2017 Panther Football: The Year of #UNIFight

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The 2017 Northern Iowa football team exemplified #UNIFight more than any other squad last season, displaying grit, fight and a never-quit attitude that rewarded fans with one of the greatest turnarounds in recent history.

The Panthers were tasked with a tough slate to begin the 2017 season, playing only one game at home in the month of September, with road contests against Liberty Bowl-champion Iowa State and Big Sky-champion Southern Utah on the schedule.

UNI found a way to earn two wins during that span, but faced a murderers' row of Top-10 foes in the second half of the season. With a 2-3 record, the Panthers had the task of kicking off their Top-10 gauntlet against No. 7 South Dakota State on the road. Those odds didn't shake the resolve of the 2017 Panthers however, as UNI rattled off a 5-1 record down the stretch, including three victories over Top-10 opponents.

The incredible late-season run secured the football program's 19th postseason berth, as UNI finished second overall in the MVFC. The Panthers hosted a challenging 9-2 Monmouth squad in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs, which UNI dismantled 46-7 at home. The second round paired UNI with fellow MVFC-foe SDSU, who owned a national seed. The Panthers fell to the 10-2 Jackrabbits, who went on to earn a semifinal appearance to close out the year.

The fight and never-quit attitude of the 2017 Panthers was a direct result of the leadership on the team, which will be remembered as one of the most tenacious groups to ever wear the Purple & Gold. The mixture of experience and talent was a perfect formula for the 2017 squad, which posted a spectacular senior class and overall resume.

UNI Football 2017 Senior Class Resume

Three trips to the FCS Playoffs
Beat 14 ranked teams, with eight wins coming against Top-10 foes
Earned 31 victories overall, the most since 2008's class
Posted three undefeated Novembers, tied for the most by any class under head coach Mark Farley
Finished in the Top-5 of the MVFC in all four seasons
Played in 52 games, the most since 2008's class
Played the 13th, sixth, eighth and fifth toughest schedule over their four seasons
Earned the highest APR and GPA scores in program history

UNI Football 2017 Team Resume

Earned 16 All-American selections, the most since 2014
Had seven different players earn All-American honors, which is the most since 2007
Earned UNI's first Phil Steele All-American honorees since 2011
Passed for 3,063 yards as a team, the most since 2005
Completed 255 passes, the most since 2005
Threw for 28 touchdown passes, the most since 2000
Earned the best completion percentage of 62.5% since 2007
Overall, had 74 offensive touchdowns, the most since 2007
Picked off 21 passes, the most since 2008
Ranked first in the nation in red zone offense, scoring 47 times on 51 attempts

UNI Football 2017 Individual Resume

Senior wide receiver Daurice Fountain became just the sixth player at UNI to rank in the Top-10 for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns
Fountain became the fifth Panther to earn an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game
For his career, Fountain ranks fourth all-time in catches (150), sixth all-time in touchdowns (23) and ninth all-time for receiving yards (2,077)
Senior linebacker Jared Farley became the first Div. I linebacker to record a touchdown on defense, receiving and rushing in a single season
Farley's touchdown catch against Monmouth ranked fourth on ESPN's SportsCenter Top-10 plays for the night
Farley ranks eighth all-time at UNI, with 313 total tackles
Senior punter Sam Kuhter ranks first all-time at UNI in punt yardage (8,385) and second all-time in total punts (200) and punt average (41.9)
Sophomore placekicker Sam Drysdale made 17 field goals in 2017, tied for the 10th-most in a season at UNI

2017 Final Team Rankings

HeroSports – 6th
Compughterratings.com – 10th
Athlon – 13th
College Sports Madness – 15th
STATS – 17th
FCS Coaches Poll - 19th

Social Media
Get all the latest information on the team by following @UNIFootball on Twitter and @UNIPantherFootball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @UNIAthletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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