SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – UNI used a dominant defensive performance to extend its string of recent success against Missouri State with a 25-10 decision over the Bears in Missouri Valley Football Conference action Saturday afternoon at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.

The Panthers (6-4, 5-2 MVFC) limited the Bears (3-7, 2-5 MVFC) to just 215 yards of total offense—their lowest single-game total in conference play this season—and 10 first downs for the game to claim their 12th straight win over Missouri State. UNI running back Marcus Weymiller turned in his third 100-yard rushing effort of the season, finishing with a game-high 131 yards on 25 carries, as UNI logged its second-best rushing day of the season as a team with 185 yards.

MSU was held to its lowest rushing total of the season with just 64 yards on 27 carries, and UNI forced a pair of turnovers, including a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown by Elijah Campbell that handed the Panthers a 19-point advantage late in the first half.

Entering the contest averaging just 96.1 rushing yards as a team per contest, the Panthers quickly reversed that trend by racking up 92 yards on the ground in the opening quarter. Behind a shutdown performance from its defense, UNI raced out to an early lead and never looked back. The Panthers held MSU to negative yardage in the opening quarter, and the Bears wouldn't register their initial first down of the game until late in the second quarter. By that time, Weymiller had rushed for 81 yards, including a two-yard touchdown to open the scoring, as UNI dominated the time of possession battle by a two-to-one margin.

On the game's opening drive, Weymiller broke off the first of several big first-half plays, netting 28 rushing yards on a third-and-two call from the UNI 33. He then hauled in a 16-yard completion from UNI starter Eli Dunne moments later. That play set up a 29-yard run by Christian Jegen on fourth down, before Weymiller carried it in from two yards out to put the visitors on the board.

The Panther defense enjoyed an equally-impressive start to the game, holding MSU to just six offensive snaps and minus-one total yardage in the opening quarter. After a pair of Sam Drysdale second-quarter field goals extended the UNI lead to 12 points, Campbell stepped in front of a Peyton Huslig pass and brought it all the way back to put the Panther defense in the scoring column as well.

MSU mounted its first offensive threat late in the half, using a 10-play, 75-yard drive to put its first points of the day on the board. Huslig's third-down, 41-yard completion to Deion Holliman set the stage, and Malik Earl's 18-yard catch and run set the Bears up with a first-and-goal at the UNI 6. Jason Randall took it in from there, cutting the Panther advantage to 19-7 with his team-leading fifth touchdown run of the season with just 0:54 left on the clock.

But an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Bears handed the Panthers prime field position, and Drysdale successfully booted his third field goal of the period to send UNI into intermission with a 15-point cushion.

The Bears bounced back with a strong third period, twice driving deep into Panther territory while holding UNI to just 54 yards of offense. But UNI's strong defensive day continued with the visitors limiting MSU to a pair of field goal tries. After Huslig helped move the Bears to the UNI 26 with a pair of big runs, Drake's 42-yard try was off the mark. A 26-yard completion to Aaron Denson and a 38-yard toss to Erik Furmanek set up another MSU scoring chance at the UNI 6 late in the quarter.

However, UNI's defense stiffened once again, holding the Bears to two rushing yards on two attempts, before an incompletion on third down brought on Drake, who converted a 25-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 22-10 with 3:04 left on the clock.

But that would be as close as the Bears would get down the stretch, as UNI permitted just 10 yards of offense by MSU in the final quarter. Drysdale matched a career high with his fourth successful field goal conversion with just under two minutes to play to account for the final margin.

Subbing for an injured Dunne, Howell completed 12-of-20 passes for 129 yards in his first action of the season for the Panthers, and Jared Farley led the UNI defense with 13 stops.

Angelo Garbutt paced MSU's defense with a career-high 17 tackles to help the Bears hold the Panthers to just 116 yards of offense and three points in the second half.

Up next, the Bears will conclude the 2017 season with an 11 a.m. (CST) game at Youngstown State next Saturday (Nov. 18).

Postgame Notes:  With three catches for 27 yards, Malik Earl moved to within seven receptions of Clay Harbor's Missouri State career receptions record of 150; Earl also passed both Harbor (1,906) and Jason Cannon (1,913) to climb into the Bears' all-time top five for receiving yardage with 1,925 entering his final collegiate game next Saturday…Angelo Garbutt turned in his third consecutive double-digit tackle performance with a career-high 17 stops, which also marked a season high for a Missouri State defender…Darius Joseph posted 10 stops for the Bears, marking his second straight double-digit tackle effort as well…In his final game at Plaster Stadium, Kurran Blamey matched a season high with nine tackles…The Bears concluded the home slate with a 2-3 mark and dropped to 212-168-12 all-time at Plaster Stadium.