Panthers visit conference leader

After Saturday’s 27-20 loss to Southern Illinois University, the University of Northern Iowa Panthers know they cannot afford another fall. Adding another tally to the loss column could erase their chances at an at-large bid for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

The No. 6 ranked Panthers will not have a weekend to catch their breath. Saturday, they will travel to Brookings, S.D., to take on the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits. The Jacks are undefeated in Missouri Valley Football Conference play and boast a No. 11 national ranking. With such consistent performance this season, SDSU finds itself in a position formerly held by the Panthers.

“They’re actually the ones in the driver’s seat,” said UNI head coach Mark Farley. “A lot of things are on the line.”

The Jacks are 5-1 overall with their lone loss coming to No. 20 California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Cali. They are atop of the MVFC alongside Southern Illinois but have yet to play another school in the top four of the conference.

“I think this game has huge implications for how good a football program is South Dakota State,” said SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier.

SDSU’s offensive attack is led by yet another dominant running back, junior Kyle Minett. In the past three weeks the Panthers have faced a running back ranked in the top five nationally for yards per game. Minett currently ranks as the No. 5 top rusher in the FCS, averaging 115.67 yards per contest.

For the first time this season, UNI will square off with a defensive corps that has allowed less yards and points per game than the Panthers. The Jacks have given up 266.83 yards and 12.33 points per game while the Panther defense averages 273.43 yards and 13.14 points allowed per contest.

The Jacks’ overall play has earned them the title as a blue-collar football squad.

“They’re a tough, hard-nosed team,” said Farley.

“If blue collar means you work your tail off and do things right, then I’m very proud of that title,” said Stiegelmeier.

The Panther offense remains statistically one of the country’s best despite a shaky performance last Saturday. UNI ranks No. 2 in scoring offense at 38.71 points per game while their total offense is sixth at 455 yards per contest.

“Their offense is very difficult to defend for a lot of reasons,” Stiegelmeier said. “They do so many things with so many people. It really gets you our of your comfort zone.”

“They have more yards because they’ve had more big plays. If you look at the game film, they have a number of plays that we would call a major breakdown on defense or a big play on offense.”

UNI could feel out of their element as far as playing surface Saturday when they will take the field on a grass surface for the first time this season. The Panthers’ previous games at outdoor venues, the University of Iowa and Missouri State University, were played on field turf.

Both coaches do not see this fact as making a difference, however.

“There’s factors in the elements no matter where you play,” said Farley.

Saturday, the Jacks will hope to alter history while the Panthers look to maintain it. UNI has emerged victorious the last three times they have faced SDSU and hold the all-time series edge at 25-16-2. The two schools met annually from 1935-1979 when they were both part of the North Central Conference.

“(UNI is) just a confident team with tradition, and I’m sure they walk on any field and feel like they’re going to win the football game. You have to prove them different. That’s what our intent will be,” Stiegelmeier said.

“We don’t care what happened in the past, and we’re sure looking forward to the future. This is a huge football game.”

Saturday’s game begins at 2:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on Mediacom (television) and the Panther Sports Network (radio).
 

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