UNI Continues Top-10 Stretch Against No. 9 Youngstown State

UNI GAME NOTES

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Riding high from last Saturday's win over No. 7 South Dakota State, Northern Iowa (3-3, 2-1 MVFC) hosts No. 9 Youngstown State (3-3, 1-2 MVFC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT, as the Panthers look to carry momentum to another top-10 victory.

"Youngstown is always tough as nails," head coach Mark Farley said. "They take after their coach and take on his style. We had a battle with them last year at their place, so it will be a great challenge for us this weekend that we are looking forward to."

The game will mark the 29th meeting between the two football programs, with UNI owning a 12-2 mark in the Farley era.

HOW TO TUNE IN
The game against YSU will be televised on ESPN3. Fans can also listen in on 1540 KXEL or www.UNIPanthers.com as Gary Rima and Scott Petersen call the action.

LIVE STATS
Live stats for Saturday's game will be made available via the UNI athletics website (www.UNIPanthers.com). Fans and media can visit @UNIFootball on Twitter for links to the feed.

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

LAST TIME AGAINST THE PENGUINS

Youngstown State defeated UNI in the last meeting, with the Penguins taking a 14-10 decision.
The Penguins marched back from a 10-0 deficit to beat the Panthers, after No. 12 YSU scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.
YSU scored the go-ahead score with 28 seconds left, after Martin Ruiz earned a one-yard touchdown.

SERIES WITH YOUNGSTOWN STATE

Saturday will be the 29th meeting between UNI and YSU. Last season's game was the first between the two squads since 2013. YSU has visited the UNI-Dome 15 total times, with the first meeting being in 1978.
The Panthers owned an 11-game winning streak over the Penguins from 2001-2011 before YSU broke the streak in 2012.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS

Youngstown State enters Saturday with a 3-3 record, after dropping a tough decision to North Dakota State in overtime last time out.
The Penguins have lost to Pittsburgh (28-21), South Dakota (31-28) and most recently to the Bison (27-24).
YSU has wins over Robert Morris (30-0), Central Connecticut State (59-9) and South Dakota State (19-7).

UNI AGAINST THE MVFC

The Panthers are 155-61 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference, with UNI going 84-39 during the Farley era.

NO OCTOBER SURPRISE FOR FARLEY

Over his 17 seasons at UNI, head coach Mark Farley has amassed a 42-28 record for the month of October since 2001.
Farley has gone undefeated during October three times (2003, 2007, 2008) while going winless only once during the month (2013).
This season, the Panthers are currently 1-1 during October after splitting games against Western Illinois and South Dakota State.

CLUTCH CATS

This season, the Panthers have been extremely efficient in the red zone with UNI scoring on 18 out of 20 attempts. UNI ranks 13th currently in the FCS for red zone offense.
UNI has earned the majority of its red zone scores through the air, with 12 passing TDs inside the 20. That total is tied for second in the FCS.

CAGED PENGUINS

UNI has only lost twice to Youngstown State since 2001. The Panthers are 12-2 against the Penguins over that stretch, with the two losses each coming on the road.
Overall, UNI has built a 21-8 record against YSU and has not lost to the Penguins at home since 1999.

PANTHER DEFENSE VERSUS THE RUN

Last season, the UNI defense held opponents to 119.7 yards per game to rank 16th in the FCS.
The Panthers rank 67th in the country this season, allowing 156.7 yards on the ground per game.
This season, Youngstown State's rushing attack has gained 248.5 yards per game, to rank ninth in the nation.

PANTHERS AGAINST THE PASS

The Panther defense has allowed a total of 268.0 yards passing per game this season, to rank 104th overall in the FCS.
UNI has given up 14 passing touchdowns this season, with four coming against Cal Poly.
This week's opponent - Youngstown State - has gained 186.0 yards through the air per game this season. That total is 82nd overall in the FCS.

WEYMILLER'S COMEBACK

Before last Saturday's game, Marcus Weymiller had not carried the ball since Nov. 19, 2016 against South Dakota State. Against the Jackrabbits in 2017, Weymiller had 42 rushes, 170 yards and two touchdowns.
The 42 carries rank as the most by any FCS player this season.
The 170-yard total was just one-yard shy of Weymiller's career-high 171 set last season against Indiana State on Nov. 5, 2016.
Weymiller is the first Panther back since David Johnson to earn at least two 170-yard rushing performances for his career.

FOUNTAIN ON A MISSION

Senior Daurice Fountain has put up monster numbers in his final season at UNI. The 6-foot-1 receiver has hauled in five touchdowns this season, with 526 yards receiving.
This season, Fountain has earned three 100-yard receiving games (all in consecutive weeks).
The senior has 120 catches as a Panther and 16 total touchdowns during his stellar UNI career.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the UNI football program, follow the Panthers on Twitter at "@UNIFootball" and on Facebook at "UNI Football."

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