UNI football losing streak now 6 after coming up short in shootout with Missouri State

CEDAR FALLS — No. 18-ranked Missouri State outdueled Northern Iowa, 49-42, Saturday at the UNI-Dome.

After spending nearly 2 1/2 quarters trading eight touchdowns, the Bears got the first of back-to-back touchdowns on a three play, 59-yard drive set up by Luke Dash’s 40-yard kickoff return.

Missouri State (6-2, 4-0) quarterback Jacob Clark — who finished 20-of-29 passing for 275 yards and three touchdowns — completed the first pass of the drive for a 45-yard gain to D’Vontae Key. Two plays later, Jacardia Wright scored on a 6-yard run for a 35-28 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Bears then forced UNI (2-6, 0-4) into its first and only three-and-out and quickly extended their lead lead to 42-28 with a six-play drive capped by Wright’s second rushing touchdown — a 13-yard run on first down.

“Evident we made progress on offense, but we’re just giving up too many points on defense,” UNI Coach Mark Farley said postgame. “Too many easy points, too many easy yards. There (was) a lot of progress, of course, on offense but at the same time we’re just giving up too many points on defense.”

The Panthers offense manufactured a counterpunch to the two-score difference, putting together a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an impressive 18-yard scrambling touchdown pass from Matthew Schecklman to Desmond Hutson early in the fourth.

Missouri State’s offense continued to flex its muscles, though, answering with what was essentially a sixth straight touchdown drive if not for a kneel down to end the first half.

Six plays before Clark threw a 1-yard touchdown to Connor Lair that re-extended the Bears’ lead to two possessions at 49-35, the senior quarterback evaded a UNI rush on third-and-6 near midfield and scrambled 17 yards for a critical first down.

“(Clark) scrambled the one (first down) in the fourth — we should have been off the field right there,” Farley said. “We got moved and we didn’t counterpunch on defense, but yet our offense countered all day long.”

A 28-yard Schecklman touchdown pass to Tysen Kershaw gave the Panthers a glimmer of hope with 44 seconds remaining. Trailing 49-42, Caden Palmer’s ensuing onside kick bounced out of bounds before Sergio Morancy could get his hands on it.

UNI’s losing streak extended to six games, the worst of Farley’s 24-year tenure.

“Proud of the offense, it was a shootout the whole game,” Hutson said. “We’re trying to get out of this freefall. It’s a brotherhood, man, some of these boys don’t get another homecoming and our team knew that. This one hurts. This is my last homecoming, I can’t come back.”

During the losing streak, the Panthers defense has allowed opponents to score 34, 36, 41, 42, 31 and 49 points. It allowed nine plays of 20 yards or more against the Bears’ high-powered offense.

“You look for answers and it’s obvious the explosive plays, man, (are) killing us,” Farley said. “At the same time, the wear and tear of you get to the fourth quarter with your defensive line who’s had to be out there the whole game, then you just don’t have the same pass rush you had earlier.”

Schecklman finished 20-for-30 with 270 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Tye Edwards gained 118 yards on 20 attempts and scored a touchdown and Kershaw led all receivers with a 96 yards on five receptions.

UNI travels to No. 1 North Dakota State (8-1, 5-0) next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+).