UNI football vs. South Dakota: Live stream, 3 keys to the game, score prediction (Oct. 12, 2024)

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa faces its second of six straight ranked Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents on Saturday when it plays at No. 4 South Dakota.

UNI (2-3, 0-1) enters Saturday’s game at the DakotaDome with a 31-20-1 lead in the series and a 10-3 record in Coach Mark Farley’s tenure. But the Panthers are on a three-game losing streak.

South Dakota (4-1, 2-0) is coming off a 59-0 win at Murray State. The Coyotes have outscored opponents 188-19 in their four wins this season, with their only loss coming in week two at Wisconsin, 27-13.

USD has the MVFC’s top-ranked offense and defense, scoring 40.2 points per game and allowing just 9.2.

The Coyotes are led on offense by running backs Travis Theis and Charles Pierre Jr., who rank first and second, respectively, in the MVFC in rushing yards per game and have combined for 17 total touchdowns.

South Dakota’s top-ranked defense is headlined by senior defensive lineman Nick Gaes. The Alta native was a first-team All-MVFC preseason honoree and ranks second in the conference with 4 1/2 sacks this season.

Here are three keys to victory for the Panthers.

1. Back to basics

After two interceptions, two fumbles and a punt block that was returned for a touchdown in last week’s loss to No. 1 South Dakota State, the Panthers simply need to protect the football and execute better to create an opportunity to win.

With another top-five opponent awaiting, and four more top-25 opponents after South Dakota, the Panthers must find their way back to playing sound football before their season gets into a tailspin impossible to get out of.

2. Quarterback quandary continues

Farley opted for his more experienced signal caller last week, but Aidan Dunne was pulled from a third straight game in the second half for backup Matthew Schecklman.

Farley didn’t commit to a starter at his Monday news conference, but said a decision would be made before Tuesday’s practice and that quarterback would get all the repetitions with the No. 1 offense this week.

If Schecklman gets his first start this Saturday and doesn’t clearly play better than Dunne, UNI’s quarterback quandary will persist into the second half of the season.

3. Tipping point tilt

Win or lose, a much cleaner, competitive game is desperately needed for these Panthers.

They’ve been outscored 111-13 in their three-game losing streak and continue to have more questions than answers entering Week 7.

Look hard enough and there were a few positives from the lopsided loss to South Dakota State, but three straight games of having to look hard for positives is no way to make a living in college football.

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Farley said all the right things this week with regard to the team’s shortcomings and what’s necessary from all involved to get things right, but time is running out to demonstrate results on the field before playoff chances evaporate.

UNI at South Dakota

Kickoff time: 2 p.m. (CT)

Streaming: ESPN+

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

Prediction: South Dakota 27, UNI 14