University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
St. Thomas
Panthers open three-game road stand at St. Thomas
9/5/2024 3:07:00 PM | Football
UNI football looks to keep the momentum going with another Pioneer League opponent at St. Thomas.
UNI football (1-0 / 0-0 MVFC) at St. Thomas (0-1 / 0-0 PFL)
- 1 p.m. CT | Sept. 7, 2024
- St. Paul, Minn. | O'Shaughnessy Stadium (5,025)
- Midco Sports Plus (Play-by-Play: Corbu Stathes, Analyst: Chris Ohm, Analyst: Ayo Idowu)
- Panther Sports Radio Network | (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI football heads to St. Paul, Minnesota for the first road trip of 2024 when the Panthers take on the Tommies of St. Thomas.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT in St. Paul with live coverage available on Midco Sports Plus or the Panther Sports Radio Network.
The Panthers are coming off a 35-7 victory against Valparaiso in week one. This was the ninth season-opening victory for head coach Mark Farley. Farley is now 7-2 in season openers against non-FBS opponents. The 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.
Tye Edwards' 54-yard touchdown rush against the Beacons was the longest rush of his UNI career. The matchup against Valparaiso was also his first multi-touchdown game as a Panthers.
In that matchup, UNI rushed for 365 yards against the Beacons. That was 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.
UNI's 365 rushing yards lead the nation in rushing yards per game heading into the matchup at St. Thomas. The Panthers are second in the country, but first in the MVFC, in total defense, only allowing 137 total yards by the Beacons. The Panthers lead the MVFC in multiple categories including first down offense (29), first down defense (5), rushing offense (365), rushing defense (29), team passing efficiency (186.14), team tackles for loss (7), time of possession (41:47), total offense (481), and total defense (137). Blake Anderson was named the MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week following his week-one performance.
This will be the second time these two programs have met as Division I opponents since the Tommies transitioned from Division III to Division I in 2021. The Panthers took home a 44-3 victory in the teams' 2021 meeting.
St. Thomas is coming off a 34-13 loss to the University of Sioux Falls last week. In that matchup, the Tommies 31-game home-field win streak, which was the longest in NCAA football, was snapped. St. Thomas had not lost a game at O'Shaughnessy since December 3, 2016.
That matchup saw the Tommies record the first touchdown of the game. This was the Tommies' first and last lead of the game after Branden Smith came up with a red zone interception on the third play of the game which led to the St. Thomas touchdown later in the offensive drive. A red zone forced fumble from the Tommies seemingly halted a scoring drive before the fumble was recovered by Sioux Falls and subsequently ended up in the back of the endzone for the first USF score. A two-point conversion and field goal ended the half with Sioux Falls on top by a score of 11-7.
USF stormed down the field on the first drive of the second half and scored to take the double-digit lead early in the third quarter. A scoop and score from the Tommies brought it back to a one-score game with six minutes to play. The two-point conversion went awry for St. Thomas as the Tommies fumbled on the play which was taken back by USF for two points. Despite late offensive runs, St. Thomas could not muster another touchdown, while Sioux Falls scored two more, resulting in the 34-13 final score.
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.
