Panthers Set To Face Mustangs Saturday

Saturday, September 19

San Luis Obispo, Calif.

9:30 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Cal Poly

Panthers Set To Face Mustangs Saturday

9/14/2015 1:47:00 PM | Football

GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT

Game 3 at Cal Poly, Sept. 19
Time: 9:30 p.m. CT
Place: San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Alex G. Spanos Stadium)
TV: American Sports Network, KGAN
Radio: 1540 KXEL, TuneIn.com

The Basics: The University of Northern Iowa football program will take in the West Coast on Sept. 19 when they take on their second Big Sky opponent of the season in Cal Poly.

About the Mustangs: Cal Poly will enter the game against the Panthers with a 1-1 overall record. They opened their season with a win over then No. 13 Montana before falling to FBS foe Arizona State. The Mustangs returned 16 starters to the field this season, including Joe Protheroe, who is currently leading the Big Sky in rushing through two games.

Panther Quick Hits:
• UNI enters the week ranked No. 9 in the STATS and No. 11 in the FCS Coaches top-25 polls.
• The Panthers have 74 wins over top-25 opponents and 18 over top-10 opponents since 2001.
• UNI made its 17th FCS playoff appearance in 2014, defeating Stephen F. Austin in the first round.
• Head Coach Mark Farley is in his 15th season at the helm with an overall record of 121-57 and 73-31 in conference play, making him the all-time coaching wins leader in the MVFC.
• The 2015 season marks the 40th year in the UNI-Dome. The Panthers are 197-50-1 all-time inside the historic facility.
• Finished the year in the top-25 in 11 of the last 14 seasons after ending 2014 ranked No. 10 in both polls.
• Has had 41 first-team All-MVFC selections since 2007, the most in the league.

Tickets: Fans looking to buy UNI football season tickets can call 319-273-4TIX (4849) or visit www.UNITIX.uni.edu.

How to Tune in: Fans can tune into The Panther Sports Network (1540 KXEL-Flagship) with Gary Rima and Scott Peterson calling the action or to TuneIn.com. The game will also be aired live on KGAN.

Follow the Panthers Online: UNI fans can get all their Panther news and notes on UNIPanthers.com. Fans can also follow UNI on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/UNIAthletics and Twitter at @UNIAthletics. The UNI Football program also has individual accounts on Facebook (UNI Football) and on Twitter (@UNIFootball/@CoachMarkFarley).

Join us at Pepper's: UNI will host a weekly press luncheon at Pepper's in Cedar Falls on Mondays at noon. All of the in-season head coaches will address the media with a weekly recap/preview of their team and then will be open to questions. All media and fans are welcome to attend.

The Series: UNI is currently 5-1 all-time against Cal Poly wit the last meeting coming in 2002. The Panthers defeated the Mustangs 29-26 in the third overtime. UNI is 2-1 all-time when in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

One Has To Give: The Panthers, who are ranked No. 5 in the FCS in rushing defense, will be facing the No. 6 ranked team in rushing offense on Saturday against Cal Poly. UNI is currently only allowing 51.5 rushing yards per game while Cal Poly is averaging 307.0 per game.

Week 2 Awards: Senior Deiondre' Hall was named the College Sports Madness National Defensive Player of the Week and the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Eastern Washington (9/12). Junior quarterback Aaron Bailey was also selected as the MVFC Newcomer of the Week.

Dual Threat: Aaron Bailey finished the game with 134 rushing yards against Eastern Washington (9/12). The last time UNI had a 100-yard rushing quarterback performance was on Nov. 19, 2011 when Tirrell Rennie rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries in UNI's win over Illinois State.

Dynamic Duo: Aaron Bailey (134 rushing yards) and Darrian Miller (112 rushing yards) combined for 246 of UNI's 266 rushing yards against the Eagles (9/12). The last time UNI had two 100+ yard rushers in a game was on Sept. 24, 2011 against Western Illinois (David Johnson and Tirrell Rennie)

In the End Zone: The Panthers remained at the top of the rankings in the FCS in red zone offense, scoring 100 percent of the time they make it inside the 20-yard-line. Michael Malloy and Logan Cunningham both scored their first-career touchdowns against the Eagles (9/12), two of five touchdowns scored.

Helping Hand: Deiondre' Hall tied the school record for interception returns for touchdowns against Eastern Washington (9/12) with his pick-six in the fourth quarter. He now has three total in his career, tying former safety Ray Mitchell (2013-14).

Moving Up: Sawyer Kollmorgen is now tied for fifth all-time at UNI in passing touchdowns after his one today against Eastern Washington (9/12). He now has 48 total, tying him with Steve Sandon (1978-81).

UNI in Non-Conference: UNI has the most victories among league members over top-25 non-conference opponents with 32 since 1985.

High Rankings: The Panthers currently have four players ranked in the top-25 in the FCS in their individual statistics through the first two games of the season.

Player	Statistic	Rank
Logan Bieghler	Punting	19
Aaron Bailey	Rushing Yards	13
Aaron Bailey	Rushing Yards/Game	15
Karter Schult	Sacks	16
Jared Farley	TFL	6

Home Openers: Under the direction of head coach Mark Farley, the Panthers are 14-1 in home openers. UNI has now won nine consecutive home openers.

Home Openers under Mark Farley

2001	Wayne State	W, 34-14
2002	Wayne State	W, 34-0
2003	Northern Michigan	W, 62-0
2004	Minnesota State	W, 40-0
2005	Drake	W, 57-17
2006	North Dakota	L, 35-31
2007	Minnesota State-Mankato	W, 41-14
2008	South Dakota	W, 24-13
2009	South Dakota	W, 66-7
2010	North Dakota State	W, 16-9
2011	Western Illinois	W, 38-10
2012	Central State	W, 59-0
2013	Drake	W, 45-14
2014	Northern Colorado	W, 46-7
2015	Eastern Washington	W, 38-35

Top-10 Wins: UNI has 18 wins over top-10 ranked teams since 2001, including five in the last two seasons. Eastern Washington was one of four teams on UNI's schedule this season ranked in the top-10 in both the STATS and FCS Coaches polls.

UNI vs. Top-10 Ranked Teams Since 2001
2001 UNI vs. #2 Youngstown St. (Sept. 29) W, 30-11
2001 UNI vs. #6 Western Ky. (Nov. 10) W, 24-23
2001 UNI vs. #3 Eastern Illinois (Dec. 1) W, 49-43
2003 UNI vs. #7 Western Illinois (Oct. 25) W, 38-30
2003 UNI vs. #2 Southern Illinois (Nov. 15) W, 43-40
2005 UNI vs. #6 Western Ky. (Nov. 5) W, 23-20
2005 UNI vs. #4 Southern Illinois (Nov. 12) W, 25-24
2005 UNI vs. #1 New Hampshire (Dec. 3) W, 24-21
2005 UNI vs. #5 Texas State (Dec. 9) W, 40-37
2006 UNI vs. #5 Youngstown State (Oct. 21) W, 31-23
2006 UNI vs. #6 Illinois State (Nov. 18) W, 38-27
2007 UNI vs. #6 Southern Illinois (Oct. 13) W, 30-24
2008 UNI vs. #10 New Hampshire (Dec. 6) W, 36-34
2013 UNI vs. #9 McNeese State (Sept. 28) W, 41-6
2013 UNI vs. #9 Youngstown State (Nov. 9) W, 22-20
2014 UNI vs. #6 Illinois State (Nov. 1) W, 42-28
2014 UNI vs. #1 N. Dakota State (Nov. 8) W, 23-3
2015 UNI vs. #7 Eastern Washington (Sept. 12) W, 38-35

Numbers Speak: UNI is 86-7 in the Mark Farley era (2001-present) when holding the opposition to 20 points or less. The Panthers are 77-6 in the Farley years when scoring 30 or more points in a game. UNI had won 15 consecutive games when holding the opposition to 20 points or less prior to the game against Illinois State in 2013.

Top Wins: The Panthers currently have 74 wins over top-25 ranked opponents. In the past two seasons, five of those 74 victories were against top-10 ranked foes with wins over No. 9 McNeese State (9/28/13), No. 9 Youngstown State (11/9/13), No. 6 Illinois State (11/1/14, No. 1 North Dakota State (11/8/14) and No. 7 Eastern Washington (9/12/15)

Starting Right: UNI saw six players on offense (Aaron Bailey, Daurice Fountain, Tyvis Smith, Jacob Appleman, Bryce Sweeney, Chris Schleuger) and three on defense (Jordan Webb, De'Angelo Jennings,Adam Reth) notch their first career starts against Iowa State (Sept. 5).

Dual Threat: Aaron Bailey made his starting debut for the Panthers against Iowa State (Sept. 5), finishing the game with 114 passing yards and 85 yards on the ground. The junior, a transfer from Illionis, effectivly found holes in the Cyclone defense, leading the team in rushing yards and carries (22).

Back At It: Senior wide receiver Rod Hall played in his first football game since 2011 when the Panthers faced off against Iowa State (Sept. 5). For the past four years, Hall has been the starting point guard for the Clemson Tigers, but with one last year of eligibility left, he decided to go back to the gridiron for one last season of football.

Career-Highs: The Panthers had a trio of starters on the defensive side of the ball notch career-high tackles against Iowa State. Senior Deiondre' Hall led the way with nine tackles and two forced fumbles. Karter Schlut racked up eight tackles and two sacks for a loss of 11 yards while senior De'Angelo Jennings scored a career-high eight tackles in his first start at linebacker.

40 Great Years: The 2015 season will mark the 40th year of the UNI-Dome. With the Panthers currently holding a 197-50-1 record inside the UNI-Dome, just four shy of the 200-win mark, it is safe to say that tradition has thrived in the building that was constructed in 1976. UNI has gone undefeated at home in a season eight times since 1990, including four seasons under the direction of Mark Farley. The Panthers are also 78-14 in home Missouri Valley Football Conference games.

Experience on the Field: UNI returns 14 starters to the roster for 2015, combining for more than 240 starts wearing a Panther uniform. Out of the 14 starters, nine are seniors on the squad.

Back on the Field: The Panthers suffered some critical injuries to the defensive side of the ball during the 2014 season, losing Joe Feldpausch and Ronelle McNeil to season-ending injuries. Both players will return to the field for the 2015 season, wtih both McNeil and Feldpausch being granted redshirt senior years.

High Rank: Since 1985, UNI has been the only MVFC teams ranked in a pre-season or regular-season poll every season. The Panthers finished last season 9-5 overall and ranked No. 10 in both the Coaches and Sports Network poll. This year, UNI also landed at No. 10 in both the FCS Coaches and STATS (former Sports Network) in the preseason voting.

Conference Play: UNI currently holds a 145-53 overall record in the MVFC and 73-31 record during the Farley era. Farley's 73 league wins is the most by a head coach in Missouri Valley Football Conference history.

Key Numbers: Out of UNI's 11 opponents this season, five finished the 2014 season ranked in the top-25 with five more receiving votes. Nine of UNI's 10 FCS opponents this season are also either ranked in the polls or receiving votes.

Team	STATS/Coaches Poll
North Dakota State	4/2
Illinois State	5/6
Eastern Washington	14/15
South Dakota State	7/8
Indiana State	23/25
Cal Poly	17/18
South Dakota	RV/RV
Southern Illinois	RV/None
Western Illinois	RV/RV

Road Warriors: UNI will spend five of the first eight Saturdays of college football on the road this season with six total road games on the docket. Out of those five games, UNI will face one FBS opponent in Iowa State and four teams either ranked in the top-25 or receiving votes.

Familiar Numbers: Panther fans will get to see a familiar number running on the defensive side of the ball this fall, with Jared Farley making the switch from 35 to 46. With the newest number change, Jared is now the third member of the Farley family to wear the coveted 46.

Winning Tradition: Mark Farley currently holds an overall record of 121-57 at the helm, just nine wins shy of tying Stan Sheriff's, UNI's all-time winningest coach record of 129-101-4.

UNI Football is Family: Family has always been important to the Panthers and this year's roster shows the bond between father and son and siblings. There are currently five student-athletes that have followed in their father's footsteps to become a Panther and four sets of siblings on the 2015 roster.

Father	Years Played at UNI	Son(s)
Mark Farley	1982-86	Jared Farley
Andre Allen	1991-94	A.J. Allen
		Trevor Allen
Willie Beamon	1989-92	Willie Beamon
John Hill	1984-87	Barkley Hill

Older Brother	Younger Brother
A.J. Allen (RFr.)	Trevor Allen (Fr.)
Dalton Ferch (Jr.)	Duncan Ferch (RFr.)
Xavier James (So.)	Jaylin James (Fr.)
Justin Putney (Jr.)	Tyler Putney (RFr.)

Panthers in the Playoffs: UNI made its 17th appearance in the FCS playoffs in 2014 and has one at least one game in 13 of its 17 appearances. The Panthers defeated Stephen F. Austin in the first round, 44-10, the largest margin of victory in UNI's playoff history.

Defense Counts: The Panthers return a strong core of defensive players that will look to capatilize on a successful 2014 season on the line and in the secondary. UNI finished the 2014 season ranked in the top-15 in eight different statistical categories, including a No. 3 rank in the FCS in sacks.

Taking it Back: UNI's defense forced at least one turnover in 13 of the 14 games in 2014, whether it be a fumble or an interception. The Panthers had at least one interception in eight consecutive games prior to the game against Missouri State (11/22/14). UNI finished third in the league in interceptions with Deiondre' Hall and Tim Kilfoy ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in the MVFC in the category to end 2014.

It is a Special Team: UNI's defense and special teams excelled during the 2014 season, scoring 177 of UNI's 452 total points. Michael Schmadeke went 27-of-29 from field goal range and 51-53 on PATs. UNI's defense scored four touchdowns, while special teams added a blocked punt for a score and a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Record Breaking: UNI broke 26 school records during the 2014 season, wtih 15 records coming at the hands of former UNI running back and current Arizona Cardinal, David Johnson.