On Saturday, Oct. 12, the UNI football team played South Dakota State on the road. The Panthers came into the game on a three game losing streak, and off of a crushing defeat to No. 1 South Dakota State the week before at home. Getting back in the win column would not be an easy task however, as South Dakota came into the game ranked No. 4 in the country. In what was an offensive explosion from the Coyotes, the Panthers lost their fourth game in a row, 42-17.
The Panthers opened the game up with the ball, and could not have asked for a better drive. Matthew Schecklman, getting the start at quarterback over Aidan Dunne, completed his first pass of the day for 49 yards to Desmond Hutson. A few plays later he completed another pass to Hutson for 23 yards, and then Tye Edwards finished off the drive with a touchdown run. The Panthers led 7-0, but the Coyotes quickly responded. They scored when quarterback Aidan Bouman connected with JJ Galbreath on a 27-yard score. At the end of the first quarter the score was 7-7.
The Panthers started the second quarter with a field goal from Caden Palmer, but it was all Coyotes after that. They scored on their next three drives to end the half, while the Panthers last three drives ended on a punt, turnover on downs and an interception. After the Panthers solid start to the game, things were not looking good going into the break. They trailed 28-10.
The Coyotes opened up the second half with another scoring drive, that was capped off by a 1 yard touchdown run from Charles Pierre Jr. The Panthers got back on the board on their next drive, when Schecklman threw a 50 yard touchdown pass to Jayden Ellis-Lahey. The Coyotes scored another touchdown late in the third quarter, to put the score at 42-17. That is where the score would remain throughout the rest of the game, and the Panthers lost their fourth game in a row. They now have a record of 2-4.
Bouman threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Coyotes, while Pierre Jr. ran for 105 and a touchdown. A.J. Coons and Galbreath each had 61 yards receiving and a touchdown. For the Panthers, Schecklman threw for 250 and had a touchdown, while Edwards ran for 53 yards and a touchdown. Hutson led the Panthers in receiving with 94 yards.
The Panthers will be on the road again next weekend, when they travel to Grand Forks, N.D. for a matchup with #9 North Dakota.
