Dunne passes for 2 TDs; N. Iowa blanks Missouri St. 37-0

Nov 17, 2018, 09:59 pm

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Eli Dunne passed for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Korby Sander had two takeaways as Northern Iowa ended its season with a 37-0 shutout of Missouri State on Saturday.

Sander, who led with 13 tackles, headed a defense that held Missouri State to nine first downs and 222 yards of total offense in Northern Iowa's (6-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley Conference) third shutout of the season. Elerson Smith preserved the shutout with a fourth-down sack on Missouri State's final drive. It was the first time the Panthers had a season with three shutouts since 1971.

The Bears (4-7, 2-6) end the season with five straight losses. Peyton Huslig was 4-of-14 passing for 72 yards with two interceptions.

Dunne fired a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin James as Northern Iowa took a 10-0 lead after the first quarter, and the Panthers added 10 more points by halftime. Marcus Weymiller rushed for a pair of 1-yard TDs in the second half and Austin Errthum kicked three field goals.