After their first 2-0 start since the 2013 season, the UNI Panther football team will face their biggest challenge yet. Awaiting them Saturday night is a sold out Memorial Stadium and the 23rd ranked team in the country: the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The Panthers are coming off of a 17-10 victory over St.Thomas on Saturday. The key to their success was their ground game, as Tye Edwards notched his second straight 100+ yard game. This is the first time in his career he has run for 100+ in back to back games, and his 157.5 rushing yards per game ranks first in all of the FCS. Amauri Pesek-Hickson gives the Panthers a dynamic 1-2 punch in the backfield, rushing for 2 touchdowns against the Tommies. If the Panthers want to have success on Saturday, they’ll have to rely on the trenches to get it done. Their previously mentioned ground game churns out 298.5 rushing yards per contest. Not only can they run the ball effectively, they can also stop the run effectively. The Panthers defense surrenders just 79 rushing yards per game. The big guys up front could be the deciding factor in this contest.
Nebraska enters this season as one of the most hyped up teams in the country. One of the biggest reasons for the hype is freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. Raiola was the top player in the 2024 class and was verbally committed to Ohio St in his early years of high school before flipping to the University of Georgia. Last December, Raiola announced he was once again decommitting, this time announcing his commitment to Nebraska. Through just two games, his impact has been made, passing for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns. More importantly for the Cornhuskers: two wins and no turnovers. Raiola has put Nebraska back into the national rankings for the first time since 2019. If the Panthers want to give themselves a shot to win at the end of the game, forcing the young quarterback into making some mistakes would be beneficial.
Before the kickoff of Saturday’s game, Nebraska has a 14-0 all-time record against FCS opponents. They have also been extremely successful during night home games, going 51-10 in night contests at Memorial Stadium. Saturday’s matchup will be the first between the Panthers and the Cornhuskers. UNI head coach Mark Farley is still looking for his first win over a Big Ten opponent.
Follow @NorthernIowan on X for live updates throughout the game or tune into Big Ten Network.
