SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Will McElvain threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Northern Iowa scored 29-unanswered points on its way to a 29-6 win over Missouri State on Saturday. McElvain had 238 yards passing for the Panthers (5-3, 3-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference). Isaiah Weston had 157 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Matthew Cook kicked three field goals.
Cook booted a pair of field goals in the second quarter, from 49 and 22 yards, to give Northern Iowa a 6-0 lead. Later, Austin Evans recovered a Missouri State (1-6, 1-3) fumble six yards shy of the Bears end zone, leading to McElvain’s touchdown run two plays later. McElvain followed that with a 46-yard scoring throw to Weston for a 19-0 lead at halftime.
Cook’s 38-yard field goal and McElvain’s 70-yard touchdown pass to Weston late in the third quarter stretched it to 29-0 before the Bears finally scored on a 17-yard touchdown throw from Peyton Huslig to Antwan Woods. Huslig had 153 yards passing for Missouri State.