UNI football: Panthers drop MVFC contest at Southern Illinois

Saturday, October 25

Carbondale, Ill.

2 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

2-6 , 0-4

Southern Illinois

5-3 , 2-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UNI

Southern Ill.

Photo by: © Andy Saigh

UNI football: Panthers drop MVFC contest at Southern Illinois

10/25/2025 5:31:00 PM | Football

Box Score Final Stats

UNI Panther football falls at Southern Illinois, 31-17.

CARBONDALE, Illinois — The UNI Panther football team headed to Carbondale, Illinois to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis in another ranked MVFC matchup. SIU took control early, but UNI cut the lead with a pair of late touchdowns. The Salukis outlasted the Panthers and came out victorious with a 31-17 final.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Saluki offense came out hot with an opening-drive touchdown, only the second time this season the Panthers had given up opening-drive points. The UNI offense struggled in the first half, punting on five of its seven drives. An interception at the SIU 13 yard line on the Panthers' second offensive drive and a 32-yard field goal off the foot of Max Bartachek on UNI's final drive of the first half rounded out the offense. The punt unit shined in the first half, as the Cats pinned the Salukis inside the 20 yard line on four of the five punts, inside the 10 yard line three times, and at the two yard line once. Noah Pettinger's leg was booming, as the senior averaged 53.6 yards per punt over the first two frames.

The Salukis scored a trio of touchdowns, two rushing and one passing, and knocked in a 40-yard field goal in the first half to hold a 24-3 advantage going into the halftime break.

The Panther offense was forced to punt on the opening possession of the second half which was taken back for an 81-yard return touchdown by SIU. The Panther offense continued to struggle as Pettinger came out on the next drive again and pinned the Salukis inside their own five yard line. The Panther defense held the Salukis scoreless in the fourth quarter and notched a pair of touchdowns to cut into the deficit. Jaxon Dailey found Briggs Hughston and JC Roque Jr. for the scores on 23 and 21-yard receptions respectively.

Dailey finished with eight completions for 93 yards and two touchdowns in the air to go along with 49 rushing yards. Matthew Schecklman led the rushing attack with 51 yards. In the air, Bill Jackson finished with 40 receiving yards. On defense, Jonathan Cabral-Martin and Kolben Miller led the UNI defense with 11 total tackles. Linebacker Ryan Crandall recorded 1.5 TFLs.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

The Panthers drop to 2-6 on the season and 0-4 in conference play after the 31-17 loss to SIU. UNI is still searching for its first road victory and first conference victory of the season.
Jaxon Dailey saw his first extended action under center as a Panther. The redshirt-junior finished with career highs of 93 yards and two touchdowns. The touchdowns were the first of his career.
Punter Noah Pettinger finished with a career-high eight punts for 418 yards with five inside the 20, also a career-high. Pettinger's 52.3 yards per punt was 0.1 yards away from tying the UNI single-game record of 52.4 yards per punt by Sam Kuhter in 2015 against South Dakota.

UP NEXT

The Panthers stay on the road and head to Illinois State on November 1 to take on the Redbirds in Normal, Illinois. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Listen to the action Live with the voice of the Panthers, JW Cox, and the Hall of Famer Scott Peterson 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 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.