Cedar Falls- The Northern Iowa Panther football team squared off with the 18th ranked Illinois State Redbirds in the UNI-Dome. The Panthers were trying to avoid the first eight game losing streak in school history.
The game’s first big play nearly came early in the first quarter when UNI appeared to have intercepted a Tommy Rittenhouse pass, but video review overturned the play, allowing Illinois State to punt, instead of giving UNI the ball at their own 39 yard line. Kamonte Grimes took the punt for a 14 yard return, giving the Panthers the ball to start on their own 18 yard line. Amauri Pesek-Hickson took the first play for a drive around the left end for a gain of 18 to put the Panthers at their own 36 yard line. The drive stalled at the UNI 44 yard line and Noah Pettinger punted the ball away.
ISU started on their own 15 yard line to start their second offensive drive the game. They marched the ball the UNI four yard line, but the Panther defense stymied the Redbirds touchdown efforts. Instead, ISU’s Ian Wagner kicked a 21 yard field goal to give Illinois State the first lead of the game. The Panther defense had struggled to get off the field on third downs again, which has been a struggle at times throughout the year. The defense had the Redbirds in a 3rd down and 13 situation and relented 12 ½ yards. ISU picked up the first down on the next play.
The offense struggled mightily, in the opening period, to move the ball. With the exception of a two chunk plays, the Panther attack struggled to muster first downs. A high point was punter Pettinger. He was able to knock punts of 56 yards and 50 yards to force the Redbirds to start deep in their own territory. Illinois State, however, was able to put together another drive, picking up third down and long and third down and medium on two different occasions. It was a third and goal play from the one yard line in which Rittenhouse called his own number taking the ball across the goal line for the score. After the extra point Illinois State led 10-0 at the 10:50 mark of the second quarter. The Redbirds covered 78 yards in 6:43.
Northern Iowa responded with a little life in their offense. Pesek-Hickson took the first play of the drive for 14 yards before signal caller Matthew Schencklman called his own number to run for a first down and a gain of 24 yards. Schencklman appeared to find Tysen Kershaw for UNI’s first score of the game, but Kershaw was unable to maintain control on the third down play. Instead, Caden Palmer knocked a 32 yard field goal to draw UNI back within a touchdown at the 7:05 mark.
The Panther defense finally forced a three and out on Illinois State’s next possession. The Rittenhouse pass to the right sideline appeared to be caught by receiver Eddie Kasper while he was in the air, but he was shoved out of bounds by a UNI defender before landing. The play went to video review, but was confirmed and the Redbirds were forced to punt for the first time in the game. Punter Hayden Futch drove a low line drive that sent the ball all the way to the UNI 15 yard line, a 54 yard punt.
Kershaw made up for the earlier drop in the endzone when he caught a ball between two defenders for a gain of 33 yards to the ISU 49 yard line. Pesek-Hickson immediately followed that up with a run of 21 to the Redbird 28 yard line. Schencklman next hit Layne Pryor for a gain of 13 to the ISU 16 yard line to set the Panthers up with another first down, deep in Redbird territory. Three plays later Sergio Mourency nearly scored the equalizing touchdown on a fade to the right side of the endzone. However, he wasn’t able to secure it, forcing another Palmer field goal attempt. This time the 36 yard boot missed.
Illinois State had just under a minute and two timeouts to mount a scoring drive. Rittenhouse scrambled twice to gain yardage enough to attempt a hail mary on the last play of the half. After strong armed quarterback Jake Rubley’s heave, a UNI defender batted the ball, but ISU’s Scotty Presson Jr. caught the tipped ball and nearly fought through two defenders, but was wrestled down at the yard line. We went to the half at 10-3. Illinois State racked up 246 yards of total offense during the first 30 minutes.
In the second half the UNI defense’s third down woes continued. After forcing a third and six Rubley was able to find Daniel Sobkowicz for a gain of 14 yards and a first down. Three plays later the Panthers had the Redbirds in a third and 14 situation. Rubley missed his intended target, but an offside call gave ISU a second chance. This time Rubley found a sliding Presson Jr for another fresh set of downs on a third down play. Later in the drive the Panthers gave up another third down and ten and the broken record seemed to keep spinning. The Redbirds had a fourthdown and one play at the UNI 4 yard line. They were able to convert it to a touchdown as Wenkers Wright dove in from three yards out. Illinois State took a 17-3 lead.
On the Northern Iowa’s first play of the next drive Tye Edwards ripped off a 49 yard run to take the Panthers to the ISU 26 yard line. Schencklman found Pesek-Hickson for another first down, but the drive stall at the ISU 8 yard line. This time Caden Palmer was able to know through the 25 yard field goal to make the score 17-6. It didn’t take long for Illinois State to respond. Rittenhouse for Sobkowicz for a gain of 68 yards to the UNI 9 yard line, beating the defender who then fell down. It was safety JJ Dervil that was able to range over and make the touchdown saving tackle. But, three plays later Lawson scored from 4 yards out…on third down. At the 14:54 mark Northern Iowa trailed 24-6.
The Panthers took a shot down the middle of the field on the first play of the ensuing possession and found Tyson Kershaw for a 38 yard gain to the ISU 32 yard line. He found Tay Norman for another first down before the drive stalled and UNI was forced to another Palmer field goal. This one was good from 42 yards. The Redbirds offense took all of 3:43 to return the favor against the Panthers when they scored on another Wright touchdown run from 14 yard out to make the score 31-9.
While it’s true that Northern Iowa had it’s struggles through this game, it is equally true that the team battled to the end. Trailing 31-9, quarterback Matthew Schecklman picked up 22 yards to set up a fourth down conversion to keep a Panther drive alive in the waning moments of the game. While the team wasn’t able to convert the drive into points, it was clear to see that the team was continuing to fight to the end of the game.
Northern Iowa falls to 2-8 this year, and this is the first time in school history they have suffered an eight game losing streak. The Panthers will look to end that streak on the road, next week, at Youngstown State.
