Northern Iowa

[CapnCat]

Re: Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley is concerned about the game. He's also not especially happy about the XDSUs being in the league. He thinks it makes what was already a tough league even tougher and it will be more difficult for the Panthers to make the playoffs every year. UNI, in my view, has had a big home field advantage over the years. Panthers never have to play a bad weather game at home that could be an advantage to an opponent. And playing in a dome has to be a somewhat strange experience for teams that usually play outside. Panthers have a new qb after four years of Eric Sanders. I think the Coyotes out-gainining the Panthers has to be encouraging. Coach Farley...by the way...is a former UNI player. He was a walk-on and his hometown was Waukon, Iowa. So he was known as the "walk-on from Waukon." I'll be making the 45-mile trip up I-380 from Cedar Rapids to Cedar Falls Saturday.

Now, Jack. Let me tell ya. Old Cap'n Cat played, and was a captain, with Mark Farley at UNI. The Cats have played in many a bad weather game on the road, which, if you think deeply is one helluva lot tougher than winning at home. Won most of 'em, too.

The Dome isn't as magical as you think. It's been facilities combined with funding and fan base, not to mention outstanding coaches and superb recruiting over the years.

Recall, too, that UNI's record in the Dome before 1984 is not so hot. They lost their first game in there, MOF.

[JimmyJack]

Re: Northern Iowa

Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier story: Farley, UNI wary of improved South Dakota State

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2...l/10618873.txt

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Re: Northern Iowa

Nice find JJ! That was a good read! I guess we can be sure of one thing, Coach Farley and the Panthers won't be taking us lightly this year. We will get their best effort, which will make the win all the sweeter!

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Northern Iowa

http://www.panthernation.com/showthread.php?t=19488

Here's the Panther board discussion.

Looks pretty similar to the SDSUfans board discussion, but with a decidely Panther twist.

This is a major game for the Jacks. Win this, and hold home field, at worst we have two in-league losses. That, my fellow Rabbits, should be good enough to make the play-offs.

UNI seems to have an off-year in the even years. Let's be the smash-mouth O & D, and stick it to them at the UNI Dome!

[JimmyJack]

Re: Northern Iowa

Anybody else noticed that few of our conference mates have discussion boards that can hold a candle to this one? There's a lot more participation on this board than on any of the three MVFC boards I've looked at this year. And you'd think, given all their success, that UNI would have a very busy football forum. But really not so much.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Northern Iowa

Anybody else noticed that none of our conference mates have discussion boards that can hold a candle to this one? There's a lot more participation on this board than on any of the three MVFC boards I've looked at this year. And you'd think, given all their success, that UNI would have a very busy football forum. But really not so much.

SDSU has probably a top ten discussion board within FCS. Only Montana, NDSU, Delaware, App St. and Ga Southern (that I've looked at) have the activity that this board has.

[jacksfaninne]

Re: Northern Iowa

Coach Farley...by the way...is a former UNI player. He was a walk-on and his hometown was Waukon, Iowa. So he was known as the "walk-on from Waukon."

And, if I'm not mistaken (which certainly is possible), his brother Tim played for the Jacks in the mid-80s; linebacker, I believe.

[JimmyJack]

Re: Northern Iowa

Here's a direct link to this week's episode of The John Stiegelmeier Show. This episode begins airing on Mediacom tomorrow.

http://www.gojacks.com/newMediaPlaye...FILE_ID=144242

[tdhummel]

Re: Northern Iowa

Here's a direct link to this week's episode of The John Stiegelmeier Show. This episode begins airing on Mediacom tomorrow.

http://www.gojacks.com/newMediaPlaye...FILE_ID=144242

14:30 into it I loved that play!

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Northern Iowa

14:30 into it I loved that play!

Something I noticed in the video and not live, on that play was how Bazata initially missed that sack, but got up and pursued and ended up sharing the sack anyway with Batten. Great example to always pursue the ball, you never know when you're going to be a part of the play.

[launcher46]

Re: Northern Iowa

Anybody else noticed that few of our conference mates have discussion boards that can hold a candle to this one? There's a lot more participation on this board than on any of the three MVFC boards I've looked at this year. And you'd think, given all their success, that UNI would have a very busy football forum. But really not so much.

Have you been to bisonville? I have always been impressed by the level of participation on their board. But then again... their kool-aid drinking is kinda ridiculous.

[JimmyJack]

Re: Northern Iowa

Have you been to bisonville? I have always been impressed by the level of participation on their board. But then again... their kool-aid drinking is kinda ridiculous.

Yes, I've been a member there for a couple of years.

[crjack]

Re: Northern Iowa

From the Cedar Rapids Gazette...
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
UNI’s Farley can’t envision MVC perfection
Run like UNI’s in 2007 a thing of the past with new teams, coach says
By Jim Ecker
The Gazette
CEDAR FALLS — Mark Farley knows what it takes to be perfect. He’s been there, done that, but don’t look for it to happen very often.
Not by the University of Northern Iowa, not by anyone.
The Panthers became the first football team in league history to finish the regular season with an 11-0 record last year, including a 6-0 mark in the conference.
Farley thinks it will be much harder now with South Dakota State and North Dakota State in the league.
“It will be very difficult to ever have any team go through this league without taking some type of a loss along the way, because there are so many quality teams,” he said Monday at his weekly news conference.
Northern Iowa hosts South Dakota State in its Missouri Valley Conference opener Saturday in the UNI-Dome (4:05 p.m., Mediacom).
The Gateway Conference changed its name this year to the Missouri Valley Conference when the two Dakota schools came aboard, making it a nine-team league instead of seven. That added two games to the conference schedule — two tough games — and erased two potentially easier non-conference games from the slate.
North Dakota State and UNI waged a long battle for the No. 1 ranking in the country last year, with the Bison topping the coaches poll for much of the season (until they lost to South Dakota State) and the Panthers leading The Sports Network poll for the final six weeks of the regular season.
Here they go again. North Dakota State is currently No. 2 in the coaches poll, the Panthers are No. 7 and South Dakota State is No. 13. Three more Valley teams are ranked in the Top 25 as well, which is why Farley thinks it will be hard to finish with an 8-0 re cord in the league this year or anytime in the near future.
South Dakota State is off to a good start, however. The Jackrabbits clobbered Youngstown State, 40-7, in their first game in league history two weeks ago, then defeated Western Illinois, 24-22, last Saturday for a 2-0 record.
“They’re sitting in the driver’s seat at 2-and-0, which makes them a little dangerous,” Farley said.
“I’m very cautious of this game, because they’re on a roll right now.” The Panthers haven’t fired a shot in the conference. They lost at BYU, 41-17, in the season opener, then topped South Dakota, 24-13, in another nonconference affair. That 41-17 loss at BYU looks better now after BYU’s 59-0 victory over UCLA.
Farley thinks winning the league title will be harder than ever, and also thinks making the FCS playoffs will be harder, too, with the extra competition from North Dakota State and South Dakota State in the same conference.
“I don’t foresee that it’s going to help us,” he said. “A lot of people think that (it will). I don’t.” The Panthers were idle last Saturday, giving them extra time to get healthy for the conference opener. Farley gave them Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.

[jackmd]

Re: Northern Iowa

Another article with mention of the game.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/t...spx?id=4180244

ALSO WORTH WATCHING

While Appalachian State and James Madison have stolen much of the attention, there are a bunch of other potential barn-burners in what should be the best weekend thus far for FCS.

-We should learn if No. 12 South Dakota State is for real when the Jackrabbits venture to No. 8 Northern Iowa in a key Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown.

SDSU was picked to finish in the middle of the pack in its first MVFC season, but the Jackrabbits have shocked Youngstown State (40-7) and Western Illinois (24-22) at home in their first two league games.

Now South Dakota State takes its production on the road against defending league champion Northern Iowa at the formidable UNI-Dome.

Some of the keys could be what kind of start SDSU gets off to, who plays better between Jackrabbit quarterback Ryan Berry and Panther QB Pat Grace and if the SDSU defense can lock down UNI running back Corey Lewis the same way it contained Herb Donaldson of Western Illinois last week.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Re: Northern Iowa

The line is out for this weekend's game:

South Dakota State at Northern Iowa
Sat 9/20 1369 South Dakota State +6 -120
5:05PM (EST) 1370 Northern Iowa -6 -120

As you can see, the Panthers are favored by 6.. After making bank on Youngstown State game, I think I'll take the 6 points and go with the Jacks this weekend!!

GO RABBITS!! TOP 5... here we come!!!!!!!