UNI football: Panthers open 2025 season against Butler

UNI Panthers (0-0 / 0-0 MVFC) vs. Butler Bulldogs (0-0 / 0-0 PFL)

1 p.m. CT | August 30, 2025
Cedar Falls, Iowa | UNI-Dome (12,200)
ESPN+ (Brad Wells: Play-by-play, Justin Surrency: Analyst)
Panther Sports Radio Network | (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI football team is back and kicks off its 2025 campaign inside the UNI-Dome on August 30 against the Butler Bulldogs. First-year head coach Todd Stepsis opens his UNI tenure with previous Pioneer Football League foe Butler on Saturday in Cedar Falls.

The Panthers open the 2025 season inside the UNI-Dome for the second-straight season on August 30 against the Butler Bulldogs. UNI will host back-to-back season openers inside the UNI-Dome for the first time since the 2001/02 seasons.

The Panthers and the Bulldogs meet for the first time in program history. UNI is 25-25-2 against current Pioneer Football League (PFL) members in program history with a 21-24-1 record against Drake, supplying most of the action against current PFL schools.

Head coach Todd Stepsis named Matthew Schecklman QB1 ahead of the 2025 season. The redshirt-junior is coming off a season that saw the Appleton, Wisconsin native record 1,276 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns on 107 completions in nine games. Schecklman averaged 141.8 passing yards per game with a career-high 270 against Missouri State (Oct. 26) and North Dakota St. (Nov. 2).

The Panthers open the 2025 season for the second-straight season after a victory in the season opener inside the UNI-Dome last season against Valparaiso. The last time UNI had back-to-back seasons with a home game to open the regular season was 2001/02 when the Panthers faced Wayne State in back-to-back season openers in Cedar Falls.

Of the 10 season openers played in the UNI-Dome since 1990, the Panthers are 9-1 with the lone home-opening loss coming in the 2021 Spring season against No. 5 South Dakota State, 24-20.

Since 2011, the Panthers have had just two season openers inside the UNI-Dome which came in the 2021 Spring season, a loss to No. 5 South Dakota State, and in 2024, a victory over Valparaiso.

The 2025 season will be the 13th time the Panthers have played a game in the month of August since 1996. In those 12 previous games, the Panthers have a record of 8-4 which includes a record of 5-0 inside the UNI-Dome. This will be the second straight season the Panthers will compete against a Division I opponent inside the Dome in the month of August.

Of UNI's top seven head coaches in coaching wins, four won their first game as UNI's head coach. Of UNI's 25 head coaches, 14 have won their first game. All seven had a winning record in year one with the Panther program with 51 total wins combined in year one between those seven coaches.

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 coaches that are new 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 of them are true freshmen including a trio from across the street at Cedar Falls High School. Of the 117 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 five 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) in the CFL.

PSC UPDATES

Panther Scholarship Club (PSC) parking and hospitality passes will be shifted to a mobile format for the first time. Both parking passes (JustPark) and hospitality passes will be accessible and transferable through your Paciolan account, just like your tickets. Those needing special accommodations may reach out to the PSC Office for assistance.

The primary tailgate location for the 2025 season will once again be the NW corner of the West Dome Lot. The PSC pre-game hospitality (Purple level members and higher) and Hy-Vee Fan Zone will also take place at this location for the first 3 home games. PSC members will scan their digital passes to receive their complimentary food and drink tokens. As always, the pre-game hospitality is subject to change due to weather.

In-game hospitality for the Panther Scholarship Club (UNI Pride level and higher) has been moved out of the Connector to the North concourse, just East of the elevator. This new location will be open from the time doors open until the end of the 3rd quarter and feature a bar with drinks available for purchase. Free food and drinks will be available exclusively during halftime. PSC members will be required to have their digital pass scanned upon initial entry and will receive a stamp to allow for reentry.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Starting on Monday, August 11, the City's contractor, Wicks Construction, will close the western half of the Hudson Road bridge located just south of University Avenue for repair work.

For the contractor to start, traffic on Hudson Road will be head-to-head on the easterly half of the bridge. Traffic will be fully maintained and open in all directions on Hudson Road and University Avenue. Brookside Drive traffic will be accessible by means of right-in and right-out onto Hudson Road during this construction. Full access for Brookside Drive will be available at the Four Winds Drive intersection, directly south on Hudson Road. The sidewalk will remain open on the same half of the bridge as vehicular traffic during construction. In approximately six (6) weeks, crews will flip the traffic control to work on the easterly side of the bridge. All work is anticipated to be complete by the end of October.

ON-GOING UNI-DOME RENOVATION WORK

On the interior of the UNI-Dome, the elevator on the west concourse added in Phase 2.1 of the ongoing UNI-Dome renovations WILL NOT be operational for UNI football's opening matchup against the Butler Bulldogs. We anticipate that it will be online for the September 13 game against Eastern Washington. Work on graphics, wayfinding signage, donor recognitions and more will also continue throughout the season.

HY-VEE FAN ZONE

The first of three Hy-Vee Fan Zone tailgate events this season will take place prior to kickoff of the UNI-Butler game in the northwest corner of the west UNI-Dome parking lot. The hassle-free tailgate experience features a live DJ and free food samples, drinks and beer for sale. Fans can arrive at the Fan Zone at 11 a.m. and stay until 1 p.m. CT.

PANTHER WALK

A new tradition has arrived in Panther Nation! Two and a half hours before kickoff, the Panther football team and marching band will walk from the dining center to the Panther statue between the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center where fans and family are welcome to meet the team. Be part of this new pregame celebration and welcome them at the finish to help set the tone for victory!

PANTHER PROMOTIONS

Introducing "Panther Promotions" the number one spot to find out what promotions, themes and give-a-ways are happening at UNI Athletics events! Click HERE for all UNI promotions all season long!

CASHLESS GAME DAY

The UNI Athletic Department has announced that it will begin implementing a cashless game day policy for all home athletics contests, as well as other sporting and non-athletic events held inside the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center beginning Aug. 1, 2025.

All purchases at UNI-Dome and McLeod Center food and beverage locations will be cashless, as will retail vendors in the venues, including the UNI Bookstore. Events that require paid parking will also be cashless. Fans must still carry either photo or mobile identification for in-venue alcohol sales.

The UNI Ticket Office will also be switching to cashless payment for purchases, while the Panther Scholarship Club (PSC) parking and hospitality passes will be shifted to a mobile format as well. Those needing special accommodations can reach out to the PSC Office.

Fans can learn more about UNI's existing game day policies HERE.

CLEAR BAGS

UNI Athletics began implementing a clear bag policy for spectators for ticketed home events, as well as non-athletic events held inside the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center during the previous year.

Clear bags made of plastic, vinyl or PVC that do not exceed a 12 x 6 x 12 inch size will be permitted, as well as one-gallon, resealable, clear plastic storage bags. Small bags that are not clear but do not exceed a size 4.5 x 6.5 inches will also be allowed. UNI branded clear bags can be purchased at the UNI Bookstore.

Prohibited bags include purses, backpacks, printed pattern plastic bags, tinted plastic bags, duffle bags, fanny packs, reusable grocery totes, mesh or straw bags, large totes and cases (for camera, binoculars, etc.). An exception may be made for some prohibited items for medical necessity after proper inspection at the gate.

Additional information for fans about game day policies and procedures can be found online HERE.

PARKING

All regular parking for Panther home football games will be available for UNI's matchup against Butler. Public parking will be available for fans in the lots North and South of the UNI-Dome, with Panther Scholarship Club (PSC) lots located just to the West of the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center. Click HERE for additional parking information and a parking map.

UPDATED UNI-DOME CONCOURSE MAP

STUDENT TICKET CLAIMS

UNI students will once again be able to attend all Panther home games for free during the 2025 season. Students will be asked to secure their free ticket through UNITIX prior to arriving at the UNI-Dome by following these steps:

Visit the UNITIX website at unitix.evenue.net
Click "Student Login With CatID" on the top bar of options
Select the "Student Login With CatID" and enter your CatID
Click on "Athletics"
Select the sport and game(s) you would like to attend
Click "Add To Card," then "Checkout"
Scroll down and click "Place My Order)
All student tickets will be emailed out and will be available on mobile devices.

For any questions regarding student tickets, please contact the UNI Ticket Office at 319-273-48949 or at tickets@uni.edu.

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.

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