Northern Iowa spoils Idaho State’s home opener with 41-17 win, dropping the Bengals to 0-3

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Budding excitement for the first game inside a fully renovated Holt Arena quickly dissipated during a big first half for the Northern Iowa Panthers, as they spoiled Idaho State's home opener in a 41-17 victory.

UNI was simply too much for ISU to handle, especially on offense thanks to quarterback Theo Day and wide receiver Sam Schnee.

Day threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns, and both scores were thrown to Schnee, who had a career day with 174 yards receiving on seven catches.

Idaho State, meanwhile, showed it could compete with Northern Iowa in the first half, but missed opportunities, including two turnovers led to a big advantage for the Panthers at the break.

Five of the six Bengal drives in the first half ended in Panther territory, but those five drives resulted in three total points.

Next up, the Big Sky conference slate begins for Idaho State with a battle against the Northern Colorado Bears, who are also 0-3 so far this season, Saturday at 4:00 p.m. MT inside Holt Arena.