Western Illinois Spoils UNI’s Homecoming, 24-19

It was a disappointing Homecoming day in Cedar Falls. Returning to the UNI-Dome for the first time in 35 days, the UNI Panthers fell to Western Illinois, 24-19, on Saturday (Oct. 17, 2015).

After trailing 21-6 at halftime, the 12th-ranked Panthers (2-4 overall, 0-3 MVFC) scored 13 second half points and allowed only three, but fell to the Fighting Leathernecks in the end.

Sawyer Kollmorgen finished the game 12-25-1 for 94 yards while Aaron Bailey went 4-11-1 for 76 yards, adding 28 yards on the ground that included a five-yard rushing touchdown. Daurice Fountain led the team in receiving yards, bringing in four catches for 55 yards.

On defense, D'Shawn Dexter led the team with nine tackles, including seven solo and one tackle for loss. Karter Schult, Brett McMakin and Deiondre' Hall all turned in eight tackles each with McMakin adding a forced fumble and Hall grabbing a pick-six.

Western Illinois (4-2 overall, 3-0 MVFC) struck first, scoring on a 92-yard interception return touchdown with 5:43 left in the first quarter, taking a 7-0 lead. The pass from Kollmorgen was intended for Braden Lehman, but WIU free safety Aaron Diggs stepped in front of the pass for the pick-six.

The Fighting Leathernecks extended their lead to 14-0 at the 2:14 mark in the same quarter. Nikko Watson punched in a one-yard rushing touchdown, ending a 10-play, 64-yard drive that took 2:35 off the clock.

Senior Michael Schmadeke was able to put UNI on the scoreboard in the second quarter after he knocked in a 22-yard field goal to make the score 14-3 with 8:33 on the clock. The drive lasted 5:10 for 10 plays and 36 yards.

The Panthers continued to struggle against the WIU offense with Western Illinois tacking on seven more points with 5:45 left in the first half. Trenton Norvell found Joey Borsellino open in the end zone for the nine-yard pass, ending an eight-play, 81-yard drive to put the Fighting Leathernecks up 21-3.

UNI added to its score line with 56 seconds left in the half when Schmadeke converted on his second field goal of the game, converting on a 39-yarder. The field goal ended a 1:03 scoring drive for six plays and 13 yards after Makinton Dorleant and the Panther defense recovered a fumble on the WIU 49-yard-line.

The UNI defense stepped up in the third quarter with Hall notching his fourth-career pick-six, setting a new school in the process. Hall came up with a key play for the Panthers, intercepting a pass from Norvell on a 2-and-7 situation and returned it 32 yards to the end zone to cut the WIU lead to 21-13.

The Panthers continued to chip away at the Western Illinois lead, cutting it to 21-19 with 6:35 left to play in the game. Bailey took the quarterback reins in the second half and scored his fourth touchdown of the season on a five-yard rush. The drive lasted 6:11 for 15 plays and 74 yards.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Western Illinois defense and special teams controlled the rest of the fourth quarter, knocking in a 23-yard field goal and notching an interception in the final five minutes of the game. The Nathan Knuffman field goal ended a nine-play, 67-yard drive that secured the 24-19 win for the Fighting Leathernecks.

NEXT UP: The Panthers return to action when they travel to Brookings, S.D. to take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday, Oct. 24. The game is set to kick-off at 2 p.m.