Panthers Test Hot Streak Against No. 2 Bison

UNI GAME NOTES | NDSU GAME NOTES

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The gauntlet of top-10 foes continues for No. 25 Northern Iowa (4-3, 3-1 MVFC), as the Panthers battle No. 2 North Dakota State (7-0, 4-0 MVFC) for first place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

"NDSU is a very good football team," head coach Mark Farley said. "They've always had a solid defense and have been a consistent program. We have to find a way this week to improve from last week. Our players know what to expect moving forward and we're excited for a great opportunity on Saturday."

Kickoff between the Panthers and Bison on Saturday, Oct. 28, is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The contest will mark the ninth time since 2008 that the two squads have been ranked entering the game.

HOW TO TUNE IN
The game against NDSU will be televised on ESPN3 and on the Panther Sports Television Network (Cedar Falls Utilities Ch. 15/415, NBC Sports Chicago, KCRG 9.2, WHO 13 D2, KGCW 26 . 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 NDSU athletics website (www.GoBison.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 BISON

NDSU held off a late surge from UNI in 2016, to narrowly escape with a 24-20 win. The Bison were led by Lance Dunn, who earned 119 yards on 23 carries.
UNI was picked off four times by the Bison, while two of those came late in the fourth quarter with the Panthers threatening to take the lead.

SERIES WITH NORTH DAKOTA STATE

UNI and NDSU have experienced a long history on the gridiron, with the series dating back to 1938. The two squads have faced off 50 times, with a break between 1982 and 2008.
The Bison have won six out of the last seven games against the Panthers.

SCOUTING THE BISON

North Dakota State is one of three teams that remain undefeated with the Bison owning a 7-0 record this season and 4-0 mark in the MVFC.
The Bison have beat three ranked opponents this season, while staying at No. 2 the entire season.
NDSU sports the top defense in the FCS, allowing only 192.7 yards per game. The Bison have only allowed two passing touchdowns as well this season.

UNI AGAINST THE MVFC

The Panthers are 156-61 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference, with UNI going 85-39 during the Farley era.

NO OCTOBER SURPRISE FOR FARLEY

Over his 17 seasons at UNI, head coach Mark Farley has amassed a 43-28 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 2-1 during October after earning wins over a pair of top-10 foes in No. 7 South Dakota State and No. 9 Youngstown State.

CLUTCH CATS

This season, the Panthers have been extremely efficient in the red zone with UNI scoring on 22 out of 24 attempts. UNI ranks 10th 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 eighth in the FCS.

TOP-10 GAUNTLET CONTINUES

UNI continues its stretch against top-10 foes this Saturday, with the Panthers facing their third top-10 opponent in the last three weeks.
With last Saturday's upset over No. 9 Youngstown State, the Panthers earned their first back-to-back wins over top-10 foes since 2014's victories over No. 6 Illinois State (Nov. 1) and No. 1 North Dakota State (Nov. 8).
UNI has never beaten three top-10 foes in three-consecutive weeks. The last time the Panthers beat three top-10 foes in one season was in 2015.

LOSSES LOOKING BETTER FOR UNI

The Panthers have lost to Iowa State, Southern Utah and Western Illinois this season, all three of which own a 5-2 record this season.
ISU and SUU have both knocked off top-10 foes this season, with the Cyclones beating No. 3 Oklahoma and the Thunderbirds upsetting No. 8 Eastern Washington.

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 52nd in the country this season, allowing 141.0 yards on the ground per game.
Over the last two weeks, the Panthers have stifled opponent rushing attacks as UNI has allowed a combined 99 yards to top-10 foes South Dakota State and Youngstown State.

PANTHERS AGAINST THE PASS

The Panther defense has allowed a total of 266.6 yards passing per game this season, to rank 106th overall in the FCS.
UNI has given up 16 passing touchdowns this season, with four coming against Cal Poly.
This week's opponent - North Dakota State - has the FCS's best pass defense, only allowing 120.6 yards per game.

WEYMILLER'S COMEBACK

Over the last two weeks, Marcus Weymiller has earned 303 yards rushing on 71 carries and four touchdowns. Weymiller had not run the ball this season before his spurt in activity.
The 42 carries for Weymiller against South Dakota State ranks as the most by any FCS player this season.
Weymiller is the first Panther back since David Johnson to earn at least two 170-yard rushing performances for his career. The back-to-back 100-yard rushing games for Weymiller are the first for a Panther since Aaron Bailey in 2015.

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 625 yards receiving.
This season, Fountain has earned three 100-yard receiving games (all in consecutive weeks).
The senior has 123 catches as a Panther, which is four catches shy of tying 10th all-time at UNI with Chris Nuss (1989-92).

NEAL SACKS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Junior Rickey Neal earned a career-high 3.5 sacks for UNI as the Panthers sacked Youngstown State a total of 10 times on Saturday.
The 10 sacks were one shy of UNI's single-game record, while the number is tied for the most in the FCS this season since Eastern Washington recorded 10 quarterback take downs against Fordham on Sept. 16.
Neal's 3.5 sacks against YSU is tied for third most in one game this season by any FCS player and ranks first for MVFC players
The 6.5 sacks this season is tied for 12th overall in the FCS and tops the MVFC.

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

Calendar

Upcoming Events