UNI Athletics
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics)- No. 11/9 North Dakota fell, 27-0, to Northern Iowa inside the UNI-Dome on Saturday. It marks the first time UND was shutout since Sept. 13, 2014 (L, 0-38 vs. Missouri State).
Theo Day led the Northern Iowa (4-3, 3-1 MVFC) offensive attack, going 13-for-22 passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Sam Schnee was his top target with five grabs for 90 yards. Sergio Morancy also had one reception for 70-yards – a touchdown late in the first half.
The Panther backfield rushed 41 times for 163 yards and a touchdown. Amauri Pesek-Hickson was the top back with 31 touches for 180 yards and a 14-yard rushing touchdown.
Tommy Schuster almost had another 20-completion day for UND (4-3, 2-2 MVFC), finishing 17-for-28 for 164 yards. Caden Denis recorded a team-high 70 yards on two catches, while Bo Belquist finished with four grabs for 29 yards.
In the game, North Dakota was limited to 187 yards of offense with 172 yards passing and only 15 yards rushing. Comparatively, Northern Iowa had 402 offensive yards, highlighted by 239 yards through the air.
Northern Iowa led 17-0 at intermission. On its opening drive, North Dakota made it down to the UNI 30 before a fumble ended that possession. Seven plays later, Pesek-Hickson scored on a 14-yard rush to put UNI up 7-0. Northern Iowa extended its lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter with a 30-yard field goal from the leg of Matthew Cook. With under four minutes left in the half, Day found Morancy for a 70-yard touchdown pass to push the Panther lead to 17-0.
The Panthers scored 10 points in the second half. Brady McCullough scored a touchdown on a two-yard pass in the third quarter, while Cook made a 35-yarder late in the fourth quarter to bring the final tally to 27-0.
North Dakota will return home to host Indiana State next Saturday. Kickoff between UND and ISU is slated for 1 p.m. inside the Alerus Center. The game will be televised on Midco Sports Two and carried on the Home of Economy Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- With the result, Northern Iowa now holds a 26-14 series lead all-time.
- NoDak was shutout for the first time since Sept. 13, 2014 (L, 0-38 vs. Missouri State).
- North Dakota’s last win on the road was Nov. 5, 2022 (at Indiana State, W 42-7).
- Since joining the MVFC, UND is 3-9 on the road and 12-2 at home in conference games.
- UND missed a field goal in the red-zone midway through the second quarter, ending a five-game streak of scoring a touchdown on each trip to the red-zone. Prior to the missed field goal, North Dakota scored touchdowns on 21-straight trips.
- NoDak finished 0-for-2 in the red-zone.
- Malachi McNeal paced the Fighting Hawk defense with 11 total tackles (five solo) and a pass breakup.
- The UNI defense finished with four sacks (39 yards) in the game.
- For the first time this season, UND finished with a negative turnover margin (-2.0).
How It Happened
First Quarter
6:00 – UNI | Amauri Pesek-Hickson scores on a 14-yard rush. (Matthew Cook kick). 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:47.
Second Quarter
11:40 – UNI | Cook connects on a 30-yard field goal. 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:29.
3:40 – UNI | Sergio Morancy scores on a 70-yard pass from Theo Day. 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:41.
Third Quarter
9:06 – UNI | Brady McCullough scores on a two-yard pass from Day. 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:21.
Fourth Quarter
2:30 – UNI | Cook connects on a 35-yard field goal. 7 plays, 17 yards, 4:12.
Game Recap: Football | 10/21/2023 7:41:00 PM | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com
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