University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Youngstown State
Panther football hits the road for a matchup at Youngstown State
10/14/2026 4:08:00 PM | Football
UNI leaves the friendly confines of the UNI-Dome for the first time in nearly a month.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The Panthers hit the road for the first time in just under a month as they head to Youngstown, Ohio, to take on Youngstown State on October 17. The Cats face their third consecutive top-10 test as they face the No. 6-ranked Penguins in Ohio. The last three meetings between these programs have been decided by a total of eight points, including a 44-41 victory for UNI in 2023 at home, and back-to-back wins for Youngstown State the last two seasons by a 39-38 overtime final at home in 2024 and a 35-32 victory inside the Dome last season. Last season's finale came with some fireworks, as the Panthers eyed a 25-point second-half comeback over YSU. UNI put up 29 points in the second half to the Penguins' seven, but fell just short in a three-point loss in the season's final contest. Jaxon Dailey threw for 352 yards and two touchdowns on 25 completions and ran for 52 yards on eight attempts in that contest. Running back Bill Jackson led the receiving room with 115 receiving yards on seven catches. Linebackers Tucker Langenberg and Ryan Crandall recorded double-figure tackles against the Penguins in 2025, with 15 and 10, respectively.
UNI is looking for its first victory at the "Ice Castle" since the 2021 Spring season, when the Cats were victorious 21-0. Before that, UNI's last in Youngstown, Ohio came in 2010. The Cats still have a winning record against YSU in Ohio, holding the 10-7 edge in road contests and a 26-11 edge all-time against the Penguins
UNI is coming off its second-consecutive upset of a top-five team after a 24-17 victory over No. 4 North Dakota. This is the first time since 2005 that Cats have beaten two top-five opponents in the same season.
The Panthers' victory over UND was its second straight top-10 win inside the UNI-Dome. It is the first time since 2014 that the Cats have beaten a top-10 team at home in back-to-back weeks.
Andrew Price scored UNI's first blocked punt TD since Ethan Schoville did it at North Dakota State last season. The touchdown was his first collegiate score.
Braden McShane and Andrew Price were named MVFC Players of the Week on Monday, following the Panthers' performance on Saturday. The selections were UNI's first Player of the Week honors, as Price's Special Teams Player of the Week nod was UNI's first on specials since 2024 and McShane's Defensive Player of the Week recognition was UNI's first since 2022..
UNI is ranked in both the AFCA Coaches poll and the Stats Perform poll for the first time since week four of the 2024 season when they were ranked 25th in the Stats Perform poll and 19th in the AFCA Coaches poll. The 19th ranking is the highest UNI ranking in the Stats Perform Poll since week 10 of 2023 when the Cats were ranked 15th after a victory over Western Illinois heading into a contest at Missouri State.
The UNI Panther football team leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in a number of statistical categories, including blocked kicks (3), blocked punts (1), defensive TDs (1), fewest penalties (30), fewest penalty yards (256), turnover margin (1.2), and fewest turnovers lost (5). UNi is second in the Valley in 4th-down conversion percentage defense (40%), blocked kicks allowed (1), fumbles lost (2), fumbles recovered (6), passes had intercepted (3), passes intercepted (5), punt return defense (6.4), red zone defense (70%), team passing efficiency defense (118.85), and turnovers gained (11).
The Panthers rank ninth in turnover margin, 11th in blocked kicks, 12th in blocked punts, 12th in red zone defense, 13th in fumbles recovered, 16th in penalty yards, and 16th in turnovers lost in the FCS.
Individually, Josiah Young averages the second-most passes defended per game this season. The sophomore cornerback has defended 2.00 passes per game, just 0.25 short of FCS leader MD Awe of Columbia, with 2.25 per contest.
AJ Vaughn has recovered two fumbles this season, the third-most in the FCS. Vaughn is one of three players in the MVFC with multiple fumble recoveries.
Andrew Price blocked and returned a punt for a touchdown against North Dakota. He is one of 38 players in the FCS with a punt return touchdown, including one of five in the Valley. He joins Ethan Schoville as one of two active Panthers with a punt return TD in their career after he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone at NDSU in 2025.
John Powers is second in the MVFC with 8.4 total tackles per game, just 0.3 tackles per game short of Valley-leader Wade Abrams of South Dakota with 8.7.
Jaxon Dailey is back under center for the Panthers after taking over the starting QB job following the Panthers' matchup at Southern Illinois. Dailey was responsible for 32% of UNI's completions, 37% of UNI's passing yards, and 44% of UNI's passing touchdowns last season. The graduate QB finished with 66 completions for 823 yards and seven touchdowns on 110 attempts in 10 games in 2025.
The Panthers' running back room sees some big changes, as Jaxon Dailey is the highest-producing running threat returning to the squad from a season ago. Dailey accounted for just 16% of UNI's rushing yards, as all of the Panthers' rushing touchdowns depart Cedar Falls after last year. Christian Collins was responsible for 70 yards in four games last season, UNI's biggest returning running back contributor from 2025.
The wideout room gets a couple key pieces back heading into 2026, as Jaiden Ellis-Lahey and Tay Norman return to the lineup. Ellis-Lahey missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to injury, while Norman missed almost all of 2025 after suffering an injury in the first game of the 2025 season. JC Roque Jr., the Panthers' 2025 receiving leader, is back after producing 595 yards and seven touchdowns on 56 receptions. Ayden Price accounted for 365 yards and two touchdowns on 20 receptions a season ago.
UNI brings in transfer running back Xavier Terrell after three seasons at Florida Atlantic. Terrell carried the ball 54 times for 161 yards and one touchdown and caught 13 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown a season ago with the Owls.
Cyrus Courtney and Taj Hughes join the receiving room ahead of the 2026 season. Courtney comes to UNI after a pair of seasons at Iowa Western CC, where he appeared in 13 games, catching 22 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns for the 2025 NJCCA National Champions last season. Hughes comes to Cedar Falls after four seasons with the Drake Bulldogs. While in Des Moines, Hughes was a two-time All-PFL Honorable Mention. Last season, he caught 46 passes for 510 yards and two touchdowns and ran 30 times for 139 yards.
Three high schools in the state of Iowa have produced five current athletes, leading all high schools. Cedar Falls High School (Jarrett Kies, Hayden Bishop, Kailer Smith, Connor Best, and Will Remmert), Urbandale High School (Kai Black, Graham Friedrichsen, Elijah Hoyt, Axel Ramazani, and Jack Hearne), and West Des Moines Valley High School (Ayden Price, Andrew Price, Isaiah Pinks, Rico Alvaranga-Servellon, and Ryan Kuennen) have each produced five current Panthers. Ankeny High School comes in at a close second with four athletes (Andrew Monsivais, Brady McCullough, Lamarious Clark, and Connor Kayser) on the Panther football team.
The 2026 roster of 112 players includes 69 athletes from the great state of Iowa. Of these 69, 12 of them are incoming freshmen, including a pair from across the street at Cedar Falls High School. Of the 112 athletes on the roster, 95 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 Khristian Boyd (Defensive Lineman - New Orleans Saints), Spencer Brown (Offensive Lineman - Buffalo Bills), Elijah Campbell (Safety - New York Giants), and Trevor Penning (Offensive Lineman - LA Chargers)on NFL rosters and Jared Brinkman (Defensive Lineman - Edmonton Elks) on a CFL roster.
UNI football action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Football), X (@UNIFootball) and on Instagram (@unipantherfootball). The full 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
