UNI football: Panthers open the season with a loss to Eastern Washington

Saturday, September 5

Cheney, Wash.

6 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

0-1 , 0-0

Eastern Washington

1-1 , 0-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Northern Iowa	10	14	0	0	24
Eastern Washington	13	7	7	7	34

Photo by: © Andy Saigh

UNI football: Panthers open the season with a loss to Eastern Washington

9/5/2026 9:29:00 PM | Football

Box Score Final Stats

Jaxon Dailey rushed for three touchdowns in a 34-24 loss in Cheney, Washington.

CHENEY, Wash. — The UNI football team opened the 2026 season on Saturday, September 5, in Cheney, Washington, against the Eastern Washington Eagles. After scoring 24 points in the first quarter thanks to three rushing touchdowns by Jaxon Dailey, the Panther offense failed to score again, dropping the season opener, 34-24.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first four drives of the day ended with points, two scoring drives for each squad. The Eagles opened the game with the ball and mounted a nine-play, 79-yard drive that ended in a 33-yard run by the quarterback on fourth and one at the 33-yard line. Franz Reisz got a hand on the PAT to hold the scoring drive to just six points.

The Panthers answered with their first touchdown-scoring drive of the season, a four-play, 72-yard drive. A 44-yard reception from tight end Kai Black set the Panthers up in the red zone before Jaxon Dailey punched in the score on a rush from the four-yard line. Max Bartachek converted on the PAT to give the Cats a 7-6 lead. EWU drove down the field in 2:17 on their next offensive possession, scoring on a 16-yard reception. The first field goal of the game came off the foot of Bartachek from 25 yards out to cut the Eagles' lead to three points at 13-10.

UNI was the first defense to hold the opposing offense to zero points, forcing a punt after a three-and-out. The Cats capitalized and scored their second touchdown of the contest, another rushing play by quarterback Dailey.

Each team scored once more before halftime, including a rushing touchdown for both quarterbacks. Eastern Washington's quarterback rushed for his second of the game on a two-yard rush, while Dailey had his third of the contest on a nine-yard rush. The Cats held a 24-20 lead heading into the halftime break.

Three straight punts opened the third quarter, two by the Panthers and one by the Eagles, before Eastern Washington found the end zone for its fourth score of the contest. The Eagles' quarterback scored his third rushing touchdown of the matchup, this from two yards. A pick on the Eastern Washington 17-yard line gave the ball back to the Eagles. The Panther defense stood tall and forced a three-and-out, capped off with UNI's first sack of the game as Kolben Miller brought down the Eagles' QB. A 36-yard field goal off the foot of Bartachek was wide on the ensuing Panther drive.

Eastern Washington sealed the deal on their next offensive drive with a 15-yard receiving touchdown to take a 34-24 lead. The Panthers looked to drive, but turned the ball over on downs. The Eagles came away with a 34-24 victory.

Jaxon Dailey finished the game with 287 passing yards on 20 completions. He led the rushing department with three touchdowns. Tay Norman had a team-high 61 receiving yards. On the defensive side of the ball, John Powers recorded 11 total tackles, including five solo tackles. Kolben Miller led the Cats with two tackles for loss.

UP NEXT

The Panthers return to Cedar Falls and open the home portion of the 2026 season against Drake on September 12. The home opener will include a pregame jersey retirement of Kurt Warner. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT. Fans can catch all the action with Brad Wells and Justin Surrency on ESPN+ or with JW Cox and Hall of Famer Scott Peterson on the Panther Sports Radio Network.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI starts the season 0-1 after the loss to Eastern Washington. The Cats are still searching for their first all-time win in the state.
Jaxon Dailey scored the first rushing touchdown of his career in the first quarter. The quarterback finished with three rushing touchdowns.
Dailey is the first Panther quarterback with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Aaron Bailey had four against Missouri State on November 14, 2015.
John Powers finished with a career-high 11 tackles.

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.