The Northern Iowa football team fell to North Dakota 35-7 during Saturday’s homecoming game at the UNI-Dome.
The game was largely defensive for most of the first half. The Panthers reached the red zone late in the first quarter but couldn’t capitalize. The Fighting Hawks’ defense forced a fumble and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
“Takeaways are hard to bounce away from,” UNI head coach Todd Stepsis said after the game. “On that one, the guy we were throwing to was getting grabbed, so he couldn’t break free to get the ball, and they ended up making a great play on it.”
Shortly after the fumble return, the first offensive score of the game came with under two minutes to play in the first half, when the Fighting Hawks connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead to 14-0 at halftime.
The Panthers looked to gain momentum early in the second half, but that was quickly halted by a 77-yard touchdown pass from the Fighting Hawks that made it 21-0. After the UNI offense stalled again, North Dakota began to pull away, converting a 6-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-0.
The Panthers were able to put together a scoring drive late in the game. Quarterback Matthew Scheckelman found Derek Anderson in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 35-7, which would ultimately be the final score. Stepsis said he knew what wasn’t working for his team.
“It was untimely errors that would steal momentum,” Stepsis said. “I was proud of the defense for continuing to show up and continuing to fight.”
Despite the loss, Stepsis was pleased with the support from the UNI faithful on homecoming weekend.
“We felt it right from the jump, walking from our pregame meal into the dome,” Stepsis said. “Students were out in full force, our band was fantastic, and the cheerleaders were unbelievable.”
Attendance at the UNI-Dome totaled 12,048, the highest of the season. Northern Iowa fell to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. The Panthers travel to Brookings, South Dakota, on Saturday to face South Dakota State. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
