UNI football falls at No. 17 Illinois State, 31-16

Saturday, November 1

Normal, Ill.

2 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

2-7 , 0-5

Illinois State

6-3 , 3-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UNI

Illinois State

Photo by: UNI Athletics

UNI football falls at No. 17 Illinois State, 31-16

11/1/2025 5:16:00 PM | Football

Box Score FINAL RESULTS

Panthers score twice in second half against Redbirds. UNI hosts Murray State next Saturday afternoon.

NORMAL, Ill. --- Harrison Bey-Buie ran for a touchdown while Jaxon Dailey threw for another as the UNI football team fell to No. 17 Illinois State on Saturday afternoon at Hancock Stadium in Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) action.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI was forced to punt on its opening possession of the game despite driving into Illinois State territory. The Redbirds would score touchdowns on each of their first two possessions of the afternoon to take a 14-0 lead.

Northern Iowa's special teams unit would come up with a key stop early in the second quarter as Malik Stewart tipped a 45-yard field goal by the Redbirds, marking UNI's second blocked field goal and fifth blocked kick of the season. After a Dailey interception just one play later, Illinois State would score on a four play, 35 yard drive to take a 21-0 advantage. The Panthers added a late 28-yard field goal by Max Bartachek in the final minute to the second quarter, sending UNI into the halftime break trailing 21-3.

After turning Illinois State over on downs on its first drive of the half, Northern Iowa drove 58 yards in seven plays for its first touchdown drive of the day, capped by a two-yard scoring run by Bey-Buie. After a nine-yard rushing score by the Redbirds, Dailey connected with JC Roque Jr. on a 41-yard touchdown pass to cut the Illinois State lead to 28-16 after a missed PAT. Both teams would punt on each of their following possessions with the Redbirds tacking on a 32-yard field goal late, handing UNI a 15-point loss.

Dailey finished the afternoon with 142 passing yards on 15-of-23 attempts with one passing touchdown and two interceptions, along with a team-high 40 rushing yards. Roque notched 53 receiving yards on five catches while Bey-Buie posted 37 rushing yards. On defense, Ryan Crandall led the UNI defense with 11 tackles, followed by ten tackles from Tucker Langenberg and eight stops by Jonathan Cabral-Martin.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Northern Iowa falls to 2-7 on the season and 0-5 in MVFC play.
The Panthers fall to 24-16 all-time against the Redbirds.
Jaxon Dailey made his first start at quarterback for the Panthers on Saturday, and his first since starting for Arkansas State on Sept. 16, 2023 against Stony Brook.
Harrison Bey-Buie's third quarter touchdown was his third score of the year and 12th of his career.
UNI's missed PAT attempt in the fourth quarter was the first missed attempt since Nov. 25, 2017 against Monmouth, snapping a streak of 233 consecutive made extra points.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return home next Saturday, Nov. 8 as they host the Murray State Racers. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT inside the UNI-Dome with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panthers Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix).

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.