Iowa State beats UNI, 31-7

The UNI football team battled Iowa State under the lights at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, falling to the Cyclones, 31-7, Saturday evening (Sept. 5, 2015).

Aaron Bailey started at quarterback for the Panthers, going 11-19-1 for 114 yards and one touchdown. The junior added a team-leading 85 rushing yards on 22 carries with Tyvis Smith contributing seven carries for 37 yards in his first collegiate start. Darrian Miller led the team in receiving yards with 58.

On the defensive side of the ball, UNI was led in tackles by senior captain Deiondre’ Hall who brought in nine total, two forced fumbles and one tackle for loss. De’Angelo Jennings racked up a career-high eight tackles in his first start at linebacker while Karter Schlut also had eight, including two sacks for a loss of 11 yards.

After both teams went scoreless in the first quarter, including a missed 38-yard field goal from the Cyclones, UNI jumped on the board with 11:57 left in the second quarter on a 19-yard receiving touchdown from newcomer Savon Huggins. Bailey found the Rutgers transfer for a short pass down the middle, capping an eight-play, 87-yard drive that burned 2:54 off the clock.

Iowa State didn’t waste much time to even the score, making it 7-7 with 7:44 left in the quarter. Cyclone running back Joshua Thomas scored on a one-yard rush after a 38-yard drive for five plays, taking 2:44 off the clock.

After two misses in the first and second quarters, the Cyclones were able to convert on a 24-yard field goal with 2:40 left in the half to take a 10-7 lead. The seven play drive lasted 2:33 for 20 yards.

Iowa State tacked on 14 more points in the third quarter, building its lead to 24-7. Quarterback Sam Richardson linked up with Dondre Daley for a 36-yard touchdown at the 10:05 mark, followed by a 13-yard pass to Allen Lazard with less than two minutes left.

The Cyclones scored the final points of the game with three minutes remaining in the game when Trever Ryen returned a punt 81-yards for a touchdown.

A sell-out crowd of 61,500 at an expanded Jack Trice Stadium was the largest in the facility's history.

Iowa State and UNI both play at home on Saturday. The Cyclones host the Iowa Hawkeyes at 3 p.m., while the Panthers entertain 6th-ranked Eastern Washington at 1 p.m. inside the UNI-Dome.