Dunne shines in 1st start, N. Iowa beats Missouri St. 61-7

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:52 p.m. ET

foxsports

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) Eli Dunne threw for 418 yards and two touchdowns in his debut as a starter as Northern Iowa dominated Missouri State 61-7 on Saturday.

Dunne, a sophomore, completed 25 of 33 attempts with no interceptions. Northern Iowa has not had anyone throw for 400-plus yards since Pat Grace threw for 445 against South Dakota in 2009. Dunne threw for 308 yards and one score in the first half.

UNI (3-4, 2-2 Missouri Valley Conference), which had lost its last two games by a total of seven points, took control early.

Elijah Campbell and Duncan Ferch each intercepted passes, running them back for scores in the fourth quarter. A.J. Allen also picked off a pass as the Panthers had their second game this season with three interceptions. They now have 13 on the year.

UNI had 556 total yards while limiting Missouri State (3-4, 1-3) to 189.