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Big play replay: Although YSU’s defense played arguably its best game of the season, the Penguins will struggled to stomach what happened in the final seconds of the first half. YSU took a 10-7 lead with 27 seconds left in the second quarter, capping a 15-play, 85-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run by Jamaine Cook. But a long kickoff return gave UNI the ball at its own 39. Redshirt freshman Jared Lanpher then hit Brett LeMaster for a 30-yard pass to the 31 and Terrell Sinkfield for a 31-yard TD pass on the next play. The two plays took 12 seconds and gave the Panthers a 14-10 halftime lead.
Rennie sits: UNI senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie sat out with an ankle injury, giving Lanpher his first start. Rennie, the offensive player of the year last season in the Missouri Valley, was injured in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to North Dakota State and was questionable all week. “It was a game-time decision,” Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley said. “I was watching him the whole time [in warmups] and he just didn’t show enough.”
Mean streak: YSU lost its 11th straight to Northern Iowa and sixth straight at the UNI-Dome. The Penguins dropped to 6-20 all-time against UNI — YSU’s most losses against any team. When asked about his mastery of YSU, Farley said, “I don’t know if it’s mastery. We’ve had good players and a little bit of luck along the way.”
This and that: YSU made its first field goal of the season when David Brown hit a 28-yarder in the first quarter. The Penguins had been 0-for-2 on field goals. ... Middle linebacker Teven Williams led the team with eight tackles, including a sack. Freshman LB Davion Rogers had two tackles for loss, as did senior DT Andrew Johnson. ... YSU was penalized just three times for 25 yards. UNI had nine penalties for 81 yards. ... TE Will Shaw scored his first touchdown on a 38-yard pass from Kurt Hess early in the fourth quarter.