The University of Northern Iowa football team fell to the Southern Illinois University Salukis 34-31 in Carbondale, Ill., Saturday afternoon. Turnovers were a key factor in the outcome as the Panthers lost three fumbles that turned into 21 points for the Salukis.

The Panthers (1-5, 0-3 MVFC) jumped out on top early with the rushing attack from redshirt senior running back Carlos Anderson and redshirt sophomore running back David Johnson. Johnson ran for 52 yards on the Panthers’ second play of scrimmage, which led to an Anderson 5-yard touchdown run.

“We came in here looking to improve our running game. I felt we could block these guys; I felt we could move the line,” UNI head coach Mark Farley said.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen led the Panthers on a three-play, 86-yard drive that was capped off by a 76-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore receiver Brett LeMaster. Kollmorgen’s only touchdown pass of the day gave the Panthers a 21-6 lead early in the second quarter.

The momentum swung SIU’s way when they blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown with 7:40 left in the second quarter.

“We had a lot of momentum and a lot of good things happening. The blocked punt really triggered a lot of things,” Farley said.

That was not the last nonoffensive touchdown for the Salukis as junior linebacker Bryan Presume returned a David Johnson fumble 100 yards for the score later in the second quarter. The Saluki touchdown would knot the game at 21-21 heading into the locker room for halftime.

The Salukis (4-3, 3-1 MVFC) were the only team to score in the third quarter as they took advantage of another UNI fumble, jumping out to a 31-21 lead heading to the final quarter.

The resilient Panthers would not go away as they fought back to tie the game behind a Johnson 29-yard touchdown run and a 30-yard field goal from junior Tyler Sievertsen.

However, SIU orchestrated a 19-play, 58-yard drive leading to a go-ahead field goal that took 8:55 off the clock and seemingly put away the football game.

The Panthers failed to put any points on the board in the final 59 seconds of regulation despite starting the drive at the SIU 39-yard line. Kollmorgen was sacked two times, all but ending the UNI drive. Kollmorgen’s pass attempt on fourth down and 15 was incomplete.

Kollmorgen finished the game 18-for-27 with 243 yards passing and a touchdown. Johnson was the leading rusher for the Panthers with 118 yards and two touchdowns. LeMaster caught six passes for 112 yards with one score.

The Panthers will look for their first MVFC win next Saturday when they host the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits (5-1, 3-0 MVFC) at 4 p.m.