UNI football vs. Indiana State game time, live stream, score prediction and analysis

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa travels to Terre Haute, Ind., for its Missouri Valley Football Conference road opener Saturday night at Indiana State.

UNI is 30-5 all-time against the Sycamores, 13-4 at Memorial Stadium and won the last matchup, 20-14, at the UNI-Dome in 2022.

Picked 10th in the MVFC’s preseason poll, Indiana State (0-4, 0-1) is coming off a 30-28 loss at Murray State in its MVFC opener. In its three non-conference games against Eastern Illinois, Indiana and Ball State, the Sycamores were outscored 113-14.

Despite its struggles, Indiana State seemed to get a boost from the return of quarterback Cade Chambers against the Racers last week. Chambers — the 2022 MVFC freshman of the year — completed 15 of 27 passes for 159 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his return from injury.

Here are three keys to victory for the Panthers.

1. Timely defense

UNI’s defense has allowed 30.5 points per game so far this season.

Needless to say there have been breakdowns, a lack of pass rush and not the amount of takeaways Coach Mark Farley expects.

Look close enough and incremental improvement is happening. There’s also something to be said for the Panthers defense clamping down when it had to the past two games. Two fourth-quarter stops against Youngstown State last week set the table for a comeback win.

Saturday’s game against Indiana State presents UNI its best opportunity on paper, so far, to take a big step forward defensively. At a minimum the Panthers defense must continue to prove that it can get stops when they’re needed most.

2. Playable play-action

All-America quarterback Theo Day is averaging just over 300 yards passing per game this season, while the Panthers run game is averaging 97.5 yards per game.

UNI’s ground game has ranged from poor to good through four games, which probably lands it a description of “adequate” overall.

Given Day’s ability, the Panthers don’t need to become a juggernaut on the ground to be a great team, but they will need their run game to be good enough to make defenses honestly defend the play-action pass.

Protection issues have largely been cleaned up the past two games. Next on the list for UNI’s offense is making progress with its run game to keep the play-action pass playable.

3. Pass the test

Whether it's what needs to be cleaned up on offense, defense or special teams, this week’s game against a struggling Indiana State team is one the Panthers shouldn’t have much trouble with.

Along with a convincing win, UNI needs to demonstrate it continues to clean up the errors that persist in its three phases. Especially with a trip to top-ranked South Dakota State on the schedule next week.

How to watch UNI at Indiana State (Oct. 7, 2023)

Kickoff time: 6 p.m. (CT)

Live stream: ESPN+

Prediction: UNI 41 Indiana State 17