University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Stephen F. Austin
Panthers Fall to 13-Ranked Stephen F. Austin 24-21
9/18/2004 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2004
Cedar Falls - The University of Northern Iowa football team fought back in the closing five minutes before falling to the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin 24-21 in the UNI-Dome. UNI's record falls to 1-2 with the loss, while SFA improves their record to 3-0.
A hard fought game on both sides; the scoreboard read zero to zero at the end of the first quarter. SFA put points on the board first when leading rusher Derek Farmer completed a four-yard run into the end zone at the 13:11 mark in the second period. Farmer went on to have 71 total yards in rushing. The Lumberjacks scored again with 6:02 left on the clock in the first half thanks to a Michael Motte 12-yard reception from quarterback Michael Williams. However, the Panthers would answer in their sixth offensive drive of the game when junior wide receiver Justin Surrency (St. Paul, Minn./Concordia Academy) caught a 19-yard pass from senior quarterback Tom Petrie (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) at the 1:28 mark in the second period. The score read 14-7 at the half in favor of SFA.
Surrency would tie the game with another touchdown reception from 26 yards out at the 7:15 mark in the third period. However, in the fourth period the Lumberjacks lit a spark and scored 10 more points off of a 41-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Rossner and an eight-yard touchdown reception by Farmer. The Farmer touchdown was scored with a 5:45 left up on the clock, but the Panthers fought back with an 80-yard drive up the field. On the fifth play of the drive, Petrie snuck into the end zone from one yard out to put the Panthers down by just three after the extra point made by sophomore kicker Brian Wingert (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) with 4:20 left to go in the game. UNI was able to stop SFA in its final drive of the game and had a chance to score again with time remaining, but the ball didn't roll in the Panthers' favor, and the Lumberjacks left the field with the win.
"The upside is that the character and the type of football team that we have, I think you saw in the last five minutes of that football game," UNI head coach Mark Farley said. "That's what this football team is about, and that's what we'll build on. We made mistakes. I made mistakes. We'll go back to work on Monday with the same expectations that we came to work with today."
The Panthers won in the passing game with 290 net yards to SFA's 225. The Panthers rushed for 77 yards to the Lumberjacks' 132. UNI lead with 367 total offensive yards, while SFA came in close behind with 357.
Senior tailback Richard Carter (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) led the Panthers in rushing with 50 total yards. Junior tailback Terrance Freeney (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls/North Dakota State School of Science) rushed for just 14 yards, playing on a turned ankle suffered during the game. Leading the Panthers in receiving was Surrency with nine receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers held SFA to just 5-of-12 on third down conversions. UNI was lead on defense by senior free safety James Idleburgh (Lakeland, Fla./Tampa Bay Tech/Iowa Central CC) with six solo tackles and one assisted. Sophomore linebacker Justin Overman (Rock Rapids, Iowa/Central Lyon) also recorded six solos and one assisted on the night. Sophomore cornerback Dre Dokes (Racine, Wis./Washington Park) recorded six solo tackles.
"I'm not concerned about our defensive line at all," Farley commented. "I think our defensive line is just fine. I wouldn't trade them for anybody."
The Panthers have the next weekend off before traveling to the home of the defending Gateway co-champions Southern Illinois on October 2nd. The Panthers defeated the Salukis in the Dome last year for a share of the Gateway crown. Kickoff on October 2nd is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
"I know a lot about our football team," Farley said. "Our football team's got a lot of heart. I believe in this football team. What they showed tonight showed me a lot about their character."
The Panthers return to the Dome on October 9th for Homecoming, taking on Western Kentucky. Kickoff is 4:05 p.m.
"I believe in this football team," Farley stated. "And I believe in them more now today after this than I did coming into this. No matter what happened at the end in that last drive, I knew we had a great football team with how they responded to the situation that I put them in."
