Panther football falls at home to South Dakota State

Saturday, October 5

Cedar Falls, Iowa

4 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

2-3 , 0-1

South Dakota State

4-1 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

South Dakota St.

UNI

Photo by: Bell Rogers

Panther football falls at home to South Dakota State

10/5/2024 8:17:00 PM | Football

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

UNI drops Family Weekend matchup to reigning national champions. Panthers visit No. 4 South Dakota in Vermillion next Saturday.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Turnovers throughout the first half plagued the Panthers on Saturday afternoon as UNI fell to top-ranked and two-time defending national champion South Dakota State by a 41-3 score inside the UNI-Dome on Family Weekend.

Despite a number of promising drives from Northern Iowa, the Panthers run game was stifled to just 2.1 yards per carry with 139 passing yards while the Jackrabbits took advantage of short fields and quick strikes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) opener for both teams.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After forcing SDSU into a three-and-out on its first possession of the game, UNI's first offensive drive was cut short on a Tye Edwards fumble at midfield. The Jackrabbits would cash that first turnover in for six points as quarterback Mark Gronowski found Kentrell Prejean on a 16-yard pass with a converted PAT for a 7-0 lead.

Both squads would punt on their next possessions with UNI setting up shop late in the first quarter inside its own ten-yard line when Panther quarterback Aidan Dunne was picked off by Steven Arell at the UNI 21-yard line. SDSU would cash in early in the second quarter with a 22-yard field goal by Hunter Dustman.

Northern Iowa again found some momentum moving towards midfield thanks to a 26-yard reception by JC Roque Jr. from Dunne, only to have Noah Pettinger's punt blocked by Cullen McShane and returned 49 yards to the opposite end zone by Jarod DePriest, extending the Jackrabbits' lead to 17-0. Dunne would turn the ball over again on the Panthers' next drive as Gronowski scored on a six-run carry, putting SDSU ahead 24-0.

On the ensuing UNI drive, Dunne connected with Sergio Morancy on receptions of 13, 16 and 24 yards to get the Panthers into Jackrabbit territory, setting up a 40-yard made field goal for Caden Palmer with 1:25 to go in the first half, the first of his career made inside the UNI-Dome. In the final 85 seconds, SDSU would drive down field for a late Dustman field goal, putting the Jackrabbits ahead 27-3 at the break.

Receiving the second half kickoff, UNI's first possession of the final 30 minutes ended after just three plays as Dunne was intercepted by Adam Bock, leading to a seven-yard touchdown pass from Gronowski to Grahm Goering. Matthew Scheklman entered the game at quarterback for the Panthers on their following possession, leading to a punt and another SDSU score and a nine-yard run into the endzone by Angel Johnson to put the Jackrabbits up 35-3. Gronowski would also find Johnson on a 68-yard pass and score in the second half as UNI struggled to push the ball into opposing territory.

Dunne finished the game with 113 passing yards on eight-of-15 completions, with Scheklman throwing for 67 yards on nine completions. Morancy hauled in 73 receiving yards on six catches as Roque recorded 46 yards on five receptions. On the ground, Edwards ran for 62 yards on 12 carries with Amauri Pesek-Hickson carrying the ball eight times for 23 yards.

On defense, JJ Dervil led the Panthers with a team-high eight tackles. Albert Nunes, Jonathan Cabral-Martin, Jack Kriebs and Carter Hewitt each tallied seven tackles.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI falls to 33-26-2 all-time against South Dakota State with Saturday's loss and 11-10 under head coach Mark Farley.
The Panthers are now 17-6 in games coming off the bye week under Farley and 15-10 in MVFC opening games. Saturday was just the second time in school history Northern Iowa opened league play against the nation's top-ranked team (Last: 2004 at No. 1 Southern Illinois | L, 40-36).
Northern Iowa falls to 3-11 all-time against the number one ranked team in the nation. UNI's last win over the top team in the country came in 2014 with a 23-3 win against North Dakota State.
Saturday's attendance of 12,611 inside the UNI-Dome was the Panthers' most attended home game since Oct. 7, 2017 against Western Illinois (12,642).

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the road next Saturday, Oct. 12 at No. 4 South Dakota. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at the DakotaDome in Vermillion with live coverage available on ESPN+/Midco Sports Plus, as well as the Panther Sports Radio Network.

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.