QB sets record, leads Panthers to 17-10 victory

Tirrell Rennie is the new king of streaks for the Northern Iowa football team.

If he keeps it up much longer, he might be crowned the new king of Cedar Falls.

Rennie broke the school record for most consecutive passes without an interception Saturday to help the second-ranked Panthers withstand Southern Illinois, 17-10, before 15,265 fans in the UNI-Dome.

Rennie threw 23 passes without an interception against the Salukis, raising his total to 146 straight without an INT and breaking the Northern Iowa record of 138 spotless throws set by Eric Sanders in 2007.

"Personally, I just think that my O-Line is doing a phenomenal job and not making me force throws or rush my decisions," said Rennie, who also saluted his receivers and coaches.

Rennie completed 14 of 23 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown. The victory kept the Panthers (6-1, 5-0) in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference and set up next Saturday's showdown at No.3 North Dakota State.

Rennie has completed 63 of 87 passes in five MVC games for 72.4 percent accuracy. That's a remarkable achievement, but it wasn't the only remarkable feat Saturday in the UNI-Dome.

Northern Iowa defensive tackle Ben Boothby, who hurt his left knee last week against South Dakota State, had arthroscopic surgery on Monday night and played the entire game Saturday. He collected eight tackles, including
1 1/2 behind the line of scrimmage, to help lead a strong defensive effort.

Boothby said he had a "torn lateral miniscus" in his knee and needed surgery to "clean it out."

"He's one-of-a-kind, man," Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley said. "He's the first I've seen to ever come back four days after surgery to play like he did."

Boothby had never defeated Southern Illinois during his career and wanted to fix that blight on his record. A former state wrestling champion, he was determined to play.

"I didn't even take any of my painkillers," he said. "They gave me two and I'm pretty sure they ended up in Wendy's parking lot after I got done there."

The Panthers collected only 288 yards of total offense, but Northern Iowa held the Salukis (2-5, 1-4) to just 212 yards and made key plays. The Panthers lost two fumbles deep in their own territory in the fourth quarter, once at the 15-yard line and once at the 28, but yielded only three points to preserve their lead.

"Those were two huge series," Farley said.

Southern Illinois took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. The Panthers tied the game when Rennie, under pressure, found Terrell Sinkfield for a diving 18-yard touchdown reception.

Tyler Sievertsen snapped the 7-7 tie with a 48-yard field goal for Northern Iowa with 7:37 left in the third quarter, matching his career long and making him 10 for 11 this season.

Rennie made it 16-7 with a 1-yard keeper with nine seconds remaining in the third period and Sievertsen's PAT made it 17-7. Southern Illinois crept within 17-10 with a 30-yard field goal with 10 minutes remaining after a Northern Iowa fumble, but the Panthers' defense saved the day later in the quarter.

The Salukis got the ball at Northern Iowa's 28-yard line with 5:32 left to play after a Panther giveaway, needing a touchdown to tie the game. They didn't gain a yard.

Former University of Iowa tailback Jewel Hampton, now starring for Southern Illinois, was stopped for no gain on two straight plays, then the Salukis threw two incomplete passes and lost the ball on downs.

David Johnson promptly broke loose for a 39-yard run for the Panthers, putting the ball at the Southern Illinois 33 with Northern Iowa nursing its seven-point lead. Johnson scampered 18 yards to the 10-yard line to put Northern Iowa in good shape with a little more than 2 minutes left.

Johnson was tackled for a 4-yard loss on 3rd-and-goal at the 8, putting the ball at the 12-yard line and setting up an apparent field goal by the Panthers, but Southern Illinois defensive lineman Kayon Swanson was called for a personal foul on the play and ejected from the game.

The personal foul gave Northern Iowa an automatic first down at the 6-yard line and the Panthers ran out the clock from there, preserving their tense victory.

Hampton carried the ball 23 times for 75 yards for Southern Illinois.

Blake White, a reserve defensive back who hadn't made a tackle all season, subbed for injured starter Garrett Scott and led Northern Iowa with 12 tackles.