UNI football at St. Thomas: Live stream, 3 keys to the game, score prediction (Sept. 7, 2024)

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa plays its first road game Saturday at St. Thomas — its fourth meeting all-time against the Tommies.

Picked second in the Pioneer Football League’s preseason poll, St. Thomas (0-1) is in its fourth season in the FCS after being involuntarily removed from the Division-III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference due to “athletic competitive parity.”

The Tommies finished the 2023 season 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the PFL, but stumbled in their season opener with a 34-13 loss to Division-II Sioux Falls, snapping an NCAA-best 31-game winning streak at home.

St. Thomas offensive lineman Alec Rasmussen and running back Hope Adebayo were both named to the preseason All-PFL team, but were part of week 1 run game struggles that amounted to just 22 yards in 16 attempts.

Here are three keys to victory for the Panthers (1-0).

1. Run it back

UNI’s game plan last week to lean on its run game against Valparaiso proved to be wise as it eclipsed 300 yards rushing for the first time since the 2016 season.

With the talent the Panthers possess on their offensive line and at running back, there’d be little reason to not bring the same game plan to St. Thomas this week.

Add to it that the Tommies gave up 204 yards rushing to Sioux Falls last week and it’s probably safe to say UNI gets off the bus running in St. Paul on Saturday.

2. Speed vs. size

While St. Thomas is similar to Valparaiso as a member of the non-scholarship PFL, it’s dissimilar in the talent it’s typically had on its roster.

The Tommies roster has regularly been among the most talented in the PFL since joining in 2022 and that also includes more size than its counterparts.

So, while UNI’s undersized defensive line was able to dominate the Beacons, the challenge will be greater against St. Thomas and should offer an early glimpse of whether its speed is good enough to overcome the Tommies’ size.

3. ‘Air Raid’ progress

The matchup against Valparaiso required little of the dynamic passing concepts within UNI’s “Air Raid” scheme, but it will be important to see progress from its passing game and quarterback Aidan Dunne against St. Thomas.

The strength of the Panthers’ schedule ratchets up considerably after this week, so finding more plays Dunne and the offense are comfortable with and allowing the first-year starting quarterback to be aggressive will likely pay off in the week’s to come.

UNI at St. Thomas (Sept. 7, 2024)

Kickoff time: 1 p.m. (CT)

Live stream: Midco Sports Plus ($9.99/month)

TV: None

Radio: 93.5 The Mix (App available), Panther Sports Radio Network (via TuneIn)

Prediction: UNI 38, St. Thomas 17