Panthers Host Leathernecks For Homecoming

UNI GAME NOTES

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – After opening conference play with a road win last time out, No. 21 Northern Iowa (2-2, 1-0 MVFC) returns to the friendly confines of the UNI-Dome this Saturday as the Panthers host No. 18 Western Illinois (3-1, 0-1 MVFC).

Kickoff between the Panthers and Leathernecks is slated for 4 p.m. CT. UNI will be seeking its first 2-0 start in MVFC play since 2011.

HOW TO TUNE IN
The game against WIU will air on Panther Sports Network and 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.

HONORARY CAPTAINS
Before the start of Saturday's game, members of the 2007 UNI football team will be recognized as honorary captains for the Panthers.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LEATHERNECKS

UNI defeated Western Illinois on the road in the last meeting between the two squads, with the Panthers winning 30-23.
The Leathernecks were ranked No. 19, before the Panthers took down WIU.
Eli Dunne led the Panthers with 209 yards passing and two scores, as the UNI defense held the Leathernecks to just 96 yards on the ground.

SERIES WITH WESTERN ILLINOIS

UNI and Western Illinois have faced off 44 times on the gridiron, with the Panthers owning a 30-14 advantage. UNI has been even at home and away, going 15-7 in Cedar Falls and in Macomb.
UNI has won five out of the last six meetings, but WIU won the last contest at the UNI-Dome in 2015 (24-19).

SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS

Western Illinois is currently 3-1 on the season, with wins over Tennessee Tech, Northern Arizona and Coastal Carolina, while dropping its last contest against South Dakota.
The Leathernecks dropped their conference opener to SD, 38-33. It was WIU's first home game of the season.
WIU earned MVFC Offensive and Defensive Player honors this past week, after wideout Jaelon Acklin and linebacker Brett Taylor earned the awards. Acklin caught 19 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns.

PANTHERS ARE KING

Since 1920, UNI has recorded a mark of 64-26-7 in Homecoming games. The Panthers have won 23 of their last 29 Homecoming contests in the UNI-Dome.
Last season, UNI won its Homecoming game against Southern Illinois, 42-21.

HOME SWEET DOME

The Panthers are a dominating 204-54-1 all-time in the UNI-Dome. The UNI football team started playing home games in the UNI-Dome way back in 1976.
This season, the Panthers are 1-0 at the UNI-Dome, defeating Cal Poly in overtime to open the home slate.

UNI AGAINST THE MVFC

The Panthers are 154-60 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference, with UNI going 83-39 during the Farley era.
Last week, the Panthers improved to 22-11 in MVFC openers. UNI has won its conference opener the last two seasons.

STREAK OF FORCING TURNOVER UP TO 13-STRAIGHT GAMES

The Panther defense continued its success in producing turnovers on Saturday, as the UNI D posted its 13th-consecutive game forcing at least one turnover.
The streak dates back to last season's game against Eastern Washington.
The Panther defense earned a turnover in 10 of 11 games last season, with the contest against Montana being the only game without forcing a turnover.

PANTHER DEFENSE VERSUS THE RUN

Last season, the UNI defense held opponents to 164.1 yards per game to rank 16th in the FCS.
The Panthers rank 90th in the country this season, allowing 188.5 yards on the ground per game.
This season, Western Illinois' rushing attack has gained 190.8 yards per game, to rank 35th in the nation.

PANTHERS AGAINST THE PASS

The Panther defense has allowed a total of 257.0 yards passing per game this season, to rank 91st overall in the FCS.
UNI has given up nine passing touchdowns this season, with four coming against Cal Poly.
This week's opponent - Western Illinois - has gained 271.5 yards through the air per game this season. That total is 22nd overall in the FCS.

FARLEY NAMED CAMPBELL SEMIFINALIST

Senior linebacker Jared Farley was named a semifinalist for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy late September, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
Farley is one of 181 semifinalists the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) has chosen for the award. The Cedar Falls native is also one of 36 representing the FCS and one of seven from the MVFC.
The senior is the ninth Panther to be named a semifinalist for this "academic Heisman", joining James Lindgren (2006), Chad Rinehart (2007), Josh Mahoney (2009), Ben Boothby (2011), Kyle Bernard (2012), David Johnson (2012), Isaac Ales (2015) and Karter Schult (2016)

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

True freshman Suni Lane earned Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week honors for his performance against Southern Illinois last Saturday.
The safety recorded seven tackles, with four being solos, while making a timely fumble recovery to spur the first of three turnovers for the UNI defense.
Lane has started in two games for the Panthers, both being at free safety.
Lane is the first Panther to win the award since Aaron Bailey achieved the feat in 2015.

FARLEY IS A TACKLING MACHINE

This season, senior Jared Farley has racked up the tackles as the linebacker averages 11.5 total stops per game.
The total for Farley is tied for seventh in the FCS and second in the MVFC.
Western Illinois' Brett Taylor holds first place in the country, with 14.5 tackles per game this season.

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 four touchdowns this season, with 349 yards receiving.
Fountain has two 100-yard games this year and four for his career. The senior has 107 catches as a Panther and 15 total touchdowns during his stellar UNI career.

MULTI-TOUCHDOWN GAMES FOR DUNNE

Junior signal caller Eli Dunne threw three scores to lead UNI past Southern Illinois last Saturday night, to record his latest multi-touchdown game.
Dunne has earned six multi-touchdown games for his career, with three coming in 2017.
The junior threw a pair of touchdowns against Missouri State, North Dakota State and Western Illinois in 2016, while throwing three in 2017's season opener against Iowa State, four against Cal Poly and most recently three against the Salukis.

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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