Northern Iowa entered Saturday's in-state showdown looking for back-to-back wins over Iowa State for the first time since the early '90s.
There was promise early on, but the Cyclones flexed its second-half muscle en route to a 42-24 win at Jack Trice Stadium. The loss puts UNI in an 0-1 hole heading into next week's home opener against Cal Poly.
Here is what we learned from the Panthers on Saturday:
Mixed results under center
The start couldn’t have unfolded any better.
In his first action as the full-time starter, quarterback Eli Dunne certainly didn’t seem overwhelmed by the Power 5 stage, putting together a crisp and efficient scoring drive that handed UNI and early lead.