CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI’s Dom Williams scored four touchdowns and amassed 101 rushing yards on 17 carries to help lead Northern Iowa past visiting Missouri State, 41-20, here Saturday in Missouri Valley Football Conference action.
The Bears tried to overcome a slow start and managed to cut into an early 17-point deficit on two occasions. But, Williams and UNI quarterback Theo Day managed to frustrate Missouri State most of the afternoon, converting 8-of-13 third-down opportunities and converting big gains when they needed them most.
Day finished 22-of-37 for 291 yards, while the Panthers amassed 522 yards of total offense and 31 first downs.
For its part, Missouri State opened the second half with new life, forcing UNI into a three-and-out on its first series before a long punt return by Naveon Mitchell set the Bears up in the red zone at the UNI 20. Four plays later, Trae Thompson punched it in from one yard out to get the Bears within 24-14 at the 11:56 mark of the third quarter.
But Williams and UNI put the Bears out of reach on their next two possessions, capping a 75-yard scoring drive with a two-yard Williams run before UNI recovered a Shelley fumble in the red zone and later converted MSU’s second turnover into seven more points. A 10-yard Williams rush punctuated an 85-yard Panthers scoring drive that followed to lead 38-14 with 14:56 to play.
MSU kept fighting, and on its next drive, Shelley converted a pair of fourth-down plays to maintain the sequence before pitching the ball left to Jacardia Wright for a six-yard touchdown rush. The Bears’ two-point conversion attempt failed to make it 38-20. The scoring drive featured a 12-yard gain by Wright on fourth-and-one as well as a 17-yard pass to Ty Scott on fourth-and-four.
However, the Panthers would tack on a 35-yard Matt Cook field goal with just over four minutes to play, and MSU turned it over on downs on its final possession of the game.
It marked Missouri State’s first loss to UNI since 2019.
Shelley finished 16-of-22 for 151 yards and a touchdown, while Wright carried 15 times for 61 yards. Scott was MoState’s top receiver, carding 59 yards on 4 receptions.
Todric McGree had a career-high 12 tackles for the Bears, while Ferrin Manuleleua brought down 10 ball carriers, giving him double-figure tackles in consecutive outings.
Shelley extended his school record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass – now at 12 – and was sacked five times.
In the opening half, UNI built a 24-7 lead at the midway point behind 278 yards of total offense and five third-down conversions.
The Panthers intercepted Shelley’s first pass of the game and turned it into seven points on the next play. A pick by Stefan Black at the MSU 7-yard line set up a Williams touchdown rush less than a minute into the contest.
The Bears punted on their next drive, and UNI went to Williams again to do the heavy lifting as he carried seven times for 30 yards on the drive, ultimately punching it in from a yard out to make it 14-0 at the 6:40 mark of the opening period.
UNI then made it 17-0 midway through the second quarter, chewing up more than seven minutes on the sequence before a 35-yard field goal by Cook capped off the 15-play, 89-yard march.
The Bears then got back into the contest for the first time, as Shelley went 5-for-5 on the ensuing drive before hitting Mitchell for a 7-yard touchdown strike to make it 17-7. The Mitchell reception was preceded by key passes to Lance Mason (13 yards), Terique Owens (15 yards), Kevon Latulas (7 yards) and Ty Scott (11 yards) on the march. The eight-play scoring series got MSU back within 10 with just over four minutes left in the half.
But the Panthers had a back-breaking score just before the intermission as Day eluded a sack from Kevin Ellis to complete a 27-yard touchdown pass to Sergio Morancy with just 4 seconds left in the stanza. The seven-play scoring drive made it a 24-7 game at the midway point.
Williams’ four-score day marked the first Bears’ foe to reach that milestone since 2019. Logan Wolf had 6 receptions for 112 yards to lead UNI’s receiving corps.
The Bears return to Plaster Stadium for a homecoming matchup with Western Illinois next Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).
