University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
North Dakota
UNI football: Panthers open MVFC play with a loss to North Dakota
10/4/2025 7:51:00 PM | Football
The UNI Panther football team opens MVFC play 0-1 after a 35-7 loss inside the UNI-Dome.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI Panther football opened Missouri Valley Football Conference play inside the UNI-Dome against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. UND took control early and put up 35 points before the Panthers capped the contest with a touchdown. The contest saw a 35-7 final in favor of the Fighting Hawks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI opened conference play on defense after deferring its coin-toss victory. The Fighting Hawks marched down the field and lined up for a 34-yard field goal which was no good. As the Panthers began their opening drive, sights were set on the end zone with the Panthers crossing midfield. A strip-sack at the North Dakota 37 yard line was picked up and returned 63 yards to the house to give UND a 7-0 lead after a successful PAT.
Both defenses had their share of fireworks over the next 18 minutes as the Panthers forced a fumble and recovered on their own 22 yard line. A promising drive down the field resulted in an interception on the UND 37 yard line to give the ball back to the Fighting Hawks. The UNI defense forced a punt, but the offense was unable to capitalize and punted the ball back to North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks used the drive to mount their first touchdown drive of the evening which was capped by a 20-yard receiving touchdown to push their lead out to 14-0 after a successful PAT. The clock ran out on the half after UNI was again forced to punt.
The Panther offense came out of the halftime break with the ball and drove down the field, including a 30-yard reception by Ayden Price on third down and seven. On the UND 21 yard line, the Panthers went for it on fourth and one, but were held up and turned over the ball on downs. The Fighting Hawks used the subsequent drive to score on a 77-yard touchdown reception to take a 21-0 lead after a successful PAT. UND tacked on two more touchdowns and took a 35-0 lead late in the contest.
A nine-yard receiving touchdown by Derek Anderson was the lone scoring play for the Panthers, coming with just under a minute left in the contest.
Matthew Schecklman finished the contest with 201 passing yards and one touchdown on 27 completions. JC Roque Jr. led the receivers with 73 yards on 10 receptions while Bill Jackson led the running backs with 42 yards on nine carries. Jonathan Cabral-Martin led the Panther defense with seven total tackles including five solo tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Panthers fell to 2-3 on the season and 0-1 in MVFC play after the 35-7 loss to North Dakota.
- Tucker Langenberg recorded the first fumble recovery of his career in the first quarter on a fumble forced by Jonathan Cabral-Martin, his second of the season and the second of his UNI career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers continue MVFC play in Brookings, South Dakota on October 11 when they match up with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The matchup is slated for a 2 p.m. CT kickoff with the contest streaming on ESPN+ and availability 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.
