Running back Michael Mansaray (Columbus, Ohio / Westerville South [South Dakota]) and punter Sam Johnson (Birmingham, Ala. / Oak Mountain [Jackson State / Alabama]) both made strong first impressions, but the Valparaiso University football team dropped Saturday’s season opener to UNI 35-7 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Mansaray’s 1-yard scoring leap accounted for the Valpo score. The Panthers compete in the full-scholarship Missouri Valley Football Conference, the nation’s top FCS league, and were receiving votes nationally in both preseason polls.

How It Happened

• Each of the first two UNI drives of the game resulted in touchdown passes of 20 yards or more from quarterback Aidan Dunn, first to Layne Pryor and then to Amauri Pesek-Hickson. The third Panther drive resulted in a 54-yard rushing TD by Tye Edwards to make it 21-0 with 14:06 left in the second quarter.
• The first complete drive of the second quarter on both sides of the ball had a positive result for the Beacons. Mansaray hauled in a pass from quarterback Rowan Keefe (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) that went for 61 yards, including a long run after the catch, and nearly went the distance. A seven-yard grab by Evan Jernegan (Altadena, Calif. / St. Francis) put the Beacons on the brink of the goal line, then Mansaray leaped the pile with a one-yard scoring run to make it 21-7.
• The Valpo defense followed with its first stop of the day. Max Franco (La Habra, Calif. / La Habra) had a key tackle for loss on a run play on second-and-four from the UNI 43, dropping the Panthers for a loss of five to bring up third-and-nine. That play was an incomplete pass, forcing UNI’s first punt.
• The Panthers tacked on one more score before the break to make it 28-7 at halftime.
• The Beacons were held without a first down in the second half, and UNI’s 5-yard TD pass with 10:35 left in the third quarter was the lone scoring for the duration of the game.

Inside the Game

• Mansaray had three receptions for 79 yards while also rushing for six yards and a touchdown on four carries.
• Johnson took his first step toward continuing Valpo’s recent tradition of top-tier punters, averaging 48.4 yards per punt on eight boots with a long of 55.
• Keefe went 6-of-15 passing for 101 yards.
• The team’s top tacklers were Jimmy Pouba (Chicago, Ill. / Lyons [College of the Sequoias]) and Colin Graves (Seattle, Wash. / Bishop Blanchet]) with nine apiece. That was the highest tackle total of Pouba’s Valpo career, surpassing six on Oct. 28 of last season at Butler.
• The game was clean from a turnover perspective as neither team had a giveaway.
• Penalties will be an area that Valpo will strive to clean up going forward, as the Beacons committed nine for 72 yards.
• While the passing numbers were comparable with Valpo being outgained 116-108 through the air, UNI held a 365-16 advantage on the ground, thanks in large part to the work of two stud backs – Edwards and Pesek-Hickson – coupled with a veteran offensive line.

Thoughts from Head Coach Landon Fox

“It starts with us as coaches. We have to be better as coaches, and the players have to be better in their overall execution and assignments. We have to be in the right spots, use the right technique, and then if they beat you, they beat you. We did the right things at times, but not enough on a consistent basis. We had positive plays here and there, but we weren’t able to do it on a consistent basis. New coaches, a new system and a talented opponent were all factors, but we don’t allow those to be excuses. We have to be critical of ourselves and continue to improve.”

“Between Week 1 and Week 2, we have to think about what we can do better as players and coaches to make this football team better. We’ll do that. That’s the biggest challenge for us right now – while we’re riding the bus home, everyone is thinking about what they can do better.”

Up Next

Valpo (0-1, 0-0 PFL) will face another Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent next week by visiting Youngstown State on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.