A warm fall Saturday afternoon on the final day of August came the season opener for the Northern Iowa Football team. The Panthers won dominantly 35-7 against the Valparaiso Beacons.
The Panther offense got off to a hot start to the season. New starting quarterback Aidan Dunne found Jaiden Ellis-Lahey for a gain of 12 and followed it with a first down completion to Desmond Hutson for three yards. Dunne finished the drive going four for four passing, capping it off with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Layne Pryor to make it 7-0 Panthers early.
“It was great to get off to a fast start,” Dunne said postgame. “The big guys up front were moving people and I had plenty of time to find open guys.”
The Panther offense went right back to work after a quick defensive stop. Tye Edwards and Amauri Pesek-Hickson got the runninggame going as both players rushed for first downs. Dunne continued to hit open receiver Tysen Kershaw for a gain of seven yards. The offense got creative in the red area with a screen pass for Pesek-Hickson, who ran 20 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers extended their lead to 14-0 against the Beacons near the end of the first quarter.
The Panther defense continued to shut down the Beacons with back-to-back sacks to start the drive. Carter Hewit got to the quarterback on first down for a loss of eight yards followed by Zach Mehmert and Cannon Butler getting home for a loss of four.
On the first play of the second quarter, Panthers running back Edwards broke away from the defense for a 54-yard touchdown run to extend the Panthers lead to 21-0.
The Beacons’ offense finally got the big play they were looking for, completing a 61-yard pass down to the Panthers 12-yard line. The drive ended with a Beacons 1-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7 Panthers.
After both teams traded three-and-outs, The Panthers returned to relying on the run game. Edwards started the drive with two carries for a gain of nine yards. Dunne got in the mix with a 10-yard keeper to the Beacons 35-yard line. The Panthers returned to Edwards near the red area as he rushed for an 11-yard gain. On the following play, Edwards capped off the drive with a 12-yard touchdown. The Panthers extended their lead to 28-7 near the end of the second quarter.
After a quick three-and-out for the Beacons, Edwards continued his dominance on the ground with a 49-yard rush down to the 22-yard line. A few plays later, Dunne found Lane Pryor for a gain of 17 down to the 5-yard line. Facing a third down-and-five from the red zone, Dunne found Sergio Morancy in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. The Panthers extended their lead to 35-7 early in the third quarter.
The offense got the ball back quickly and hammered the running game. Harrison Bey-Buie rushed eight times for 33 yards, setting up the Panthers near the red zone. The Beacons’ defense stalled the Panther offense, which led to a 31-yard field goal attempt by Caden Palmer, which was no good.
After forcing the Beacons to punt for the eighth time, The Panthers got the ball back on offense and continued to milk the clock late into the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Matthew Schecklman saw his first action of the season, while Bey-Buie continued to be effective on the ground with 38 yards on the final drive. The Panthers ran the clock out to secure the victory.
The Panthers start the season 1-0 for the first time since 2016. This was their first time opening the season at home since 2010. “It’s been so long I forgot,” coach Mark Farley added after the game. “There’s a confidence you get from walking out in the Dome the first game versus fourteen years in a row walking out in someone else’s stadium.”
The Panthers will look to start 2-0 as they travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on the St. Thomas Tommies on Saturday.
