CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – With two of the better defenses in the Missouri Valley Football Conference squaring off Saturday, it came as no surprise that yards and points were hard to come by for No. 15 Illinois State and No. 3 Northern Iowa. The Panthers (2-1) limited the Redbirds to 185 yards of total offense in the contest and came away with a 20-10 victory over the Redbirds (0-2) at the UNI Dome.
How It Happened:
•   UNI quarterback Will McElvain scored the first touchdown of the game on an 11-yard run on the Panthers' first drive of the game to give them the early 7-0 lead.
•   A 43-yard field goal by Matthew Cook five minutes later extended the UNI lead to 10-0 with 6:17 left in the first quarter.
•   Aidan Bresnahan answered Cook's make with a 43-yarder of his own just over a minute into the second quarter to cut the UNI lead to 10-3.
•   The Redbird defense then came up big to tie the game, as linebacker Kenton Wilhoit jumped in front of McElvain's pass and returned the interception 29 yards for the touchdowns to make it 10-10 with 2:22 left before halftime.
•   The two teams traded punts for the majority of the third quarter before Cook's 44-yard field goal two minutes into the fourth quarter gave the Panthers a three-point advantage at 13-10.
•   A Tyler Hoosman 13-yard touchdown run with 3:24 left in the game put UNI up 20-10 and they would hold on for the victory.
Game Notes: Â Â
•   Quarterback Bryce Jefferson led the Redbirds on the ground with 60 yards rushing and Pha'leak Brown added 42 yards on 11 carries for ISU.Â
•   JT Bohlken averaged 41.2 yards per punt in the defensive battle for the Redbirds, with three punts inside the 20-yard line and a long of 51 yards.
•   Safety Iverson Brown posted a career-best six tackles to tie for the team lead with defensive tackle John Ridgeway, who also added a TFL for the Redbirds.
•   Wilhoit's interception was the first of his career and the pick six now gives the Redbirds at least one defensive touchdown in each of head coach Brock Spack's seasons at the helm of the program.
•   Defensive lineman Josh Dinga also recorded his second career sack in the game for ISU.
•   Cornerback Charles Woods was tough all day, recording three pass breakups in the contest.
Up Next:
The Redbirds will continue their tough road swing with a trip to Fargo, North Dakota, to take on the defending national champion North Dakota State Bison (3-1), with kickoff slated for 2:30 p.m. at the FargoDome.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
