University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Southern Illinois
UNI football: Panthers hit the road for a matchup against Southern Illinois
10/22/2025 1:21:00 PM | Football
UNI Panther football heads to Carbondale to match up with the No. 16/18-ranked SIU Salukis.
UNI Panthers (2-5 / 0-3 MVFC) at Southern Illinois (4-1 / 1-2 MVFC)
- 2 p.m. CT | October 25, 2025
- Carbondale, Illinois | Salukis Stadium
- ESPN+ (Larry Larson: Play-by-Play, Kerry Martin: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network | (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The Panthers head to Carbondale, Illinois on October 25 to take on the No. 16/18-ranked Southern Illinois Salukis. This will be UNI's first matchup with SIU since 2022, a contest that the Panthers won by a 37-36 final in Carbondale. In the 2022 matchup, quarterback Theo Day passed for 330 yards and five touchdowns, including a pair to receiver Desmond Hutson.
The Cats are still seeking their first conference victory after a 17-14 loss to South Dakota inside the UNI-Dome on October 18. Matthew Schecklman finished that contest with 189 passing yards and two passing touchdowns on 22 completions. On the ground, Schecklman led with 60 rushing yards on 16 attempts. JC Roque Jr. caught seven passes for 91 yards to lead the receiving core.
On defense, Tucker Langenberg recorded a team-high 15 tackles, including seven solo and a half TFL. Jaylen Pettus closed the contest with two sacks for 15 yards.
Against South Dakota, Briggs Hughston caught the first pass of his collegiate career in the second quarter. The reception was also the first touchdown of the redshirt-freshman's career. He finished with four receptions for 25 yards. Matthew Schecklman finished with a career-high 60 rushing yards, Jaylen Pettus posted a career-high two sacks, JC Roque Jr.'s 91 receiving yards were a career high, and Bill Jackson's 46 receiving yards were a career high.
The UNI defense allowed its first opening-drive points of the season against the Coyotes, an 18-yard receiving touchdown. In the first six matchups, the Panthers had not allowed a point on an opponent's first drive of the game. The first drives of the first six contests have seen three punts, two missed field goals (at Wyoming and at South Dakota State), and a blocked field goal (North Dakota). On offense, the Panthers have scored on one opening drive this season, a 79-yard touchdown on the first UNI play of the matchup against Eastern Washington.
The Panthers are still looking for their first road victory of the season. UNI has lost at Wyoming and at Utah Tech in its two non-conference road tests and lost at No. 2/2 South Dakota State in its lone MVFC road loss of the season.
The Panther team sits amongst the top-25 in FCS football in a number of statistical categories after their first seven contests, including blocked kicks (17th - 2), blocked punts (14th - 1), kickoff return defense (14th - 16.00), red zone defense (7th - .680), and time of possession (17th - 32:05). The Panthers' blocked kicks, blocked punts, kickoff return defense, and red zone defense are all the second-best marks in the MVFC. Their third-down conversion percentage (.416), fewest passing yards allowed (193.9), team sacks (6.3), and time of possession are third in the Valley.
Individually, Ryan Crandall is 10th in the FCS and second in the league, recording 5.57 solo tackles per game. The redshirt-senior leads the MVFC with 1.29 tackles for loss per game, the 20th-best mark in the FCS, and is third in the conference and 22nd in the FCS with 9.0 total tackles per game. Matthew Schecklman is 23rd in the FCS with 18.86 completions per game, the third-best mark in the Valley. Jonathan Cabral-Martin is 24th in the FCS with the MVFC's second-most forced fumbles per game (0.29). The redshirt-senior is fourth in the conference with 1.14 passes defended per game.
The Panthers return 100% of quarterback play from the 2024 season. Matthew Schecklman and Aidan Dunne return to the Panther squad for another season following a year that saw 2,231 passing yards and 16 passing touchdowns with a 61% completion percentage. 35% of UNI's wide receiver production is back in 2025. The Panthers return 65 receptions for 772 yards and four touchdowns from last season.
Just 4% of running back production returns in 2025 after losing Tye Edwards and Amauri Pesek-Hickson from the 2024 roster. Harrison Bey-Buie returns to UNI after a season that saw him appear in just two games due to injury, recording 17 carries for 74 yards.
The Panthers bring in transfer Bill Jackson from Tulsa in the backfield. With the Golden Hurricanes, Jackson appeared in 10 games, totaling 319 rushing yards and 104 receiving yards, and scored two receiving touchdowns in 2024. The redshirt-senior appeared in a total of 33 games at Tulsa, totaling 919 rushing yards and one touchdown on 189 carries and 156 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 28 receptions.
UNI also welcomes Owen Ostroski to the defensive line from Tulsa. In 2024, Ostroski appeared in 12 games and totaled 36 tackles (14 solo, 22 assist) and recorded 8.5 TFL for 43 yards, including two sacks for 17 yards. In his time at Tulsa, the redshirt-senior played in 35 games and totaled 91 tackles, including 22 for loss. The lineman had one forced fumble and one fumble recovery with the Golden Hurricanes.
The 2025 Panther roster includes nine new coaches to the Panther program, including head coach Todd Stepsis. On top of the coaching staff, the roster includes 33 true freshmen and 11 transfers that will be new to UNI in 2025.
The 2025 roster of 118 players includes 70 athletes from the great state of Iowa. Of these 70, 21 are true freshmen, including a trio from across the street at Cedar Falls High School. Of the 118 athletes on the roster, 97 call either Iowa or its six bordering states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska or South Dakota) home.
The UNI Football team currently has six alumni on active professional rosters including Elijah Campbell (Safety - Miami Dolphins), Spencer Brown (Offensive Lineman - Buffalo Bills), Khristian Boyd (Defensive Lineman - New Orleans Saints), and Trevor Penning (Offensive Lineman - New Orleans Saints) on NFL rosters and Jared Brinkman (Defensive Lineman - Edmonton Elks) and Benny Sapp III (Cornerback - Saskatchewan Roughriders) on CFL rosters.
UNI football action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Football), X (@UNIFootball) and on Instagram (@unipantherfootball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
