UNI football vs. South Dakota State: TV, live stream, 3 keys to the game, prediction

CEDAR FALLS — Having won five of its last six games and three in a row, the Northern Iowa football team has reentered the playoff picture.

It can give its chances of an at-large berth a massive boost with a win Saturday over No. 1 South Dakota State.

Picked second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s preseason poll, the Jackrabbits (8-1, 6-0) finished their 2021 season 11-4 overall and 5-3 in conference games, but fell short of the FCS championship game with a 31-17 semifinal loss at Montana State.

South Dakota State is led by its stingy defense that’s allowing just 15.1 points per game — best in the MVFC. The Jackrabbits’ 22 sacks rank second in the conference while their 12 interceptions rank first.

On offense, sophomore quarterback Mark Gronowski, along with running backs Isaiah Davis and Amar Johnson and wide receivers Jaxon and Jadon Janke, make up a balanced attack that keeps opposing defenses guessing.

The Jackrabbits are coming off a 49-7 win against Indiana State and suffered their only loss in Week 1, 7-3, at Iowa. UNI leads the all-time series against South Dakota State, 33-23-2.

Here are three keys for the Panthers (5-4, 4-2) against SDSU:

1. Three- and four-man pressure

Similar to last week’s first key, UNI’s defense that’s largely operated out of a three-man front for more than a month now must continue to find ways to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Since its move to a three-man front, the Panthers have routinely blitzed linebackers to bring a four-man rush, but haven’t gotten to the quarterback as much as Coach Mark Farley likely has had in mind.

Given the inconsistency UNI’s pass defense has displayed this season, there doesn’t seem to be a better game than this one to empty the playbook and be as diverse as ever with blitz schemes.

Calling on Edwin Dearman, Jevon Brekke, Korby Sander, Benny Sapp III, Woo Governor and Stefan Black to blitz at least once against the Jackrabbits could prove to be a gamble worth taking against the FCS’s top-ranked team.

2. A big test

An upset win against South Dakota State is going to require yet another banner performance from UNI’s top-ranked offense.

Panthers quarterback Theo Day told The Gazette this week he anticipates SDSU playing plenty of man coverage, but also acknowledged he expects to see things from the Jackrabbits defense that's not on film.

Saturday’s matchup offers UNI’s juggernaut of an offense its greatest test to date. It should be a great test of how well the Panthers’ approach of concerning themselves most with their own game plan and execution, versus paying too much mind to the opposing defense, works against the FCS’s best.

3. Cook-ing up some history

UNI placekicker Matthew Cook will move into first all-time in program history with his next made field goal and point after touchdown.

Cook’s next field goal, which will be the 65th of his career, also will be the most ever made in MVFC history.

What better way to put an exclamation point on a record than with a game-winning kick against the country’s top-ranked team? From around 55 yards and in, it's safe to say Cook could be the difference against the No. 1 Jackrabbits and make some history of his own while doing so.

UNI vs. South Dakota State

Where: UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls

Kickoff time: 4 p.m. (CT)

TV: KCRG 9.2

Live stream: ESPN+

Prediction: UNI 38, South Dakota State 31