FARGO, North Dakota – The #12 UNI football team took on the #5 North Dakota State Bison Saturday afternoon, falling 34-20.
The loss is the first loss to an FCS opponent this year, UNI’s only other loss came to Iowa State in week one. UNI’s Isaiah Weston recorded a touchdown in the second quarter, extending his streak to four games in a row with a receiving touchdown.
The Panthers finished the game with 381 total yards on offense, outpacing the Bison who finished with 363. UNI recorded 124 rushing yards led by Bradrick Shaw with 44 yards on 10 carries. Isaiah Weston finished the game with 181 yards on 5 catches while hauling in 1 touchdown.
Defensively the Panthers recorded 73 total tackles with 3 tackles for loss and 2 pass breakups. Korby Sander finished with the game with 11 total tackles while Benny Sapp III finished with 9 tackles including 0.5 tackles for loss and 1 pass breakup.
1Q: The Panther defense made plays early in the game, recovering a fumble on the Bison’s first drive. The Bison responded minutes later with the first points of the game when quarterback Quincy Patterson connected for an 85-yard touchdown with receiver Zach Mathis. The Bison would add 3 more points following a 6 plays 40-yard drive. The Panthers finished the first quarter with 42 total yards of offense, 32 coming on the ground. UNI recorded 14 tackles with 1 fumble recovery.
2Q: The Panthers got on the board early in the second quarter when the Panthers completed an 8 play 73-yard drive with a 44-yard touchdown catch by Isaiah Weston. The Panthers then tied the game with a Matthew Cook 33 yard field goal with just under 3 minutes left in the half. The Bison moved down the field in the final minutes of the half and added a field goal. The Panthers entered halftime trailing the Bison 13-10. UNI totaled 181 yards in the first half, 98 coming on the ground and 83 in the air. The Panther defense totaled 34 tackles with 1 tackle for loss and 1 fumble recovery.
3Q: The Bison defense forced a quick 3 and out from the Panthers and returned the punt to the UNI 9 yard line. NDSU scored 2 plays later from a 4 yard rush by quarterback Quincy Patterson. The Panther offense suffered a setback following a Theo Day fumble that was recovered by the Bison. NDSU then scored on a 3-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 27-10. The Panthers responded with a 2 play 75-yard drive resulting in a 5-yard touchdown run by Dom Williams to cut the lead to 27-17.
4Q: The Bison extended the lead early in the final quarter to go up 34-17, scoring on a quarterback run up the middle. The Panthers added a 44-yard field goal with just over 9 minutes remaining to cut the lead to 34-20.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will now look to South Dakota, hosting the Coyotes in the UNI-DOME on Saturday, October 16 at 4 pm for Family Weekend.
