Panther ground game shines in the Panthers’ victory over the Beacons

Saturday, August 31

Cedar Falls, Iowa

4 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

1-0 , 0-0

Valparaiso

0-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Valparaiso

UNI

Photo by: Eli Hull

Panther ground game shines in the Panthers’ victory over the Beacons

8/31/2024 7:56:00 PM | Football

Box Score UNI vs. Valparaiso (2024 Final Book)Photo Gallery

UNI football came out hot in the 2024 opener with the fourth-most rushing yards in the last 15 seasons in a 35-7 victory over Valparaiso

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI football opened the 2024 season inside the UNI-Dome on Saturday with a commanding 35-7 rout of the Valparaiso Beacons in non-conference action.

The Panthers racked up 363 rushing yards on the day, fourth-most in a single-game in the last 15 seasons and most since 2015 and controlled the game clock with nearly 35 minutes of offensive ball possession.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Northern Iowa opened its first-ever matchup with the Beacons with a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aidan Dunne in his first collegiate start to tight end Layne Pryor. That touchdown followed a drive that saw a pair of long completions to both Jaiden Ellis-Lahey and Amauri Pesek-Hickson as well as a roughing the passer penalty on Valparaiso on third down.

A Beacon punt was followed with the second touchdown drive from the Panthers which saw a pass interference penalty called on the goalline. The drive culminated in a 20-yard touchdown reception by Pesek-Hickson. The ensuing drive saw back-to-back sacks by the Panthers including an eight-yard sack by Carter Hewitt and a four-yard sack by Zach Mehmert and Cannon Butler which forced yet another Valparaiso punt.

A 54-yard rush from Tye Edwards ended up in the endzone for the third UNI touchdown of the day. Valparaiso followed that score up with their own to make it a 21-7 ballgame. Tye Edwards tacked on his second touchdown later in the second quarter on a 12-yard rush which was set up by a 12-yard reception by Tysen Kershaw. The Panthers closed the first half with a 28-7 lead.

A three-and-out from the Beacons opened the second half before a six-play, 71-yard touchdown drive from the Panthers. The drive saw a 49-yard rush from Tye Edwards and culminated in a five-yard reception by Sergio Morancy, his first reception of the 2024 season.

Back-and-forth possessions ended in the Panthers running out the clock on their final offensive drive, claiming the 35-7 victory.

Tye Edwards led the ground game with 15 carries for 174 yards and two touchdowns, as Pesek-Hickson tallied 100 rushing yards on 17 carries. Harrison Bey-Buie also chipped in with 65 yards on the ground. Dunne completed 12-of-17 pass attempts for 116 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Layne Pryor led all receivers with three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

The Panthers opened the season with a victory for the ninth time in the Mark Farley era. The 35-7 victory is the eighth time that the Panthers have been victorious in the month of August since 1996. They are now 5-0 in the UNI-Dome in August matchups.
This is the first season-opening victory for the Panthers since a matchup against Iowa State in 2016 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.
Head coach Mark Farley is now 7-2 in season openers against non-FBS opponents.
Tye Edwards' 54-yard touchdown rush was the longest rush of his UNI career. The matchup against Valparaiso was also his first multi-touchdown game as a Panthers.
UNI rushed for 365 yards against the Beacons on Saturday. This is the first time since 2016 against Indiana State that the Panthers have rushed for over 300 yards. It is also the most rushing yards accumulated by the Northern Iowa offense since putting up 401 yards on the ground in the 2015 FCS playoffs against Portland State.

UP NEXT

The Panthers hit the road for a three-game road stand which begins on Saturday, Sept. 7 at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on Midco Sports Plus or listened to 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.