CEDAR FALLS – Coming off its first shutout of a top-10 team in program history, UNI football looks to ride momentum into another tough Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) road contest against the Redbirds of Illinois State at Hancock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In UNI’s matchup against North Dakota, the Panther defense put on a show, shutting out an offense that had put up 49 points in back-to-back games heading into the weekend, including one against a then-ranked No. 6 North Dakota State. Forcing two turnovers and recording four sacks, the Northern Iowa defense hauled in the first North Dakota interception of the season with Corry Thomas Jr. hawking the ball on the UND 34-yard line in the fourth quarter as part of a 27-0 shutout victory.
The Panthers are looking to snap a skid against Illinois State which has seen the Redbirds come away victorious in the last two meetings and 11 of the previous 20 matchups in Normal, Illinois. Illinois State narrowly edged out the Panthers with a 23-21 final score in the previous meeting last October in the UNI-Dome. UNI looks to flip the script after falling just short in both of the last two matchups by a combined 10 points.
#23/RV UNI (4-3 / 3-1 MVFC) at NR/RV Illinois State (4-3 / 2-2 MVFC)
12 p.m. CT | Oct. 28, 2023
Normal, Ill. | Hancock Stadium (13,381
MVFC TV / ESPN+ (Scott Warmann: Play-by-Play, Kelly Burke & Don Patterson: Analysts)
Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Scott Peterson: Analyst)
UNI PANTHERS
Making just his second career start last weekend, Amauri Pesek-Hickson will look to build off a 180-yard rushing performance with his first career touchdown, a stat line that earned him MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Pesek-Hickson’s performance marked the most rushing yards by a Panther since Tyvis Smith’s 207-yard outing in the 2015 FCS playoffs against Portland State.
Quarterback Theo Day is just three completions shy of moving past Jay Johnson (1989-92) for fifth on the Panthers’ all-time completions list, currently with 501 completions He also sits just two touchdowns away from moving into sixth place, in position to pass quarterback and former UNI head coach Terry Allen (1975-78), as well as Pat Grace (2006-09) who were each responsible for 58 career touchdown passes. With his two passing touchdowns against North Dakota, Day moved into fifth all-time, passing Eli Dunne (2015-18) on UNI charts with 52 passing touchdowns. Day continues to be one of the top quarterbacks in the MVFC with conference-leading marks of 1,863 total passing yards, 266.1 passing yards per game, and 255.7 total yards of offense per game. His 266.1 yards per game is 13th-best nationally. Day also earned his second College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) honor after his week seven performance with an FCS National Performer of the Week honorable mention nod.
Northern Iowa has one of the most potent passing offenses both in the conference as well as in FCS football. When passes are completed, UNI gains an average of 13.67 yards per completion, which sits at second in the conference and the 17th-best mark nationally. As a result, the Panther passing game averages 269.4 yards per game which is also second-best in the conference but 16th-best nationally. Wide receiver Sam Schnee peppers the charts with top-three conference marks in receiving touchdowns (4), receiving yards (647), receiving yards per game (92.4), and receptions per game (5.3).
On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman Cordarrius Bailey remains in second place in the MVFC with 0.86 sacks and 1.4 tackles for loss per game. Along with Bailey, the secondary of the Panthers is a force to be reckoned with with both Edwin Dearman and Dalesean Staley ranking third in the conference with 0.3 interceptions per game.
Matthew Cook sits just nine points away from breaking the school record for scoring, currently held by former running back David Johnson (2010-14) with 384 total points. UNI’s senior placekicker also extended his streak of made PATs against North Dakota, recording his 142nd consecutive make on Saturday. With the first PAT attempt in last Saturday’s contest, Cook broke a program record for consecutive games recording at least one point with his 37th straight game.
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
Coming off a walk-off loss at Youngstown State, the Redbirds look to bounce back with a crucial game at home against the Panthers. In their matchup with the Penguins, the Redbird offense was dominated through the air by wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz and on the ground by running back Mason Blakemore. The pair of quarterback Zack Annexstad and receiver Sobkowicz combined for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 19 completions against Youngstown State. The game was back and forth all matchup long until YSU nailed a 37-yard field goal to seal the deal.
Annexstad proved to be a consistent talent on the Redbird offense with a conference second-ranked 14 passing touchdowns and third-ranked 1,531 yards and 218.7 yards per game.
As the only receiver to rank higher in the conference this season than Sam Schnee, Sobkowicz has recorded 649 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 45 receptions. Just shy of half of Annexstad’s 1,531 total passing yards have been hauled in by number two in red.
On the defensive side of the ball, stopping Amir Abdullah is going to prove to be a tall task for the UNI offensive line. The 6-3 linebacker has recorded a conference-best 1.21 sacks per game as well as 1.6 tackles for loss per game. The Youngstown State matchup saw Abdullah bring down the offensive player 11 times including once behind the line of scrimmage. This Redbird team has allowed the third-fewest passing yards per game in the conference and the 18th-fewest in the nation with 177.6 passing yards per game.
CELEBRATING 125 SEASONS OF PANTHER FOOTBALL
This year marks the 125th season of play for the UNI football program. Kicking off games in 1895, the Panthers have played every year since, with the exception of 1906, 1907, 1944 and 1945, with over 1,300 players wearing the purple and gold. UNI will celebrate the milestone season all year long with special history lessons on social media, a 125th season website and more. The Panthers will honor this anniversary season with a 125th season decal on their helmets all season long.
