Northern Iowa secured a 17-10 victory against St. Thomas-Minnesota with a game-winning touchdown by Amauri Pesek-Hickson. The win marked St. Thomas’s second consecutive home game loss at the start of the season. The deciding touchdown was scored after a 10-yard carry by Pesek-Hickson following a fumble recovery from his teammate, culminating a 90-yard drive.
Tye Edwards kickstarted the game-winning drive with a 56-yard run, placing the Panthers in a favorable position. Despite St. Thomas initially stopping UNI on fourth down, an illegal substitution penalty gave Northern Iowa a second chance. Pesek-Hickson’s touchdown sealed their victory. Patrick Wagner’s 13-yard catch from Michael Rostberg had initially given St. Thomas a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Pesek-Hickson’s 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter tied the game.
Stephen Shagen missed two short field goal attempts for St. Thomas before redeeming himself with a successful 50-yard kick in the third quarter, briefly putting the Tommies ahead at 10-7. However, Caden Palmer’s 19-yard field goal for Northern Iowa leveled the score at 10-10. Edwards led the Panthers with 141 rushing yards on 15 carries, while Pesek-Hickson contributed 86 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
Rostberg completed 15 of 23 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown for St. Thomas-Minnesota. Wagner caught eight passes for 104 yards, and Hope Adebayo added 113 rushing yards on 20 carries.