CEDAR FALLS – UNI’s Amauri Pesek-Hickson has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s (MVFC) Offensive Player of the Week, after the Panthers’ huge win against North Dakota.
The first honor of his collegiate career, Pesek-Hickson put on a offensive show for the Panthers in a 27-0 rout of No. 9 North Dakota last Saturday, the program’s first-ever shutout of a top-10 ranked FCS opponent.
Making his first career start at running back, Pesek-Hickson recorded 31 carries for an astonishing 180-yard performance, the most by Panther this season and fourth-most by any player in the MVFC this year. He also scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter off a North Dakota fumble and a 14-yard run to the left corner of the endzone.
Averaging 5.8 yards per carry on Saturday, Pesek-Hickson’s 180-yard rushing yards were the most by a Panther since Tyvis Smith ran for 207 yards in UNI’s 29-17 win at No. 5 Portland State in the second round of the 2015 FCS Playoffs.
UNI returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 28 as the Panthers travel to Normal, Illinois to take on the Illinois State Redbirds. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT at Hancock Stadium.
