Panthers fall to no. 1 ranked Bison

Saturday, November 2

Fargo, N.D.

2:30 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

2-7 , 0-5

North Dakota State

9-1 , 6-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UNI

North Dakota St.

Photo by: © Andy Saigh

Panthers fall to no. 1 ranked Bison

11/2/2024 5:45:00 PM | Football

Box Score Final Stats Photo Gallery

UNI football finished with 344 yards of total offense in a 19-42 loss at North Dakota State.

FARGO, N.D. — The UNI football team traveled to North Dakota State to take on the no. 1-ranked Bison inside the Fargodome on November 2. The Bison got out in front early and never released the reins as they finished with a 42-19 victory over UNI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Bison got the game rolling with a bang after a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening play of the game. The Panther offense hit the turf and mounted their first scoring drive of the day which ended with a 40-yard field goal from Caden Palmer. North Dakota State ran in a touchdown from the five yard line on its next possession.

An offensive drive from the Panthers looked promising after a 56-yard pass from Matthew Schecklman to Sergio Morancy but came to a halt on a fumble at the eight yard line. Back-to-back Panther punts and back-to-back Bison touchdowns gave NDSU the 28-3 lead at halftime.

The Bison forced a UNI punt out of the halftime break and scored on their drive to take a 35-3 lead. The Panthers answered with a touchdown of their own on a 21-yard reception by Sergio Morancy. The touchdown was followed by a two-point conversion on a pass from Schecklman to Brady McCullough. The UNI defense forced a turnover on downs on NDSU's next offensive possession and capitalized on the takeaway with another touchdown. Another two-point conversion, this time from Tysen Kershaw to Derek Anderson, cut the Bison lead to 16 at 35-19. NDSU found the back of the endzone once again on its next offensive possession to take a 42-19 lead.

A Panther fumble on the goalline and the Bison running out the clock spelled the end of the matchup with NDSU on top 42-19. Matthew Schecklman finished with 270 yards, tying his career high, on 22-32 passing and two touchdowns. Sergio Morancy put up 102 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. Tye Edwards led the Panther ground game with 48 yards on 12 carries. Tate Sander led the defense with 11 tackles on the day.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

The Panthers fell to 2-7 overall and 0-5 in the MVFC with the 19-42 loss to the no. 1-ranked Bison.
The two-point conversion in the third quarter from Matthew Schecklman to Brady McCullough was the Panthers' first two-point conversion since a matchup with North Dakota State on April 10, 2021 (COVID 2020 season played in the Spring of 2021).
Titus Cram's 25-yard reception in the third quarter was the first reception of his career.
The game was the first time since week one of the 2018 season at Montana that the Panthers were successful on two, two-point attempts.
Sergio Morancy finished the game with 102 receiving yards. He is the first Panther this season to eclipse 100 yards in a single game.

UP NEXT

The Panthers return to the UNI-Dome to take on the Illinois State Redbirds on November 9. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff and can be streamed on ESPN+. JW Cox and Scott Peterson will be live on 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.