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Indiana State University Athletics

basinger_UNI
14
Indiana St. INS 1-3 , 0-1
20
Winner UNI UNI 2-3 , 2-1
Indiana St. INS
1-3 , 0-1
14
Final
20
UNI UNI
2-3 , 2-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
INS Indiana St. 0 3 3 8 14
UNI UNI 7 3 7 3 20

Game Recap: Football | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Sycamores drop hard-fought battle at UNI, 20-14

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Indiana State fell in a tough-fought battle inside the UNI-Dome to start Missouri Valley Football play on Saturday afternoon as the Sycamores dropped to Northern Iowa, 20-14.
 
Indiana State (1-3, 0-1 MVFC) had its chances throughout the contest as the Sycamores picked up a season-high 308 yards of total offense in the game. ISU took the ball into the red zone on five separate occasions picking up two field goals and Dawson Basinger's 20-yard touchdown carry in the fourth quarter that cut the UNI lead down to 17-14.
 
The Panthers (2-3, 2-1 MVFC) were able to milk the clock late with a 12-play, 57-yard drive culminating in a Matthew Cook 35-yard field goal to push the UNI lead back to 20-14.
 
The Sycamores had one final chance moving the ball near midfield as Gavin Screws connected on a 17-yard pass over the middle to Harry Van Dyne on 4th-and-9 to keep the drive alive. Faced with another 4th-and-long situation later in the drive, Screws' pass down the right sideline was picked off by Benny Sapp to seal the UNI victory.
 
Gavin Screws posted a season-best 18-for-28 line for 174 yards and an interception as the Sycamores unveiled a three-quarterback attack on the Panthers on Saturday. Cade Chambers was 1-for-2 for 31 yards, while adding five carries in short-yardage situations, while Evan Olaes added snaps in the contest.
 
Justin Dinka recorded his second consecutive 70-plus yard rushing game as the redshirt sophomore toted the ball 14 times for 71 yards. Dante Hendrix added seven catches for 90 yards through the air, while Dakota Caton added a career-high six catches for 71 yards.
 
Defensively, Geoffrey Brown recorded his second double-digit tackle game of the 2022 season with 10 stops, including two sacks. Rylan Cole added nine tackles and an interception, while Ethan Hoover added six solo tackles in the loss.
 
Theo Day guided the Panthers offense with a 14-for-24 day through the air for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Alex Allen was his favorite target on the day finishing with four catches for 61 yards and a score, while Dom Williams (11 carries, 64 yards) and Vance McShane (10 carries, 57 yards) were the team's rushing leaders.
 
Spencer Cuvelier paced the UNI defense with 11 tackles on the game, while Bryce Flater added nine stops. Three separate Panthers recorded sacks on the day led by Devin Rice's sack and 2.0 tackles for loss.
 
How They Scored
  • Theo Day gave UNI the 7-0 lead at the 11:19 mark in the first quarter with a six-yard touchdown run to put Northern Iowa on the board. His score capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive that included a conversion on 3rd-and-15 deep in the UNI territory.
  • Ryan O'Grady cut the lead down to 7-3 as the freshman connected on the 31-yard field goal to start the second quarter. His conversion closed out a 19-play, 62-yard drive that spanned 11:24 on the play clock.
  • Matthew Cook added to the UNI lead with a 39-yard field goal attempt just before the halftime break to put the Panthers ahead 10-3. His connection capped a Panther drive that spanned 11 plays and covered 58 yards.
  • The Panthers went ahead 17-3 with 8:43 remaining in the third quarter as Day found Alex Adams up the left seam for an 18-yard touchdown pass. The score capped a nine-play, 92-yard drive.
  • Stephen Ruiz connected on a 32-yard field goal at the 4:09 mark to cut the UNI lead down to 17-6 and cap a nine-play, 60-yard drive.
  • Dawson Basinger battled his way through a pair of tackles at the five-yard line and took the ball into the end zone on a 20-yard score to cut the UNI lead down to 17-12 with 7:41 to play in the fourth quarter. Gavin Screws found Justin Dinka in the end zone for the two-point conversion to make it 17-14 and capped the 14-play, 79-yard drive.
  • Cook put the Panthers back on the board with a 35-yard field goal at the 1:44 mark in the fourth quarter to stretch the UNI lead back to 20-14 following the 12-play drive.
Inside the Numbers
  • Indiana State posted a season-best 308 total offensive yards on the day over 69 offensive plays.
  • The Sycamores held onto the ball for a season-best 35:02 and converted 7-of-16 third down attempts.
  • ISU also posted season-highs in first downs (20) and passing yards (205).
  • Indiana State had five drives that encompassed eight or more plays, including a 19-play, 62-yard drive that spanned 11:24 in the first half and resulted in a Ryan O'Grady 31-yard field goal.
  • UNI finished with 321 yards of total offense, including 141 yards on the ground while posting 23 first downs.
  • The Panthers converted 5-of-9 on third downs and were a perfect 3-for-3 in red zone scoring.
News & Notes
  • Dante Hendrix tied former Sycamore great Robert Tonyan Jr. with his 150th career reception in the first quarter. The redshirt senior surpassed Tonyan with a 32-yard reception on the first play of the third quarter to move into sole possession of second-place all-time in career receptions at Indiana State.
  • Hendrix trails just Sam Logan (196 receptions, 2003-06) in ISU's career annals. He finished the day with 155 career receptions with seven games to play in the 2022 regular season, while his 90 yards were a season-best.
  • Dakota Caton also posted season-highs on Saturday afternoon as the redshirt junior hauled in a career-high six passes for 71 yards.
  • Indiana State's 19-play, 11:24-minute drive spanning the first quarter is the longest of the 2022 season.
  • Geoffrey Brown became the first Sycamore in recent history with sacks on back-to-back plays in the second quarter giving the sophomore linebacker 2.0 sacks for the 2022 season.
  • Brown become the seventh Sycamore in the Curt Mallory coaching era to post two or more sacks in a single game and the second player this season (Kris Reid Jr., 2.5 sacks vs. North Alabama).
  • Rylan Cole recorded his team-leading third interception of the 2022 season in the second quarter to end a UNI drive in Indiana State territory. The sophomore safety was out of the action against Montana due to injury but returned to the lineup on Saturday against the Panthers and secured the one-handed snag for the turnover.
  • The Sycamores recorded their first successful onside kick of the 2022 campaign in the third quarter as Stephen Ruiz and Johnathan Edwards caught the Panthers napping following Ruiz's 32-yard field goal. Edwards outran the UNI player to the ball near midfield to set up another Sycamore field goal attempt.
Up Next
Indiana State continues Missouri Valley Football play next weekend as the Sycamores return home to Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 8, to welcome No. 1/1 North Dakota State. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Bison is set for 1 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
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