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Indiana State University Athletics

Defense UNI
23
Indiana St. INS 2-7 , 0-5
45
Winner UNI UNI 4-4 , 3-2
Indiana St. INS
2-7 , 0-5
23
Final
45
UNI UNI
4-4 , 3-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
INS Indiana St. 3 6 7 7 23
UNI UNI 3 14 7 21 45

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

Northern Iowa pulls away from Indiana State late in MVFC action

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Indiana State was unable to convert the key plays when they needed to the most on Saturday afternoon as the Sycamores fell to host Northern Iowa inside the UNI-Dome, 45-23.
 
The Sycamores (2-7, 0-5) moved the ball down to the UNI 2-yard line at the end of the first half, but a fumbled snap on the final play of the opening 30 minutes resulted in Indiana State unable to convert and gave the Panthers (4-3, 3-2) the 17-9 first half lead.
 
Indiana State's first drive of the second half was similar fashion as the Sycamores moved the ball inside the UNI 25-yard line, but penalties backed the offense up and a 41-yard field goal sailed wide to keep the score the same. Later in the contest, the Sycamores moved the ball into the middle of the field midway in the fourth quarter, but the 4th Down pass went through the receiver's hands and into the arms of UNI safety Calvin Jaworski for a 60-yard pick-six to stretch the lead to 45-23.
 
UNI, meanwhile, utilized the two-headed running back scheme of Christian Collins (11 carries, 107 yards, 2 TD) and Xavier Terrell (16 carries, 103 yards, 2 TD) to gain 240 yards in the contest. Terrell scored both his rushing touchdowns in the second half with his 38-yard carry stretching the lead back out to 38-23 with 4:06 to play in the game.
 
The Sycamore offense had one final push at the end as Indiana State moved the ball down to the UNI 2-yard line late in the game. However, the UNI pass rush forced an errant throw into the end zone and the Panthers were able to kneel the ball and run the clock out to secure the MVFC win.
 
Elijah Owens, making his first appearance since Sept. 19, 2026, against Valparaiso, finished with a career-high 313 passing yards and two touchdowns, while adding 24 carries for 122 yards and a score on the ground. It marked his first collegiate 300-yard passing game and fourth career 100-yard rushing effort.
 
Jayden Reed recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of the 2026 season with nine catches for 138 yards, while KeShon Singleton and Max McCool both hauled in receiving touchdowns in the game.

Braxton Sampson finished with a team-high 13 tackles for his second double-digit tackling game in as many weeks. Devin Johnson added nine stops, while Peter Eyabi added a sack. Arison Walker recorded his second interception on the season.
 
How They Scored
  • Sebastian Lopez put the Sycamores up 3-0 early with a 22-yard field goal with 5:12 remaining in the first quarter to cap a 14-play, 76-yard drive highlighted by a 25-yard pass from Elijah Owens to BJ Wuest to move the ball inside the UNI 10.
  • The Panthers tied the game up at 3-3 with 23 seconds remaining in the quarter on a Blake Pankratz 24-yard field goal.
  • UNI went up 10-3 with 8:43 remaining in the second quarter as Christian Collins scored on a 15-yard carry.
  • The Sycamores put their first touchdown on the board with 4:45 remaining in the first half as Elijah Owens found KeShon Singleton for an 18-yard touchdown pass, but the kick failed to make it a 10-9 game.
  • UNI added to the lead in the second quarter as Jaxon Dailey found Taj Hughes for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 1:09 remining in the second quarter to make it a 17-9 halftime lead.
  • The Panthers added to the score with 3:47 left in the third quarter as Xavier Terrell scored on a nine-yard carry to put the game at 24-9.
  • Max McCool hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Elijah Owens with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter to cap an eight-play, 84-yard drive highlighted by a 34-yard completion from Owens to Jayden Reed down the right sideline to make it a 24-16 game.
  • Christian Collins broke loose for a 30-yard touchdown carry with 13:13 remaining in the fourth quatrer to stretch the UNI lead back to 31-16.
  • Elijah Owens called his own number with the two-yard quarterback keeper to end a 13-play, 75-yard drive with 8:49 remaining in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 31-23.
  • Xavier Terrell broke loose for his second touchdown run of the game on a 38-yard TD carry to make it a 38-23 score with 4:06 remaining in the game.
  • Calvin Jaworski hauled in the bobbled pass over the middle and returned the ball 60 yards for a pick-six with 2:34 remaining to provide the final 45-23 scoring margin.
News & Notes
  • Elijah Owens was back on the field for the first time since suffering an injury against Valparaiso back on September 19, 2026.
  • Owens recorded his first 100-yard rushing effort with a season-high 24 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown on Saturday afternoon.
  • It marked Owens' fourth 100-yard rushing game of his collegiate career and first since carrying the ball for 107 yards and two scores back on November 23, 2024, at Northern Iowa.
  • Saturday afternoon marked Owens' first career 300-yard passing game after going 27-of-47 for 313 yards.
  • Jayden Reed continues to produce as the freshman wide receiver tied his season-high with nine receptions, while adding 138 yards. It marked his third 100-yard receiving effort.
  • Jayden Reed has recorded 37 catches for 550 yards over the five MVFC games played this season.
  • Willy Suarez hauled in a season-high five receptions for 37 yards while adding two carries for seven yards.
  • Braxton Sampson recorded his second consecutive double-digit tackling effort with a team-high 13 stops.
  • Arison Walker recorded his second interception of the 2026 season and first since his pick-off on September 19 against Valparaiso.
  • Peter Eyabi tied for the team lead with his sack in the second quarter, giving him 2.5 sacks in the 2026 season to tie with Alex Rose (2.5).
  • Indiana State posted 473 total offensive yards (313 passing, 160 rushing) to out-gain the Panthers (438) in the contest.
  • The Sycamores added a season-high 31 first downs, setting a new mark in the Curt Mallory era and surpassing the previous high of 30 set at Murray State on Sept. 30, 2023.
Postgame Press Conference

 
Up Next
Indiana State heads home on Saturday, November 7, to take on Southern Illinois at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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