The Panthers traveled to South Dakota on Saturday to take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Proving to be up to the challenge of their 4-1 opponents, the Panthers trampled the Jackrabbits with a final score of 38-18. Individual performances from Marcus Weymiller on offense and Neal Rickey on defense made a huge difference.

With over double the possession time of their opponents, the Panthers defense did a great job keeping the ball out of the hands of their opponents’ quarterback, and drew three turnovers. Additionally, the Panthers’ pass rush was able to sack Taryn Christion twice and land two hits on him.

Rickey earned a sack, three tackles, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. This is coming off a performance last week where Rickey enjoyed another two sack effort. These are great numbers from a pass rush which struggled to get to opposing quarterbacks early in the season.

Offensively, Eli Dunne had a low turnover count and did not throw a single interception. He racked up 169 yards through the air and threw two touchdowns. This was backed up by a strong offensive line that only allowed Dunne to be sacked once and hit twice. This is far below the average of 4.8 hits/sacks per game UNI has averaged through the first five games of the season.

Daurice Fountain managed another good week, topped off by a fourth quarter touchdown that extended the Panthers’ lead. Fountain has managed 100+ yards or a touch down in all games this season besides one. He quickly rose as Dunne’s number one target, catching more passes and being targetted by Dunne more than any other receiver.

One player on the Panthers’ offense that doesn’t get enough credit is sophomore kicker Sam Drysdale. Drysdale is perfect on extra points and has enjoyed great success, hitting field goals from over 40 yards this season.

After a poor running game performance last week, the Panthers put on their best performance of the year on the ground, totaling 232 yards on 60 carries with three touchdowns. Marcus Weymiller led the team with 174 yards on 42 carries and two touchdowns. This was his first start of the season.

Up next for the Panthers is an at home battle versus the Youngstown State Penguins at the UNI-Dome.

Youngstown State has the same record as the Panthers at 3-3 and almost dethroned undefeated North Dakota State last week at 27-24.

Youngstown State has blown out opponents by over 50+ points this season and look very threatening on the ground. Last week looked tough for the Panthers and they came out on top. Next week’s game will be  played at home at the UNI Dome;  kickoff is set for 1 p.m.