The University of Northern Iowa football team defeated the No. 20-ranked South Dakota State University Jackrabbits 27-6 in Cedar Falls Saturday afternoon. The Panther defense was stout throughout the game, allowing redshirt freshman quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen and the offense to flourish.

After UNI (2-5, 1-3 MVFC) punted on their opening drive, the Jackrabbits’ first drive ended with an interception from senior defensive back J.J. Swain at the SDSU 43-yard line.

“There is no question that the defense can set a tone that the offense can propel off of,” UNI head coach Mark Farley said.

Kollmorgen gave the Panther defense a seven-point cushion with a 40-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman tight end Sam Rohr.

“I pumped off the corner and luckily Sam turned the corner and headed up the sideline for the touchdown,” Kollmorgen said.

The Panther quarterback tossed a 16-yard touchdown to sophomore receiver Brett LeMaster on the next drive to give UNI a 14-3 lead.

With less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter, UNI dialed up a successful fake punt for senior punter Kyle Bernard on fourth-and-six. Bernard got the six yards he needed, picking up a critical first down.

“I think Kyle Bernard is a very good athlete. Being that he is a good athlete I know he is going to make good decisions on the field. He made a good decision and got the first down,” Farley said.

The fake punt led to a Panther field goal and UNI took a 17-6 lead into the locker room for halftime.

The UNI defense did not allow a score in the second half. The run defense of the Panthers held SDSU sophomore running back Zach Zenner to a season-low 112 yards rushing and 20 attempts.

“We had to make sure we tackled Zenner. We had to keep emphasizing the fact that we had to get bodies to the ball and into the gap,” Farley said.

Northern Iowa’s last touchdown would come from sophomore running back David Johnson on a one-yard run in the third quarter. The Panthers’ last scoring play would come on a 26-yard field goal from junior kicker Tyler Sievertsen.

Kollmorgen threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns for the afternoon. Johnson ran 27 times for 121 yards and one score. LeMaster caught three passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Senior safety Garrett Scott led the Panther defense with six solo tackles, three assisted tackles and a pass breakup.

The Panthers return to action Saturday when they host the Illinois State University Redbirds (6-2, 3-2 MVFC) at 4 p.m.