VERMILLION, S.D. — The Panther football team traveled to South Dakota for its penultimate matchup of the regular season at South Dakota against the Coyotes. Four USD touchdowns in the first half proved the difference-maker in the contest as the Coyotes took home a 41-30 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panther defense came out firing on all cylinders, forcing an early punt and picking off the South Dakota quarterback on the opening drives by USD. A nine-yard sack by CJ Wade and Piston Miller forced the Coyotes into a pass play on third-and-19, which was tracked by Calvion Jaworski and intercepted at the UNI 39-yard line. UNI used that defensive momentum to mount its first scoring drive of the day, going 61 yards in 2:06 and six plays, finding Briggs Hughston in the end zone from two yards out for the touchdown. The two-yard reception was set up by a 38-yard catch by Brady McCulloughone of many long balls for the tight end on the afternoon.
The Panther defense looked to build on the momentum of the game, but drew a pair of pass interference penalties on the next USD drive, setting up the Coyotes at the two-yard line. South Dakota was able to punch the ball in on a two-yard pass to tie the game at seven points each side.
A 29-yard pass from Jaxon Dailey to Brady McCullough opened the next UNI possession with the Cats looking to retake the lead. UNI drove to the USD 18-yard line, but stalled out in the red zone, turning the ball over on downs. A number of chunk plays from USD gashed the Panther defense before a long-ball took the Coyotes to the two-yard line of the Panthers again, leading to another two-yard receiving touchdown for USD to take a seven-point lead.
Brady McCullough continued to make play after play for the Panthers, finding the end zone for the first time on the afternoon on a 30-yard reception. A 15-yard catch by Cyrus Courtney set up the Panther touchdown, tying the game at 14 once again. One play later, USD quarterback Austin Modrzewski aired it out and found a receiver downfield for an 87-yard touchdown reception, retaking the lead at 21-14.
UNI’s offense couldn’t find a rhythm and punted without getting a first down. The Coyotes went 62 yards in nine plays to take a two-score lead on a two-yard rush with 1:14 left to play in the half. Down 28-14 with 1:14 and two timeouts, the Panthers drove 62 yards in six plays, including a 24-yard run by Xavier Terrell and an 18-yard reception by Briggs Hughstonto get into field goal range. With eight seconds on the clock, the Panthers took a shot to the end zone, looking for Hughston in the back right corner. The tight end drew a pass interference call, cutting 13 yards off the field goal distance. Blake Pankratz knocked through a 29-yard kick, cutting the USD lead to 11 at 28-17 heading into the halftime break.
The Panthers got the ball out of the break, but couldn’t convert a first down, punting early in the frame. USD took a three-score lead quickly after the punt on an 11-yard reception to take a 34-17 lead after another blocked PAT by the Panther special teams. On UNI’s next offensive possession, the Panthers capitalized on a pair of 15-yard penalties, driving to the one-yard line, including a 27-yard catch by Ayden Price. Jaxon Dailey punched in his first rushing touchdown since week four against Illinois State from the one-yard line to cut into the USD lead, 34-24.
On back-to-back USD offensive possessions, the Panther defense came up big with stops forcing punts. Jackson Stortz came up with a nine-yard sack to force a kick before a three-and-out on the next Coyote possession forced another punt. After a turnover on downs deep in their own territory, the Panthers gave up a 24-yard touchdown on fourth-and-three to seal the deal for the Coyotes.
UNI picked up another score to close out the contest on a seven-yard reception by Tay Norman. The drive saw four plays of 10 or more yards, including a 21-yard reception by Norman to get the Cats into the red zone. The Coyotes ran out the final 1:39 in the contest and came away with a 41-30 victory inside the DakotaDome.
Jaxon Dailey finished with 23 completions for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Brady McCullough led the receiving corps with 109 yards on four receptions, including a score. On the ground, Xavier Terrell picked up 52 rushing yards on eight carries. On the defensive side of the ball, Calvin Jaworski recorded 10 total tackles, including nine solo. The safety finished with one TFL and an interception.
UP NEXT
The Panthers wrap up the regular season in Kentucky on November 21 against Murray State. The Panthers head to Roy Stewart Stadium for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff with coverage available on ESPN+. JW Cox and the Hall of Famer Scott ” Petey” Peterson will be live on the air on 93.5 The Mix and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI drops to 4-6 on the season and 3-4 in MVFC play after the loss to South Dakota.
- UNI is still looking for its first road win in just short of 800 days and their first MVFC win on the road in 1,113 days with UNI’s last road win coming at St. Thomas in 2024. UNI’s last road Valley win came at Illinois State in 2023.
- Brady McCullough finished with a career-high 109 receiving yards. He is the first UNI tight end with 100+ receiving yards since Briley Moore caught five passes for 100 yards against South Dakota inside the UNI-Dome on November 4, 2017.
- Franz Reisz blocked his second PAT in the third quarter. He is the first Panther player with two or more blocked kicks since Elerson Smith blocked a pair in 2019.
- A sixth-year wide receiver, Tay Norman caught the first touchdown of his career in the fourth quarter from seven yards out.
UNI football action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Football), X (@UNIFootball) and on Instagram (@unipantherfootball). The full 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Source: unipanthers.com
