Northern Iowa beats Southern Illinois 49-28

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) Aaron Bailey threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more as Northern Iowa defeated Southern Illinois 49-28 on Saturday night. Bailey

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) Aaron Bailey threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more as Northern Iowa defeated Southern Illinois 49-28 on Saturday night.

Bailey had 181 yards passing and 131 yards rushing for the Panthers (7-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley Conference). Tyvis Smith ran for 166 yards and a score on 23 carries.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Smith ran for a 51-yard score and Bailey hit Michael Malloy from 49 yards for another and Northern Iowa led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter on its way to a 28-7 advantage at the break.

In the third quarter, Bailey took the Panthers 91 yards in 10 plays to score on a 21-yard pass to Daurice Fountain, extending their lead to 35-21 with 9:56 left in the period. Six minutes later, he ran it in himself from 25 yards to make it 42-28.

Mark Iannotti finished with 264 yards and two touchdowns for the Salukis (3-8, 2-6).