Northern Iowa’s defense limited South Dakota to 81 yards and four first downs over the final three quarters to lead the 21st-ranked Panthers in a 20-7 win against the Coyotes Saturday at the UNI-Dome.
It was the second straight win for UNI (4-4, 2-3 MVFC), which limited South Dakota State to seven points last week. It was the first loss in three games for the Coyotes (4-4, 2-3), which play their next two games in Vermillion.
Panther quarterback Aaron Bailey passed for a career-high 231 yards on a day he was limited to 44 on the ground on 23 carries. He threw a 14-yard touchdown to Braden Lehman to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:31 left in the second quarter. He snuck in from a yard away on the next drive to put UNI ahead 14-7 with 3:32 to go before halftime.
South Dakota scored on a 23-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Ryan Saeger to Brandt Van Roekel with 1:25 left in the first quarter. It capped a 13-play, 81-yard drive that soaked up six minutes. Van Roekel caught six passes for a career-high 89 yards. He’s caught a touchdown in three of his last four games.
