University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Hawaii
Panthers close a three-game road stand at Hawaii
9/19/2024 1:41:00 PM | Football
The Panthers take on the Rainbow Warriors for UNI’s final non-conference matchup of the season.
UNI football (2-1 / 0-0 MVFC) at Hawaii (1-2 / 0-0 MW)
- 11 p.m. CT | Sept. 21, 2024
- Honolulu, O'ahu | Clarence T.C. Ching Complex (15,194)
- Spectrum Sports PPV (Kanoa Leahey - play-by-play, Rich Miano - analyst, and Jordan Helle - sideline) / Team1Sports App (Outside Hawaii Markets)
- Panther Sports Radio Network | (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI football travels to Honolulu to take on the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii on September 21. This will be the second overall meeting between the two squads with Hawaii taking home the 27-24 victory in the teams' 2014 matchup.
The Panthers are coming off a 34-3 loss at Nebraska. The matchup was UNI's first of two FBS matchups of the 2024 season. The Panther rushing offense finished with 139 total rushing yards, the most allowed by the Nebraska defense this season.
In that matchup, Fletcher Marshall Jr. recorded the first interception of his career and the Panther's first recovered turnover of the season. The interception was also Dylan Raiola's first turnover of his college career.
UNI sets its sights on the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii in the Panthers' first game outside the continental US since a matchup at Hawaii in 2014. UNI Football is ranked in the Top 25 in both the AFCA FCS Poll as well as the FCS STATS PERFORM Poll as of Monday morning. The Panthers are no. 25 in the STATS PERFORM Poll and no. 19 in the coaches poll.
The UNI rushing offense is ranked sixth in the nation with 245.3 yards per game. That is the second-best mark in the Valley with Youngstown State holding the conference mark at 258.7 yards per game on the ground. The Panther offensive line has only allowed 0.33 sacks per game, the second-best mark in the nation behind a perfect 0.0 sacks allowed per game from Drake. The mark is the best in the MVFC. UNI football has done a great job holding the ball this season and has recorded an average of 34:58 time of possession per game. That is the sixth-best mark in the nation and third-best in the Valley.
Hawaii is coming off a 31-13 loss at Sam Houston. In that game, the Rainbow Warriors dropped to 1-2 with their second straight loss.
The Bearkats built a two-touchdown lead going into halftime and maintained the double-digit lead through the near entirety of the second half to snag a home win in the first-ever meeting between the teams. Sam Houston (2-1) amassed 422 yards of offense, including 257 yards on the ground. Jay Ducker finished with 148 rushing yards, including an 86-yard dash in the third quarter that squelched UH's new-found momentum to start the second half. Meanwhile, Qua'Vez Humphreys registered 106 receiving yards with two of his four catches going for touchdowns.
UH, meanwhile, struggled to find a rhythm on offense. The Warriors went just 2-of-14 on third-down conversions and were stymied by penalties. UH committed 14 penalties, its most in 20 years, with the majority coming on offense.Â
Hawaii is 1-1 all-time against current MVFC members (1-0 vs. UNI, 0-1 vs. South Dakota State).Â
UNI is Hawaii's second FCS opponent this season, marking the first time since 2007 that UH will play two FCS opponents in the same season. The Rainbow Warriors have won their last 21 games against FCS teams dating back to 2001 with an average win margin of 25.7 points per game. Under head coach Timmy Chang, UH is 3-0 against FCS opponents, including a 35-14 season-opening victory over Delaware State. Not including the shortened 2020 COVID season, UH has played an FCS opponent in 10 consecutive seasons and 16 of the last 17.
UH and UNI are linked to a famed administrator, Stan Sheriff, who is a member of both school's Hall of Fame. Sheriff was UNI's head football coach for 23 years and athletics director for 13 years before becoming UH's athletics director for 10 years until his untimely death in 1993. UH's 10,300-seat on-campus arena is named after Sheriff.
Hawaii is 0-3 under head coach Timmy Chang in games immediately prior to a bye week. UH will have its second bye week of the season next week.
ÂUNI 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.
