Courtesy: UNI Athletics Communications
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa Panthers defeated the No. 20 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 27-6 in front of a homecoming crowd of 13,067 Saturday night for their first MVFC win.
Redshirt freshman Sawyer Kollmorgen finished the game with 187 yards, going 13 for 21 passing. David Johnson led the team on the ground with 121 yards and one touchdown, while Brett LeMaster finished with 58 yards in the air and a touchdown.
After a quick three-and-out on the Panther’s first drive of the game, South Dakota State took over on the SDSU 21-yard-line. UNI quickly came up with a big play on defense with an interception by J.J. Swain to give the Panthers the ball back with 11:37 left in the first quarter.
Kollmorgen didn’t waste any time on their next drive. Kollmorgen linked up with Sam Rohr on a 40-yard pass to put the Panthers on the board 7-0 with 10:51 left in the quarter.
The Panther defense continued their strong presence in the first quarter after stopping SDSU on a third-and-four situation, forcing them to a 40-yard field goal, cutting the Panthers lead to 7-3. The SDSU drive knocked 7:33 off the clock for 14 plays and 63 yards, leaving 3:18 left in the first quarter.
Kollmorgen showed his composure on the next UNI drive converting two big third-down plays to Rohr and Chad Owens to keep the drive alive and end the first quarter. Johnson broke free from the Jackrabbit defense for a 16-yard gain, putting the Panthers in the red zone.
Brett LeMaster scored his third touchdown of the season off a 16-yard pass from Kollmorgen. UNI finished the drive with 10 plays for 63 yards, burning 5:11 off the clock, increasing the lead 14-3 with 13:07 left in the second quarter.
Garrett Scott notched his first forced fumble of the season on a first-down for the Jackrabbits, but they were able to recover the fumble and keep possession. The Panther defense gave SDSU another big hit on a third-and-ten when Scott knocked the ball away for an incomplete pass, forcing the Jackrabbits to punt with 9:54 left in the half.
With 4:25 left in the second quarter, the UNI defense forced SDSU to a third-and-24 situation, eventually driving the Jackrabbits to punt. After a 12-yard punt return by Wes Smith, UNI regained possession on the UNI 34-yard-line.
After SDSU forced the Panthers to a fourth down, UNI stunned the Jackrabbit special teams with a fake punt. Kyle Bernard rushed for six yards to give the Panthers a first-down and keep the ball in their possession.
The UNI offense continued to drive down the field to put Tyler Sievertsen in range for his sixth made field goal of the season. The 39-yard field goal extended the lead to 17-3 with 1:03 left in the half, knocking 1:53 off the clock for nine plays and 44 yards.
The Jackrabbits were able to squeeze in a 27-yard field goal to make the score 17-6 to end the half. The drive took 1:03 off the clock for eight plays and 67 yards.
Kollmorgen finished the half with 109 yards, going for eight of 14 passing. Rohr led UNI in the air with 53 yards while Johnson finished with 39 yards on the ground.
The Panthers opened the second half with two big plays from Johnson and LeMaster. Johnson broke through the SDSU defense for a 14-yard rush, which was followed by a leaping 29-yard catch by LeMaster for two quick first downs.
Johnson finished the drive for the Panthers in the wildcat formation, scoring his 11th touchdown of the season. The Panthers extended their lead to 24-6 with 8:42 left in the third quarter off of eight plays and 64 yards.
The UNI defense made another stop with 5:15 left in the third quarter when SDSU fumbled and Wilmot Wellington recovered the ball. UNI started their offensive drive on their own 28-yard-line.
Carlos Anderson grabbed his first reception of the game in style with a 22-yard pass from Kollmorgen to put the Panthers on the SDSU 17-yard-line to end the quarter. Sievertsen finished the drive for the Panthers, scoring a 26-yard field goal giving UNI a 27-6 lead to open the fourth quarter.
On SDSU’s next drive, the Panthers defense stepped up with a monstrous hit from Scott and a blocked pass by Xavier Williams, forcing the Jackrabbits to go for it on fourth-and-nine. The Jackrabbits were given a penalty, making SDSU change formations for a punt with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter.
After a three-and-out by the Panthers, the UNI defense came back out on the field and continued their high pressure play. Mac O’Brien notched the first sack of the game for the Panthers and his first sack of the season with 9:25 left in the game.
UNI took over possession on the UNI 20-yard-line with 8:32 left in the fourth quarter. Kollmorgen racked up some rushing yards with a 13-yard run and a first down. After running plays from Johnson and Anderson, Kollmorgen kneed the ball with 28 seconds left to end the game.
