| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| SIU | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Dunne, Northern Iowa beat Southern Illinois 24-17
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Eli Dunne was 26-of-36 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns and the Northern Iowa defense forced three fourth-quarter turnovers to help Panthers beat Southern Illinois 24-17 on Saturday night in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.
Daurice Fountain had seven catches for 106 yards and a score and Trevor Allen had 75 yards rushing on 18 carries and added an 11-yard touchdown reception for Northern Iowa (2-2).
Sam Drysdale kicked a 45-yard field goal to give Northern Iowa a 3-0 lead with 4:01 left in the first quarter and, after the Salukis went three-and-out, Dunne's 11-yard touchdown pass to Fountain made it 10-0 early in the second. Matt Sotiropoulos hit a 32-yard field goal put Southern Illinois on the board with 4:24 left in the half, but a 42-yard reception by Fountain set up a 4-yard TD catch by Elias Nessen that made it 17-3 at the break.
Kyron Watson forced, and then recovered, a fumble by Allen and, four plays later, Sam Straub hit Jacob Varble for a 5-yard touchdown that pulled the Salukis to 24-17 with 11:17 to play, but the Panthers forced turnovers on each of Southern Illinois' next three possessions -- including an interception by Jake Hartford at the 3 with 1:47 remaining.
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Game Information
2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 7-1 | 13-2 |
| South Dakota State | 7-1 | 12-3 |
| South Dakota | 7-1 | 11-3 |
| Missouri State | 6-2 | 8-4 |
| Illinois State | 6-2 | 10-4 |
| Youngstown State | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| Indiana State | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| North Dakota | 2-6 | 5-7 |
| Southern Illinois | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| Northern Iowa | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| Murray State | 0-8 | 1-11 |
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