Panthers Head To WIU For Final Regular Season Road Game

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Game 10 at #19 Western Illinois
Date: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Place: Hanson Field (Macomb, Ill.)
TV: ESPN3
Live Stats: www.GoLeathernecks.com
Radio: Panther Radio Network, TuneIn.com

The Basics: The University of Northern Iowa football program will play its second to last regular season game on the road against the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks on Saturday, Nov. 12. The game is set for a 1 p.m. kick.

About the Leathernecks: Western Illinois enters the game against UNI 6-3 overall and 3-3 in league play, ranking in the top-20 in the FCS. They are coming off a loss against Illinois State, falling to the Redbirds 31-26. They are ranked No. 32 in the FCS and third in the MVFC in total offense, averaging 413.8 yards per game. They are led by senior wide receiver Lance Lenoir who is ranked second in the MVFC in all-purpose yards, averaging 123.78 through nine games. Lenoir is getting the ball thanks to quarterback Sean McGuire, ranking No. 13 in the FCS in passing yards (2,340).

Five Facts:
• UNI is 29-14 all-time against Western Illinois and 14-7 in Macomb.
• UNI is ranked first in the FCS in strength of schedule.
• Malcolm Washington leads the MVFC in interceptions with four and is seventh in the FCS in interceptions per game.
• UNI ranks second in the FCS and first in the MVFC in passes intercepted (17).
• Head Coach Mark Farley has 133 wins under his belt, making him the most winningest coach in UNI history.

Panthers by the Numbers:
• 18 appearances in the FCS playoffs
• 7 trips to the FCS semifinals
• 1 FCS National Championship appearance
• 8 Top-5 rankings since 2001
• 16 Missouri Valley Football Conference titles
• 6 seasons of 10+ wins since 2001
• 203 wins in the UNI-Dome
• 79 wins over Top-25 opponents
• 2 NFL MVPs (Kurt Warner, Bryce Paup)
• 46 first-team All-MVFC selections since 2007, the most in the league
• 81 wins in the MVFC under the direction of Mark Farley
• 23 student-athletes to the NFL since 2001

Tickets: Fans can purchase single game tickets to UNI football home games through UNITIX. Call 319-273-4849 or visit www.UNITIX.uni.edu.

How to Tune In: The game against Western Illinois will air live Valley on ESPN3. Fans can also listen in on Panther Sports Radio (1540 KXEL), UNIPanthers.com or TuneIn.com as Gary Rima and Scott Petersen call the action.

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.

Last Time Against Western Illinois: UNI fell to the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks in 2015 on Homecoming, 24-19. After being down 21-6 at halftime, the Panthers scored 13 second half points and only allowed three, but fell to WIU in the end.
Sawyer Kollmorgen finished the game 12-25-1 for 94 yards while Aaron Bailey went 4-11-1 for 76 yards, adding 28 yards on the ground that included a five-yard rushing touchdown.

Week 9 Awards: Senior defensive end Karter Schult was named MVFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season for his performance against Indiana State (11/5). Redshirt freshman Sam Drysdale also earned MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his four field goals in UNI's win over the Sycamores.

Oh Baby Jalen Rima: Jalen Rima's 94-yard punt return for a touchdown against Indiana State (11/5) is a school record for longest punt return. It beat the previous record of 93 yards set by Joe Fuller against Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1984. The last time UNI returned a punt for a touchdown was in 2015 against Southern Illinois when Makinton Dorleant took it to the end zone for 90 yards.

Waukon Wildcat: Marcus Weymiller's 57-yard rush in the second quarter against Indiana State (11/5) is the longest rushing play this season. Weymiller rushed for 171 yards out of the wildcat formation against the Sycamores, a career-high for the Waukon, Iowa, native. It is the most one individual has rushed for in 2016 with Tyvis Smith putting up 130 against Montana.

Three for Three: Michael Malloy finished the game with three touchdowns against Indiana State (11/5), his second game this season with multiple rushing scores. He also had two rushing touchdowns against Missouri State.

Ground Work: UNI finished the game against the Sycamores (11/5) with 307 yards on the ground. The last time UNI rushed for over 300 yards was in 2015 against Eastern Illinois when the Panthers posted 323 in the playoffs.

Through the Uprights: Sam Drysdale scored a career-high four field goals in UNI's win over Indiana State (11/5), including a career-long 40-yarder. It is the first time a Panther has kick four field goals in a game since UNI's playoff win over Eastern Illinois in 2015.

Mr. November: UNI head coach Mark Farley is known for his winning prowess in the month of November. Since taking over as head coach in 2001, Farley has posted a mark of 48-8 in the month of November, including 13 straight.

Consecutive November Wins

11/9/13	vs. Youngstown State	W, 22-20
11/16/13	at Missouri State	W, 17-10
11/23/13	vs. Western Illinois	W, 28-13
11/1/14	vs. Illinois State	W, 42-28
11/8/14	vs. North Dakota State	W, 23-3
11/15/14	at Southern Illinois	W, 40-21
11/22/14	vs. Missouri State	W, 38-24
11/29/14	vs. Stephen F. Austin	W, 44-10
11/7/15	vs. Indiana State	W, 59-13
11/14/15	at Missouri State	W, 41-0
11/21/15	vs. Southern Illinois	W, 49-28
11/28/15	vs. Eastern Illinois	W, 53-17
11/5/16	at Indiana State	W, 39-6

Turnover Game: UNI is currently ranked No. 2 in the FCS in passes intercepted after the two picks against Indiana State (11/5). It was the seventh game this season and fourth in a row that UNI has had two or more interceptions. Rickey Neal came away with his first career pick while Elijah Campbell notched his third interception of the season for the third consecutive week.

Indiana State (11/5) - 2 interceptions - Rickey Neal, Elijah Campbell
North Dakota St. (10/29) - 2 Interceptions - Elijah Campbell, Malcolm Washington
Missouri State (10/22) - 3 interceptions - Duncan Ferch, Elijah Campbell, A.J. Allen
Youngstown St. (10/15) - 3 interceptions - Duncan Ferch, Malcolm Washington, Jamsion Whiting
Southern Illinois (10/1) - 2 Interceptions - Duncan Ferch, Malcolm Washington
Eastern Was. (9/17) - 2 Interceptions - Karter Schult, Charles Brown
Iowa State (9/3) - 2 Interceptions - Charles Brown, Jared Farley

Numbers Speak: UNI is 95-9 in the Mark Farley era (2001-present) when holding the opposition to 20 points or less. The Panthers are 84-7 in the Farley years when scoring 30 or more points in a game.

Cracking Ranks: Senior Karter Schult has recorded at least one sack in eight of the nine games this season, giving him 13.0 for a loss of 79 yards. It brings his career total to 31.5, ranking him No. 3 all-time at UNI.

UNI's Top-5 Career Sacks Leaders
1.   William Freeney (1989-92), 45.0
2.   Matt Mitchell (2000-03), 33.0
3.   Karter Schult (2012-Now), 31.5
4.   Andre Allen (1991-94), 31.0
5.   James Ruffin (2005-09), 25.0

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