CEDAR FALLS — UNI football hosted the Redbirds of Illinois State for Military Appreciation weekend inside the UNI-Dome. Illinois State jumped out to the first lead and never let up as the Redbirds took home a 31-9 victory over UNI.
Three straight punts opened up the matchup between the Panthers and the Redbirds including a pair from UNI. Illinois State was the first on the board with a field goal on their second offensive possession to take a 3-0 lead. The Panthers followed that drive with another punt, their third of the contest. A one-yard touchdown run from Redbird quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse was the first touchdown of the day and gave Illinois State a 10-0 lead.
UNI answered the touchdown with a 32-yard field goal from Caden Palmer on a drive that saw a 24-yard run from Matthew Schecklman and a 14-yard run from Amauri Pesek-Hickson. The Redbirds were forced to punt on the next drive after Albert Nunez forced out a Redbird wide receiver on a third and long conversion attempt. The next UNI drive looked promising as the Panthers drove into the redzone, but were unable to convert on the drive after a missed field goal. Illinois State held on to a 10-3 lead at the end of the first half of play.
The Redbirds opened the second half with a touchdown on a three-yard rush to take a 17-3 lead. A 49-yard run from Tye Edwards got UNI into scoring position on the next drive, but the Panthers stalled out and had to settle for a 25-yard field goal. Illinois State added to its lead on the next drive with another rushing touchdown to take a 24-6 lead just into the fourth quarter.
The Panthers notched a field goal before another Illinois State touchdown to end the matchup with a 9-31 final score in favor of the Redbirds. Matthew Schecklman finished the game with 172 yards on 15 completions. Brady McCullough led the Panther receivers with 38 yards on two receptions including a long reception of 33 yards. On the ground, Amauri Pesek-Hickson finished with 62 yards on six carries.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
The Panthers fell to 2-8 and 0-6 in the MVFC with the 9-31 loss to the Redbirds.
Caden Palmer made a 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, a new career-long.
Brady McCullough’s 33-yard reception was the longest of his career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers head to Ohio next Saturday, Nov. 16 to take on the Youngstown State Penguins in their final road game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at Stambaugh Stadium, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.