CEDAR FALLS – UNI football had another strong night in passing, including Alex Allen’s first touchdown as a Panther, but No. 7 Sacramento State got the 37-21 win.
UNI continued to pass well, racking up 270 yards, compared to Sacramento State’s 254 yards. The Hornets were able to rush for 170 yards, compared to the Panthers’ 133 yards.
Sacramento State led the nation and the Big Sky in rushing offense with 378 yards after the Hornets’ first game of the season. Two Hornets ranked in the nation’s top 10 for all purpose yards with Cameron Skattebo and Elijah Tau-Tolliver amassing 226 and 162 yards, respectively. UNI was able to keep them to 110 yards and 69 yards, respectively.
The offensive stats between both teams were comparable with UNI racking up 403 total yards to Sacramento State’s 424 yards.
UNI continues to keep its penalties low with just three that pushed the Panthers back 20 yards.
Allen was the first Panther to get UNI on the board. He scored his first career touchdown off a 17-yard pass from Theo Day.
Running back Vance McShane had a career night as a Panther, rushing 84 yards and scoring his second touchdown as a Panther. His previous single-game high with UNI was 65 rushing yards. He nearly matched his season’s attempts with 12 on the night. He averaged seven yards a carry that included a 20-yard rush.
Wide receiver Logan Wolf amassed 88 yards in receiving, scoring his second touchdown of the season. His best single-game night was 82 yards in receiving prior to tonight’s game.
Kicker Matthew Cook took sole possession of No. 5 on UNI’s all-time list for most FG attempts with 72.
Spencer Cuvelier led the defense again with his second consecutive sack of the season. He had 12 tackles on the night, including five solo stops. He also forced one fumble on the night.
Korby Sander notched 10 tackles, and Jack Kriebs came through with a second sack for the Panthers.
Q1 | SAC got on the board first with a three-yard rush up the middle by Asher O’Hara. The Hornets grabbed the 7-0 lead, going 68 yards in 12 plays in 4:03. UNI responded with a 17-yard pass to Alex Allen to tie it up 7-7. The Panthers went 75 yards in 10 plays, eating up 5:12 on the clock.
Q2 | The next three scores would go to Sacramento State with a 21-yard pass to Marshel Martin and three-yard rush by O’Hara. SAC extended the lead 21-7 with those two drives. The Hornets capped off the first half with a 29-yard field goal to lead 24-7.
Q3 | UNI was the first to score in the second half with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Theo Day to Logan Wolf, making the score 24-14. Kyle Sentkowski added a 30-yard field goal to extend its lead 27-14. Vance McShane put UNI within one score with a four-yard run to end the quarter 27-21.
Q4 | Sacramento State tacked on two final scores late in the game with a 38-yard field goal with 3:40 left to go up 30-21. Then a final rushing touchdown with just 41 seconds left in the game sealed the 37-21 win.
UP NEXT
UNI will head to Western Illinois for its second MVFC game of the year. Kick is set for 3 p.m. in Macomb, Illinois. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
