Northern Iowa Panthers
Missouri Valley
It has been a very odd season for Northern Iowa, but in the end they got where they wanted to go. The year started off with a 28-20 win at Iowa State. After a couple other victories, the Panthers slaughtered a very good McNeese State squad 41-6. Then came a five game losing streak that included three straight overtime losses, bookended by a one point loss to undefeated North Dakota State and a 13-3 loss at Illinois State. After that rough stretch, UNI won their last three games of the 2013 campaign and ended up with a respectable 7-5 record.
2013 Record: 7-5, 3-5
Coach: Mark Farley
Big Wins: 8/31 at Iowa State (28-20), 11/9 Youngstown State (22-20)
Bad Losses: 10/12 Southern Illinois (17-24), 10/19 South Dakota (31-38)
Strengths:
The UNI defense can put a lot of pressure on the opposing backfield. Linemen Xavier Williams and Collin Albrecht combined to tally 14 sacks on the year and a handful of other players will spend plenty of time in the backfield. The consistent pressure has been huge for a relatively young defense that lost the leadership of linebacker Jake Farley to a season ending injury after five games. Ray Mitchell, Deiondre’ Hall and Makinton Dorleant have all done a decent job taking advantage of the pressure and have made some big plays in the secondary. During UNI’s seven wins, they never allowed more than 20 points. The only time they allowed over 24 points was during two of those overtime contests.
Weaknesses:
Running back David Johnson has had another solid season, rushing for 1,286 yards and ten touchdowns. He added 393 yards and four more scores in receptions. Coach Mark Farley wants to work the offense through Johnson and for the most part that has worked. Sophomore signal caller Sawyer Kollmorgen has not had to win games…he just needs to not lose them. Completing nearly 63 percent of his pass attempts and throwing just five interceptions compared to 14 touchdowns is a great way to not lose games. When the opposition can shut down Johnson and the ground game, like Southern Illinois, South Dakota State and Illinois State all did in wins over Northern Iowa, the Panthers offense can go nowhere in a hurry. If the ground game is not going to make big plays, Johnson needs to at least provide Kollmorgen some time to operate and move the chains a few times. That will give the defense the opportunity to keep Northern Iowa in the game and swipe away a victory late in the contest.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: David Johnson, RB, 1,286 yards
Passing: Sawyer Kollmorgen, QB, 1,819 yards
Receiving: Kevin Vereen, WR, 745 yards
Tackles: Jordan Gacke, LB, 89
Sacks: Collin Albrecht, DL, 8.0
Interceptions: Ray Mitchell, DB, 4
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 161.6 (61st in nation, 4th in conference)
Passing Offense: 200.7 (74, 5)
Total Offense: 362.4 (70, 5)
Scoring Offense: 26.1 (65, 6)
Rushing Defense: 133.6 (30, 4)
Pass Defense: 198.5 (31, 5)
Total Defense: 332.1 (21, 4)
Scoring Defense: 19.4 (10, 2)
Turnover Margin: 0.4 (34, 5)
Sacks: 2.73 (19, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 1.36 (30, 5)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2011 Second Round Defeated Wofford
2011 Quarterfinals Lost to Montana
2010 First Round Lost to Lehigh
2008 First Round Defeated Maine
2008 Quarterfinals Defeated New Hampshire
2008 Semifinals Lost to Richmond
2007 First Round Defeated New Hampshire
2007 Quarterfinals Lost to Delaware
2005 First Round Defeated Eastern Washington
2005 Quarterfinals Defeated New Hampshire
2005 Semifinals Defeated Texas State
2005 Championship Lost to Appalachian State
2003 First Round Defeated Montana State
2003 Quarterfinals Lost to Delaware
2001 First Round Defeated Eastern Illinois
2001 Quarterfinals Defeated Maine
2001 Semifinals Lost to Montana
1996 First Round Defeated Eastern Illinois
1996 Quarterfinals Defeated William & Mary
1996 Semifinals Lost to Marshall
1995 First Round Defeated Murray State
1995 Quarterfinals Lost to Marshall
1994 First Round Lost to Montana
1993 First Round Lost to Boston University
1992 First Round Defeated Eastern Washington
1992 Quarterfinals Defeated McNeese State
1992 Semifinals Lost to Youngstown State
1991 First Round Defeated Weber State
1991 Quarterfinals Lost to Marshall
1990 First Round Lost to Boise State
1987 First Round Defeated Youngstown State
1987 Quarterfinals Defeated Arkansas State
1987 Semifinals Lost to Louisiana Monroe
1985 Quarterfinals Defeated Eastern Washington
1985 Semifinals Lost to Georgia Southern
*all team stats through 11/16
