Know Wyoming’s Foe: Northern Iowa Panthers

LARAMIE -- Matthew Schecklman threw touchdown passes to four different receivers and Northern Iowa averaged nearly seven yards per carry last Saturday in a 38-14 opening-day victory over visiting Butler.

The Panthers' balanced attack -- 235 yards through the air and another 213 via the rush -- led to the first win of the Matt Stepsis era in Cedar Falls.

Forcing three turnovers on defense didn't hurt, either.

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UNI, which is coming off a 3-9 campaign, has now won two straight, dating back to last November. Edging Indiana State in the season finale snapped a nine-game skid.

Jay Sawvel said the Panthers' rushing attack caught his eye, especially in the second half.

Holding a slim three-point lead at the break, the home team went to the ground and pound, rolling up 144 yards on 20 carries. That's an average of 7.2 yards a tote. UNI scored on three of its four second-half possessions -- Schecklman tossed touchdowns to Tysen Kershaw, JC Roque Jr. and Ayden Price, respectively -- salting away more than 16 minutes of game clock.

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His first scoring strike landed in the hands of preseason All-American tight end Derek Anderson from six yards out on the Panthers' second possession of the day.

"They really execute the run, which then sets up their play-action game," Wyoming's second-year head coach said Monday during his weekly press conference in Laramie. "Their quarterback does a good job off of play-action in some of their boots and some of the routes that they were running off of it."

Sawvel also gave plenty of credit to running backs Harrison Bey-Buie, who tips the scales at 215, and Tulsa transfer Bill Jackson, who combined for 157 yards on just 24 attempts.

"I think they made a concerted effort when they got in at halftime and said, 'Hey, we can go right at them,'" Sawvel added. "So, you know, a big part of it for us is to make sure we can handle that part of it right off the bat."

Schecklman, a junior from Appleton, Wisc., who played high school football with Wyoming's left guard Wes King, appeared in nine games for the Panthers a season ago, throwing for 1,275 yards and seven touchdowns. The 6-foot-3 signal caller connected on 61.5% of his throws and tossed only two picks while sharing time with Aiden Dunne.

"I think he's a really good quarterback in terms of how he can throw the field ball very well," Wyoming's defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl said. "He can run well when he's needed. He's very poised in the pocket. There were a lot of times Butler got pressure on him and it didn't phase him and he delivered a good ball."

Schecklman wasn't sacked one time on 25 drop backs. Last fall, he hit the turf 16 times.

Wyoming pressured Akron quarterback Ben Finley all night long in last Thursday's 10-0 season-opening road victory, capping the night with a combined 22 "pressures" on 38 pass attempts, including four sacks and six hits.

The visitors also limited the Zips' run game to just 3.2 yards per carry.

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Linebacker Brayden Johnson led all tacklers with eight and also picked off a pass two yards deep in the end zone in the third quarter to thwart Akron's lone legit scoring opportunity inside InfoCision Stadium.

Senior safety Andrew Johnson tacked on six stops and defensive tackle Lucas Samsula was credited with a pair of sacks.

Wyoming dropped its only matchup against an FCS program in 2024, falling to visiting Idaho 17-13 in the home opener. The Cowboys haven't exactly dominated that level, eking by against the likes of Montana State and Wofford, in recent memory.

Along with Idaho, Cal Poly and North Dakota have also handed UW a loss on its home field.

"I think one, it is them playing their Super Bowl. You know, this is such a big game to all of those guys," Bohl added. "You look at our recruiting structure and -- we have a lot of really talented players -- but, you know, there are a lot of guys we have that are one offer away from being FCS players.

"So, the thing that we do really well and, we have to make sure we always do well is, we have to play with an extremely hard chip (on our shoulder) all the time. We need to play extremely hard and extremely physical. If you don't show up ready to play, you're going to get caught."

Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised on Altitude TV. The Mountain West Network will also stream the opener inside War Memorial Stadium.

Meet the Panthers:

* Head coach: Todd Stepsis (1st year) 1-0 overall record, 0-0 in MVC play

* Offensive coordinator: Nate Thompson (1st season); Defensive coordinator: Al Smith (1st year)

* Record in 2024: 3-9 overall, 1-7 in Missouri Valley Conference

* Offense in 2024: Average 22 ppg, 332.3 ypg (116.4 rush, 215.9 pass)

* Defense in 2024: Allow 33 ppg, 421.6 ypg (181.0 rush, 240.6 pass)

* Key Returners/ Newcomers - Offense in 2025: Matthew Schecklman (QB - 15-25, 214 yds, 4 TD; 2 rush, 28 yds), Harrison Bey-Buie (RB - 12 rush, 81 yds, TD), Bill Jackson (RB - 12 rush, 76 yds), Tysen Kershaw (WR - 2 catch, 65 yds, TD), JC Roque Jr. (WR - 4 catch, 62 yds, TD), Derek Anderson (TE - 4 catch, 43 yds, TD); Tay Norman (WR - 3 catch, 29 yds), Ayden Price (WR - 1 catch, 25 yds, TD)

* Key Returners - Defense in 2025: Tucker Langenberg (LB - 12 tackles), Ryan Crandall (LB - 10 tackles, 0.5 TFL), Tate Sander (S - 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL, FF), Jack Kriebs (DL - 5 tackles, TFL, FF), Caleb Frazer (LB - 18 tackles, FR), Owen Ostroski (DL - 5 tackles), Jackson Stortz (DL - 5 tackles)

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