TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- In Curt Mallory's rebuild of Indiana State's program, it is evident progress has been made. And for 30 minutes Thursday night at Memorial Stadium, the Sycamores were within striking distance of No. 21 Northern Iowa.
 
But the rebuild is still in progress, as evidenced by the missed connections. Indiana State (2-2, 0-1 Missouri Valley Football) dropped a 33-0 decision to No. 21 Northern Iowa (2-2, 1-0) Thursday night in front of a vocal crowd of 5,487 fans. 
 
The Sycamores gained nearly 300 yards but were set back 84 yards on nine penalties and converted just one third down in 14 attempts. ISU's best chance for a score came in the first half after Stephon Mayes forced a fumble and Jamal Jones recovered the ball. Junior Jerry Nunez was sent out for a 34-yard field goal, but the try was wide right.
 
That stalled an impressive drive as Indiana State drove 74 yards in 11 plays spanning 5:02. It thwarted the only red zone opportunity for the Trees as UNI only led 6-0 at that point.
 
The Panthers would score on their next four possessions, led by the 16-for-24 performance for Eli Dunne, passing for 218 yards.
 
The Panthers used a steady rushing attack to tire the Sycamore front seven, running 51 times on the night for 265 yards in total. Leading the way for UNI was running back Trevor Allen who finished with a pair of touchdowns on 180 yards on the ground. Marcus Weymiller added 90 yards on 20 attempts for UNI.
 
UNI added a 19-yard pick-six from Duncan Ferch in the fourth quarter after a muffed return on a punt put the Sycamores five yards from their own end zone.
 
Redshirt senior Katrell Moss finished with a team high 12 tackles and a tackle-for-loss while Jamal Jones also recorded double-digit stops with 11 tackles, including eight solo tackles. Stephon Mayes had four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the second quarter.
 
Ja'Quan Keys led the rushing charge with 76 yards on 16 carries. Christian Covington, Titus McCoy and Ryan Boyle also added 20+ yards on the ground.
 
Dante Hendrix caught five passes for 76 yards for the Sycamores while Rontrez Morgan was the only other Sycamore to record multiple catches with two.
 
Indiana State returns to action Saturday, October 6 with a trip to Brookings, S.D. to take on No. 3 South Dakota State in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET from Dykhouse Stadium.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.