SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Jason Shelley ran for two touchdowns then fired a 55-yard scoring strike to Naveon Mitchell with 58 seconds left in the game to lift Missouri State to a 34-27 victory over Northern Iowa in Missouri Valley Football Conference action on Saturday.
Shelly’s game-winning throw came after the Panthers’ Theo Day and Deion McShane teamed up for two late touchdowns to knot the score at 27.
Jose Pizano kicked two first-quarter field goals for Missouri State (7-3, 6-2) and Matthew Cook’s second field goal pulled Northern Iowa (5-5, 3-4) even at 6-6 early in the second quarter. The Bears grabbed 13-6 halftime lead on Tobias Little’s 1-yard TD run, capping a 12-play, 73-yard drive that took 7:33 off the clock.
Missouri State upped its lead to 20-6 on Shelley’s 3-yard TD run early in the third quarter. Tyler Hoosman ran it in from the 2 to get the Panthers within seven points at quarter’s end. Shelley made it a two-score lead with an 8-yard TD run early in the final period before Day hit McShane for an 8-yard score at the 5:11 mark and an 18-yard score with 2:14 remaining.
Shelley completed 22 of 33 passes for 320 yards for the Bears, who managed only 59 yards rushing on 32 carries.
Day was 17-of-30 passing for UNI for 238 yards with two interceptions. McShane finished with six catches for 86 yards.
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