UNI clicks at Carbondale

Not that they want to build a summer home there, but Carbondale, Ill., suddenly seems a lot nicer place for No. 12 Northern Iowa after the Panthers trashed No. 22 Southern Illinois, 40-21, Saturday.

It marked the first time Northern Iowa had won in Carbondale since 1996, breaking an eight-game losing streak.

Northern Iowa (7-4, 5-2 MVFC) rolled to a 27-0 lead midway through the third quarter, led by an opportunistic defense and special teams.

An interception by Max Busher set up a 1-yard TD by David Johnson in the second quarter. Tim Kilfoy had a 7-yard pick-six right before halftime.

Tate Omli forced and recovered a fumble in the end zone on a botched punt to make it 27-0.

Southern Illinois (6-5, 3-4) had only 65 rushing yards (1.5 per attempt) but threw for 289 yards.

Jake Farley led the Panthers with 15 tackles. Brett McMakin had a sack and two tackles for loss.

The Salukis outgained the Panthers 354 yards to 284 and had 24 first downs to 13, but Northern Iowa made the most of its chances.

Brion Carnes was 18 of 28 passing for 169 yards with touchdown passes to Brett LeMaster and Braden Lehman. Johnson had 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

The Salukis trailed 40-7 before adding a pair of touchdowns late in the fourth quarter. Cameron Walter had 13 receptions for 90 yards, and MyCole Pruitt had nine catches for 72 yards and two scores for Southern Illinois.

UNI closes the regular season with Senior Day at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, against Missouri State (4-7, 1-6) in the UNI-Dome at Cedar Falls.