Courtesy: UNI Athletics Communications –
GREELEY, Colo. – The University of Northern Iowa football team earned its third win of the season today over Northern Colorado, 26-7. The Panthers improved their overall record to 3-0.
Sawyer Kollmorgen finished the game 19-27 for a season-high 248 yards and a touchdown. Chad Owens led the Panther receivers with 77 yards and a touchdown while David Johnson finished with 121 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
The Panthers struck first with 5:21 left in the first quarter when Kollmorgen found Owens for a seven-yard touchdown pass to give UNI a 7-0 lead. The drive took 7:30 off the clock for 77 yards and 13 plays.
Northern Colorado attempted a 25-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in the first quarter to put the Bears on the scoreboard, but the try was unsuccessful. The Bears had another field goal opportunity with 9:21 left in the second quarter when they lined up for a 37-yarder, but they were unable to knock it through the uprights for the second time in the game.
UNI got a field goal attempt of its own with 5:18 left in the second quarter. Tyler Sievertsen knocked in a 28-yarder to give UNI a 10-0 lead, taking 4:03 off the clock for nine plays and 63 yards.
The Panther defense stepped up big in the second quarter with both Collin Albrecht and Charles Brown making big plays. Albrecht sacked Bears’ quarterback Tim Tancik for a loss of 13 yards while Brown got a late interception, giving the Panthers the ball back with less than two minutes left in the second quarter.
Kollmorgen finished the half 13-17 for 138 yards and a touchdown while Owens racked in 59 yards through the air and his first touchdown of the season. Jake Farley notched seven tackles in the first half to go along with Tim Kilfoy’s four.
Sievertsen opened up the second half scoring, posting a 25-yard field goal to put UNI up 13-0 with 10:15 left in the third quarter. The drive took up 4:45 for 13 plays and 69 yards.
Northern Colorado jumped on the board with 4:51 left in the third quarter on a four-yard rush from Darius Graham to cut the UNI lead to 13-7. The drive took 5:20 off the clock for 11 plays and 94 yards.
Johnson scored his sixth touchdown of the season with an 18-yard rush into the end zone with 14:52 left in the game. The drive took up 10 plays, 83 yards and 4:53 off the clock.
Sievertsen notched his third field goal of the game with 7:30 left in the game, putting a 31-yarder through the posts to put UNI up 23-7. The scoring drive burned 2:36 off the clock for 37 yards and six plays.
Sievertsen knocked in his fourth field goal of the game to give him a new career high with 2:37 left in the game. His 27-yard field goal gave the Panthers a 26-7 lead, knocking 4:00 off the clock for seven plays and 22 yards.
The Panthers were able to run out the clock to pick up a 26-7 win over the Northern Colorado Bears.
