If you just look at the final numbers, you’d probably shrug and move on. The University of Northern Iowa football results for the 2025 season don't exactly scream "dynasty." A 3–9 overall record and a brutal 1–7 run in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) usually tells a story of a team in total freefall.
But honestly? That's not the whole story. Not even close.
This was the first year of the Todd Stepsis era. Following a legend like Mark Farley is a thankless job, kinda like being the guy who has to go on stage right after a Hall of Fame comedian. You’re expected to keep the magic alive while everyone is still looking for the exit.
The False Start and the Laramie Reality Check
The season actually started with a massive burst of optimism. On August 30, the Panthers hosted the Butler Bulldogs in the UNI-Dome. It was loud. It was hopeful. And for four quarters, it looked like Stepsis had found a secret sauce.
Matthew Schecklman was absolutely electric. He threw for four touchdowns—the first time a Panther QB had done that since Theo Day back in '23. They won 38–14, and for a week, Cedar Falls felt like the center of the FCS world.
Then came the trip to Laramie.
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Playing an FBS opponent like the Wyoming Cowboys is always a gamble. The Panthers hung around early, tied at 7–7 in the second quarter after a gritty Harrison Bey-Buie touchdown run. But the depth of an FBS roster eventually wins out. Wyoming pulled away for a 31–7 victory, and that's where the wheels started to feel a little loose.
Breaking Down the Mid-Season Slump
It’s easy to point fingers at the defense or the offensive line, but the MVFC is just a meat grinder. You've got teams like North Dakota State and South Dakota State who play like they're trying to prove a point to the entire Midwest.
The results during the middle of the season were tough to swallow:
- A 17–14 nail-biter win over Eastern Washington gave fans a brief reprieve.
- The Utah Tech collapse: A 20–9 loss that felt like a punch to the gut because it was a game UNI "should" have had.
- The Dakota Double-Header: Back-to-back blowouts against North Dakota (35–7) and South Dakota State (31–3).
Getting beat by 30 points in the UNI-Dome is something most Panther fans aren't used to. It felt... off. The "Dome Magic" seemed to have checked out for the season.
Why Matthew Schecklman is Still the Story
Despite the 3–9 record, Schecklman showed he's a real player. He’s got that "it" factor where even when the pocket is collapsing and the scoreboard is ugly, he’s still trying to make a play. Against Youngstown State in the season finale—a heartbreaking 35–32 loss—he was moving the ball at will.
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Harrison Bey-Buie and Bill Jackson also formed a backfield duo that, on paper, should have won five or six games. They combined for over 150 yards in the opener and remained the focal point of the offense throughout the fall.
The problem? Consistency. One week the passing game would click, but the defense would give up 400 yards. The next week, the defense would hold a Top-25 team to 17 points, but the offense would go three-and-out five times in a row. It was a classic "Year One" transition struggle.
The Missouri Valley Standings: A Harsh Mirror
When you look at where the Panthers finished in the MVFC, it’s 9th place. Only Murray State looked worse on the final table.
- North Dakota State: 12–1 (8–0) - The gold standard.
- South Dakota: 10–5 (6–2)
- Illinois State: 12–5 (5–3)
... - Northern Iowa: 3–9 (1–7)
It’s a bit of a shock to the system for a program that basically lived in the playoffs for two decades. But if you’re a UNI fan, you’ve gotta look at the margins. The 17–14 loss to South Dakota and the 35–32 loss to Youngstown State were "coin flip" games. If those go the other way, you're looking at a 5–7 team and everyone is talking about the "scrappy Panthers."
What Most People Get Wrong About UNI Football
The biggest misconception is that the program is "dead." People love to say the move away from Farley was a mistake because of the 2025 record.
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Actually, the roster was thin. Recruiting in the portal era is basically the Wild West, and UNI got caught in a transition year where a lot of veteran talent moved on. Stepsis isn't just coaching games; he's rebuilding the entire foundation of how they recruit in Cedar Falls.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Offseason
If the Panthers want to avoid another 3–9 disaster, the focus has to be on two specific areas:
1. Defensive Front Depth
The Panthers got bullied in the second half of games against NDSU and Wyoming. You can’t win in the MVFC if you’re getting pushed five yards off the ball every snap. They need to hit the portal for "big uglies"—transfer portal defensive tackles who have played at the FBS or high FCS level.
2. Red Zone Efficiency
UNI moved the ball well between the 20s, but they settled for too many Max Bartachek field goals. Turning those into seven points is the difference between a 3-win season and a 7-win season.
3. Protect the Dome
The UNI-Dome used to be a place where visiting teams' hopes went to die. Re-establishing that home-field advantage is psychological as much as it is physical.
The 2025 University of Northern Iowa football results are a bitter pill to swallow, but they're also a baseline. The Schecklman-to-Kershaw connection is real, the backfield is talented, and the new coaching staff has a full year of tape to fix the leaks.
Don't count the Panthers out for 2026. The climb back up the Missouri Valley mountain is steep, but Cedar Falls has a way of producing some pretty good hikers.