Cam Miller, who went 5-for-5 for 128 yards and two TDs. NDSU opened the game with an impressive six-play scoring drive, converting five first downs before Brown's 7-yard touchdown run. The Bison did not run a third down play until the second half. Darius Givance had his second interception in three games, Jaquise Alexander made his first career interception on the first play of the second half to set up a short touchdown drive, Luke Weerts caused a fumble recovered by Austin Altepeter, and Will Steil recovered a fumbled snap.
The Bison defense held Murray State (1-7, 0-5 MVFC) to five field goal attempts with James London converting from 24 yards in the second quarter and 47 yards in the fourth quarter. London missed from 43 and 57 in the first quarter and had a 51-yard attempt at the end of the first half blocked by Kody Huisman.
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.
