Nov. 22, 2005

CEDAR FALLS - THE GAME: UNI vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON Saturday (Nov. 26) in Cedar Falls, IA. UNI-Dome (16,324/Artificial) is the site, with kickoff set for 7:05 p.m. Central. 1-AA PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND.

THE SERIES: UNI leads this series, which began in the 1985 season, 4-0. All games have been played in Cedar Falls. The Panthers defeated the Eagles 17-14 in each of the first round of the 1985 and 1992 1-AA playoffs, and also won 47-21 in 1989 and 27-17 in 1994.

PRESS LUNCHEONS: UNI head coach Mark Farley or one of his staff will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at 12 noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub located on 18th Street in Cedar Falls.

INTERVIEWS: UNI head coach Mark Farley will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday. Otherwise, you may contact him weekday mornings between 11 a.m. and 12 noon at 319-273-5674.

Players will be available before or after practice or by telephone. Contact UNI Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations Nancy Justis at 319-273-6354 to arrange all player interviews.

UNI's practices are open to the public. However, it is requested you contact Justis before attending any practices.

THE Mark Farley SHOW: KFXA-TV (Fox 28) carries the Mark Farley Show each Saturday at 11a.m. Hosted by Rob Brooks, the show is part preview, part review and part pep rally. The show is taped each Thursday from Beck's Sports Brewery in Waterloo.

THE COACHES: UNI head coach Mark Farley (UNI '86) is in his fifth year at the Panther helm, 8-3 this year, 41-19 overall. Prior to being appointed at UNI, he served as the linebackers assistant and punt block/return specialist at Kansas from 1997-2000.

A UNI player from 1983-86 and a co-Gateway Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1985, he then was a Panther graduate assistant from 1986-88 and a fulltime assistant from 1989-96, coaching linebackers and special teams while also serving as Strength and Speed Coordinator, in addition to Recruiting Coordinator for one year.

Farley is a candidate for this year's Eddie Robinson Award, and was a candidate for 2003's Award, finishing 10th in the balloting. He was named Bruce Craddock Gateway Coach of the Year and AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2001 when the Panthers advanced to the 1-AA semfinals. He placed third in the Eddie Robinson balloting in 2001.

EWU head coach Paul Wulff (Washington State '90) is in his sixth season as head coach of the Eagles, 7-4 this year, 41-27 overall. Prior to being named head coach, he was an Eagle assistant from 1994-99, serving the last two years as offensive coordinator.

POLL TALK: UNI, which ranked 25th in the final 2004 Sports Network poll, was ranked no. 12 in TSN's and the ESPN/USA Today preseason polls. It also was tied for ninth in the AGS poll, 10th by Sports Illustrated.com, was 17th in Don Hansens' National Weekly Football Gazette, and was tied for 18th by Lindy's. Dopke.com had UNI ranked ninth preseason.

This week, the Panthers climbto no. 7 from no. 10 in the final regular season Sports Network poll behind New Hampshire, Hampton, Furman, Texas State, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Southern Illinois is ranked eighth, Youngstown State 13th, Eastern Washington 15th, and Illinois State is 23rd.

The Panthers are ranked sixth by ESPN/USA Today and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The Panthers went 2-2 in non-conference games last year and are 2-1 so far this season with one non-league game remaining on the regular season schedule. UNI is the only original Gateway member to win at least two non-conference games each year. The Panthers now are 91-41 against non-conference teams since 1985.

LAST OUTING: Senior linebacker John Hermann and a fierce defensive effort propelled UNI to a 41-17 senior night victory over Northern Arizona in the UNI-Dome on Saturday. Hermann led the team with eight tackles, including a school-record 5.5 tackles for loss and a record-tying four sacks.

Five turnovers, including three by the Panthers, in the first five minutes of the ball game highlighted the opening quarter. UNI's first turnover, a fumble by quarterback Eric Sanders on a sack, led to an NAU field goal and a 3-0 Lumberjack advantage.

The Panther defense recovered an NAU fumble inside the Lumberjack five and David Horne scored on a one-yard run. Terrance Freeney highlighted the following UNI drive with four rushes for 32 yards, including an eight-yard TD scamper to put the score at 14-3. That was the margin at the half.

UNI sprinted out of the locker room with a 41-yard TD connection between Sanders and Justin Surrency to take a 21-3 lead. NAU answered with a 35-yard TD strike to cut the Panther lead to 21-10. Horne carried the Panthers on the ensuing drive, rushing four times for 51 yards, including a one-yard TD lunge to put the score at 28-10.

Brian Wingert kicked field goals of 20 and 40 yards on the next two drives to put the score at 34-10, but the Lumberjacks returned a Corey Lewis fumble 66 yards to pay dirt to make it 34-17 as the third quarter came to a close. Lewis made up for the miscue with a 33-yard TD sprint midway throught the fourth quarter for the final margin.

UNI held NAU to a negative 44 yards rushing and just 54 yards of offense. The defensive unit terrorized quarterbacks Jason Murrietta and Brian Wriston, forcing four interceptions and sacking the duo nine times. Tanner Varner piled up six tackles, including three for a loss, and intercepted two passes. Chris Parsons and Dre Dokes each added a pick.

Lewis carried 19 times for a career-high 112 yards and the one TD. Horne added 80 yards and two TDs. Sanders had a sub-par performance for him, completing just five-of-15 passes for 98 yards and the one TD. Dexter Hill was one-of-two passing for six yards. Brian Cutright had two catches for 18 yards.

LOOKING AT: Eastern Washington brings a 7-4 overall record into Saturday's game and won the automatic berth from the Big Sky Conference with a 5-2 record. The Eagles have defeated Western Oregon 48-7, Portland State 42-23, Northern Arizona 42-14, Montana 34-20, Sacramento State 45-17, no. 11 Montana State 35-14, and last week, UC Davis 24-7. They have lost 35-24 to 1-A San Jose State, 34-30 to Idaho State, 28-23 to Weber State, and 40-35 to Cal Poly. They are 3-3 on the road this year.

Thirty-nine lettermen, including 15 starters, seven on offense and six on defense, return from last year's squad which finished 9-4 overall. EWU defeated Southern Illinois on the road in the first round of last year's 1-AA playoffs, then lost to Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals.

EWU is led by Walter Payton Award candidate, senior quarterback Erik Meyer who has completed 244-of-366 passes with just five interceptions for for 3,616 yards and 26 TDs. His leading receivers are all-America candidate, senior Eric Kimble, with 78 catches for 1,264 yards and 10 TDs; senior Raul Vijil with 62 passes for 930 yards and six TDs, and senior Craig McIntyre with 32 catches for 563 yards and seven TDs. Three other players have at least 15 catches. Oregon State transfer Ryan Cole leads the ground game with 210 carries for 873 yards and 14 TDs, followed by Dale Morris' 57 carries for 259 yards and one TD and Meyer's 76 rushes for 185 yards and one TD.

Senior linebacker Joey Cwik leads the defensive effort with 87 total stops, including 42 solos, 3.5 tackles for loss for 19 yards and 1.5 sacks for 17 yards, to go along with one interception. Juniors, free safety Brandon Keeler and linebacker David Eneberg, each have 60 tackles. The former has a team-high 44 solos. Senior corner Jesse Hendrix has two of the team's 12 interceptions.

Kimble leads the squad in punt returns, averaging 9.3 on 13 returns, and Charles Searcy has returned 12 kicks for a 23.8 average. Ryan Donckers is averaging 38.5 yards on 37 punts and Sheldon Weddle has made 10-of-15 field goals, long of 48, and 41-of-42 extra points.

COMPARING THE 2005 NUMBERS: UNI EWU Scoring Avg. 29.8 34.7 Scoring Defense 21.8 21.8 Rushes-Yds 476-1954 424-1541 Avg/TDs 177.6/25 140.1/21 Passing 256-172-7 394-253-9 Passing Yds/Avg./TDs 2439/221.7/18 3714/337.6/27 TO 732-4393 818-5255 Avg. 399.4 477.7 Fumbles/Lost 15/10 10/7

UNFRIENDLY BRACKETS: For the third playoff appearance in a row, the Panthers have been granted a first-round home game, but then may be forced to go on the road for the second game to a no. 1 seed in the northern parts of the country. In 2001, UNI defeated Maine 56-28 at home in the first round, then travelled to Montana where they lost 38-0. In 2003, UNI beat Montana State at home, 35-14, then lost at Delaware, 37-7.

UNI IN THE PLAYOFFS: The Panthers are making their 12th trip to the 1-AA playoffs. They own a 12-11 record in the tournament. Their last appearance was in 2003 when they defeated Montana State 35-14 at home and lost at Delaware in the quarterfinals 37-7. UNI is 10-2 at home in the playoffs, but just 2-9 on the road.

HERMANN STUFFING THE OPPONENT: Senior linebacker John Hermann put a hit on the Northern Arizona offense. In the 41-17 win, he recorded a team-high eight tackles with seven solos. He had a school-record 5.5 tackles for loss of 34 yards, and tied a school mark with four sacks for 31 yards (press box stats). The Panthers as a whole set a school record with 16 tackles for loss and held the Lumberjacks to a total of 54 yards and a negative 44 yards on the ground after averaging 320.9 yards, including 104 rushing. This marked the fewest yards allowed by a Gateway team since Missouri State allowed just 48 yards to Indiana State in 2003.

Hermann was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week, Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette co-National Defensive Player of the Week, and a CollegeSportsReport.com co-Gateway Conference Performer of the Week.

DROPSIES: UNI and Northern Arizona combined for 10 turnovers, with NAU losing two fumbles and throwing four interceptions, and UNI losing three fumbles and throwing one interception. Last year in the season finale for both teams, the Lumberjacks turned the ball over seven times to the Panthers.

VARNER HAPPY PICKIN': Senior safety Tanner Varner intercepted two passes against Northern Arizona, his first picks of the season. The first one stopped a NAU drive on the UNI 34, and the second helped set up a UNI 20-yard field goal which put UNI up 31-10 with 12:21 remaining in the third quarter. The last time a Panther intercepted two passes in a game was last year at NAU when James Idelburgh pulled in two.

SENIOR GOODBYE: Eighteen seniors are playing their final season in a Panther uniform. They are: OL Jeff Bates, WR Jason Breeland, TE Brian Cutright, TB Terrance Freeney, WR Jamie Goodwin, LB Darin Heideman, DE John Hermann, TB David Horne, WR Patrick Hunter, DT Charles Johnson, LB Brett Koebcke, DE Michael Matthes, OC John Schabilion (injured), LB Geoff Stamp (injured), DT Kevin Stensrud, DB B.J. Stotser, WR Justin Surrency, and SS Tanner Varner.

HEIDEMAN'S THE MAN: Senior linebacker Darin Heideman was named the Gateway Football Conference's Defensive Player of the Week and The Sports Network's co-National Defensive Player of the Week after the Southern Illinois game. For the third week in a row, he led UNI in tackles, this time around with nine total, including seven solos. He also had one tackle for loss of four yards and recovered a SIU fumble on the UNI 24 with 9:50 left in the game. Eight plays later, UNI scored to pull within five points. He also had the tackle on a fourth-and-four play on SIU's 49, which turned the ball over to the Panthers with 19 seconds left in the game to preserve the win.

He leads UNI in tackles with 67 total, including 49 solos, a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss for 32 yards, to go along with two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

YOUNG SANDERS LEADING THE PACK: Though just a sophomore, UNI QB Eric Sanders has positioned himself as the team leader. He led the Panthers to their third straight defeat over a ranked opponent, a share of the Gateway Football Conference title, and the league's automatic berth in the 1-AA playoffs with UNI's 25-24 defeat of fourth-ranked Southern Illinois. He completed 22-of-33 passes with no interceptions for 272 yards and three TDs, including the game-winning 35-yard pass to Jamie Goodwin on a fourth-and-two with 2:38 left in the game.

UNI CROWD 12TH MAN: UNI's announced crowd of 15,536 at home against Southern Illinois is the largest crowd ever that wasn't a sellout (16,324). The last sellout was in the 1995 season against Idaho.

NEVER GIVE UP: In their come-from-behind win over sixth-ranked Western Kentucky on Nov. 5, the Panthers were three-of-three in fourth-down conversions, including two in the overtime sessions. Against Southern Illinois, UNI was one-of-one in fourth-down attempts -- a fourth-and-two on the winning 35-yard TD pass to Jamie Goodwin from Eric Sanders with 2:38 left in the game. The Panthers are 11-of-16 on fourth-down conversions on the season (.690), and 71-of-155 (.460) on third-down attempts. They are holding the opponents to two-of-10 on fourth downs and 71-of-16 on third-down attempts.

HORNE BREAKING THROUGH: Senior tailback David Horne produced just UNI's fourth 100-yard rusher of the season against Southern Illinois, carrying the ball 22 times for 103 yards. He also caught four passes for 25 yards.

TWO GOOD ENOUGH?: No Gateway champion had won the title with two league losses in 20 previous seasons. With UNI's 25-24 defeat of Southern Illinois, there now is a three-way tie for first place for the first time in league history, with UNI, SIU and Youngstown State all boasting 5-2 marks. UNI has gained the automatic berth in the 1-AA playoffs due to its wins over both SIU and YSU.

SANDERS SUCKING IT UP: Sophomore QB Eric Sanders led UNI to the 23-20 double overtime victory over sixth-ranked Western Kentucky despite still nursing a high ankle sprain and wearing a brace. He completed 24-of-29 passes with no interceptions for 235 yards and one TD, the game-winner, and rushed one yard for a score in the first OT. He threw to 10 different receivers.

He led 1-AA in passing efficiency until this week when he slipped to second, and is on track to set a conference mark for completion percentage. He's completed 126-of-185 passes for 68.1 percent. The league record is 64.98 percent, set by Jeff Hecklinski of Western Illinois in 1997.

GRAY GETS 1ST ST SCORE: Red-shirt freshman Johnny Gray spurred UNI's come-from-behind win over sixth-ranked Western Kentucky when he returned a punt 70 yards to tie the game at 10 with 7:30 left in regulation. This is UNI's first special teams TD of the season. He was named the league's Special Teams Player of the Week and The Sports Network's Co-National Special Teams Player of the Week for his effort.

BB SKILLS PUT TO USE: Freshman defensive end Everett Pedescleaux stands 6-5 and weighs 240 pounds. The transfer from Minnesota also plans on playing basketball for the Panthers. Against Western Kentucky, he put his height and basketball skills to use when he blocked a Hilltopper field goal which sent the game into overtime. UNI won the game in double overtime, 23-20.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: Prior to the Nov. 5 game at Western Kentucky, which finished under the lights, the Panthers went off campus one day for practice in an effort to simulate the different conditions. Wednesday night the week before the game, UNI traveled a short ways down the road to Waverly and Wartburg College to practice under the lights on a similar playing surface. It paid off. The Panthers beat WKU 23-20 in double OT.

HORNE SHOULDERS THE LOAD: UNI senior TB David Horne scored all of UNI's TDs in the Panthers' upset of no. 11 Youngstown State. He rushed for a UNI career and team season-high 142 yards on 26 carries with a long run of 33, scoring on TDs of one, 33 and two yards. He also caught two of UNI's seven receptions for nine yards. He gained 109 of his 142 yards in the second half after teammate Terrance Freeney was sidelined with an ankle injury. He had half of UNI's total ground yardage (280).

ELEPHANT OFFENSE: The Panthers at times this season have returned to what fondly has been called the "elephant" offense which dates back to the late '80s and early '90s. At that time, defensive tackle/end James Jones, who went on to play professionally for several teams, was used as a fullback in goal line situations and he even scored a TD once. Earlier this year, senior nose tackle Charles Johnson was used at fullback.

Junior linebacker Cyrus Garrett was switched to fullback several weeks ago. Against Youngstown State, he caught a two-yard pass to the Penguin one yard line. David Horne scored on the next play to put the Panthers up 7-0. Against Western Kentucky, Garrett caught three passes for 10 yards, including a three-yarder to the WKU 26 on a fourth-and-one play.

Garrett now has two carries for two yards and five catches for 16 yards.

AS SANDERS GOES...: As Eric Sanders goes, so goes UNI. UNI had struggled offensively without the sophomore signal caller after he suffered a high ankle sprain Oct. 8 at Missouri State and he then missed two games. He ended up starting against Youngstown State, leading the Panthers to a 21-7 win over the 11th-ranked team. He's now 12-2 as the starter in complete games, dating back to last season when he took over for the injured Tom Petrie.

SHUT THEM DOWN: After being embarrassed the week before at Illinois State, UNI's defense stepped up big time against Youngstown State, holding the league's leading rusher, Marcus Mason, to just 41 yards and the conference's second-best rushing team to only 79 yards. UNI also limited the Penguins to nine-of-17 on third-down conversions and zero-of-three on fourth-down attempts. One of those fourth-and-one stops was accomplished by senior LB Darin Heideman in the second quarter on UNI's 37, spurring a UNI TD drive to put the Panthers up 14-7 with 4:12 left in the half.

HUMBLED: UNI's 38-3 loss to Illinois State was its worst regular-season loss to a non-1-A opponent since losing 52-9 at home to Southern Illinois in 1983 season. UNI failed to score a touchdown in the loss for the first time since last year's opening game when it fell 23-0 at 1-A Iowa State.

LIGHT ON A DARK DAY: Junior wide receiver James Lindgren had his best day as a Panther against Illinois State when he caught a career-high eight passes for a personal-best 92 yards.

VARNER MAKING THE EFFORT: Senior strong safety Tanner Varner recorded a game-high 15 tackles with 11 solos and four and a half tackles for loss of 21 yards against Illinois State. He also had one sack for 13 yards.

GOOD DAY FOR KOS: First-year punter, junior Adam Kos, had his best day as a Panther at Illinois State when he punted five times for a 50.0 average, just two yards shy of tying the school record for best average in a game. He had a long punt of 63 yards.

POUNDING IT OUT: UNI produced its first 100-yard rusher of the season not once, but twice, in its 31-10 win over Indiana State. Senior Terrance Freeney carried the ball 27 times for 128 yards with TD runs of one and 10 yards, while senior David Horne rushed 19 times for 123 yards, including a 40-yard TD run., The last time two players reached the century mark in the same game was last year against Western Illinois (Oct. 23) when Freeney gained 236 yards and Richard Carter 123.

UNI gained a season-high 288 yards rushing against the Sycamores and attempted a season-low 14 passes, with just five players catching a pass, as opposed to eight or nine who caught passes in the previous five games.

PICKIN' AND KICKIN': The Panthers had been slow in picking off opponents' passes this season and entered the Indiana State game with just one interception to their credit. Against ISU, Brannon Carter picked off his first UNI career interception and handed it off to Tanner Varner for a 53-yard return to the ISU 16 as time ran out in the half. Dre Dokes, who has led the Panthers in interceptions the last two years with four each season, got his first interception of the year, also, returning it five yards to the UNI 46 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game. He picked off his second interception in the upset win over Western Kentucky and his third of the season against Northern Arizona.

KING OF THE HILL: Junior Scottsdale Community College transfer Dexter Hill started his first game for the Panthers against Indiana State, leading UNI to a 31-10 win. He completed nine-of-14 passes with one interception for 159 yards and no TDs.

SCORELESS A RARITY: UNI trailed Missouri State 14-0 at the half. The last time UNI didn't score in the first two quarters was last year on Oct. 9 at home in a 17-10 loss to Western Kentucky in QB Eric Sanders' first full game as the starter. UNI then went on to win six straight games to end the season.

UNI also trailed at Illinois State 21-0 at the half on Oct. 22.

STREAK HITS THE DUST: UNI had a six-game win streak against Missouri State snapped on Oct. 8 when the Panthers lost 24-21. UNI hadn't lost in Springfield since 1989.

HILL IN THE SPOTLIGHT: With the injury to QB Eric Sanders, Scottsdale Community College transfer Dexter Hill found himself in the spotlight just as Sanders was last year when Tom Petrie went down to injury. Hill replaced redshirt freshman Nick Nelson at QB against Missouri State with 5:12 left in the second quarter. Nelson had replaced Sanders for just one series with 14:37 left in the half. Hill responded with 12-of-19 passing with one interception for 186 yards and one TD.

GATEWAY OPENERS: UNI now is 17-7 in Gateway Football Conference openers, including 6-5 on the road, and has a one-game win streak after defeating Western Illinois in Macomb 41-24 on Oct. 1. The Panthers had played Western Illinois once previously in a league opener, defeating the Leathernecks 17-7 in Macomb in 1995.

SANDERS MULTI-DIMENSIONAL: Sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders led the Panthers in rushing for the second consecutive game when he gained a career-high 85 yards on nine carries against Western Illinois. His 68-yard rushing TD also was a personal best and put UNI up 34-17 with 10:16 left in the third quarter. He also completed 18-of-26 passes with no interceptions for 244 yards and TD throws of 38 and 36 yards.

He returned to action against Youngstown State and now is 11-2 as the starter. He continues to be the nation's passing efficiency leader.

PARSONS COVERIN' THE BALL: Converted quarterback, sophomore free safety Chris Parsons, recorded three solo tackles in the Western Illinois win and had one deflection, but more importantly, recovered two WIU fumbles. His first recovery with 8:07 left in the second quarter eventually led to UNI's third TD which put the Panthers up 21-7 with 7:09 left in the half. His second recovery was at UNI's 40 with 7:49 left in the game. He played both quarterback and defensive back in high school.

SCHABILION SEMI-FINALIST FOR NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD: Senior center John Schabilion was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation 2005 National Scholar-Athlete Award, the Draddy Trophy. Schabilion has a 3.87 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in quantitative economics with a minor in mathematics.

He and junior wide receiver James Lindgren have been named to The ESPN The Magazine first team all-district 7 academic team.

UNI IN 1-AA GPI: The 2005 1-AA Gridiron Power Index, the BCS-style ranking and top indicator of at-large playoff selections, debuted with the Panthers ranked no. 8. The Panthers fell to no. 19 following their loss to Missouri State, to no. 21 after the Indiana State win, to no. 36 after the Illinois State loss, rose to no. 23 after the Youngstown State win and were tied for 14th after defeating sixth-ranked Western Kentucky. Last week, they were tied with Massachusetts at no. 7. The final regular season GPI this week still has UNI ranked seventh.

SCORIN' BIG: UNI's 21 points scored against the 21st-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes were the most points UNI has scored against UI in school history. The previous high was 13 points in 1995's 34-13 loss to the Hawks. Only eight of Iowa's previous 28 opponents had scored more than 21 points.

IT'S A CROWD: Iowa announced a sellout crowd of 70,585, the Hawks' 13th straight sellout. That is the largest crowd UNI has ever played against, topping the 70,397 played before at Iowa in the 1995 season.

SANDERS RARELY MISCUES: UNI sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders rarely miscues. He threw his first interception of the year against Iowa amidst completing 19-of-29 passes for 263 yards and three TDs. Ths was his first interception since Nov. 11, 2004. Between those turnovers, he had thrown 14 touchdowns. He has just four interceptions so far this season.

VARNER BACK ON ATTACK: Senior strong safety Tanner Varner returned to action against Iowa after missing the previous game due to a hamstring injury. He responded with a team-high nine tackles (coaches' film), including five solos and one sack along with a forced fumble. Senior inside linebacker Darin Heideman recorded six total tackles, including three solos. He tied a school record with three tackles for loss in a game.

PICKING IT UP: Sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders had picked up where he left off last season prior to his injury at Missouri State on Oct. 8. He's now 13-2 as the starter after returning to action against Youngstown State. He took over for the injured Tom Petrie in the fourth game last year and had led the Panthers to eight straight wins before the Iowa loss on Sept. 17. He threw for a career-high 289 yards against Drake on 14-of-17 passing, at one point completing 11 consecutive passes. Against Minnesota Duluth, he was 12-of-14 passing for a new career-high 311 yards and three TDs. So far this season he has completed 126-of-185 passes (68.1%) with four interceptions for 1,1816 yards and 16 TDs. He has ranked first in 1-AA in efficiency all season until dropping to second this week.

NEW FACES STEP UP: The Panthers received stats from 13 new faces in their season opening win over Drake. Redshirt freshman Corey Lewis led UNI in rushing with 10 carries for 51 yards, while Nebraska transfer, senior tailback David Horne, rushed for 44 yards and one TD on nine carries while catching three passes for a team-high 68 yards. Redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Nelson, son of UNI assistant coach Rick Nelson, completed two-of-three passes for 27 yards and one TD. Senior Akron transfer, receiver Jamie Goodwin, also caught three passes for 53 yards and a TD. Freshman tailback David Shields rushed four times for 16 yards and freshman receiver Johnny Gray rushed one time for one yard. He also led the team with three punt returns for an 18-yard average.

In another first, sophomore fullback Matt Garvin scored his first career TD against Drake, a 15-yard pass from Nelson with 12:24 left in the game.

OUT OF THE BLOCKS: Junior offensive tackle Joe Lobdell had a breakout game against Drake in his first action on the offensive side of the ball after switching from defensive tackle during the spring. He participated in 33 plays, grading out 95 percent with three-plus plays.

2005 PRESEASON HONORS: Gateway Football Conference CB Dre Dokes RB Terrance Freeney LB Brett Koebcke WR Justin Surrency Honorable Mention OL Tyler Rawlins OL John Schabilion DL Kevin Stensrud

Sports Network Honorable Mention CB Dre Dokes RB Terrance Freeney Preseason Walter Payton Award RB Terrance Freeney

1-AA.Org Preseason All-American 2nd Team CB Dre Dokes RB Terrance Freeney 3rd Team Special Teams K Brian Wingert

Preseason 1-AA.Org Gateway Conference 1st Team WR Justin Surrency 2nd Team TE Brian Cutright RB Terrance Freeney OG Tyler Rawlins QB Eric Sanders

1-AA.Org Gateway High Fives CB Dre Dokes RB Terrance Freeney QB Eric Sanders OC John Schabilion DT Kevin Stensrud WR/RS Justin Surrency K Brian Wingert

1-AA.Org Gateway Pro Talent WR Justin Surrency

FREENEY DROPPED FROM PAYTON WATCH LIST: UNI tailback Terrance Freeney was named to the 2005 Walter Payton Award watch list preseason, the third year in a row he has been a candidate for the honor given to the top offensive player in 1-AA. After the revised list was issued, and he was dropped from the list for the second consecutive year mid-season. The final revision will be issued in November before the winner is named in December.

Freeney was added to the revised "watch list" about midway through the 2003 season after not being selected to the roster preseason. Just a sophomore, he finished 14th out of 17 candidates with 26 points in the final voting, including one first-place vote. The Walter Payton Award is now in its 20th year of existence.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES: David Horne, a senior tailback transfer to UNI from Nebraska, was named the fifth-best 1-A transfer in 1-AA by Matt Dougherty of The Sports Network. Junior Scottsdale Community College transfer, quarterback Dexter Hill, was named the fourth-best JUCO transfer by Dougherty. Freshman offensive lineman Codie Fetters was named the sixth-best high school senior.

Overall, UNI's recruiting class was picked no. 1 in 1-AA by Dougherty. "...the Panthers bring in a Big 12 transfer (Horne) to share carries with Terrance Freeney, a top JUCO QB (Dexter Hill) and freshman Patrick Grace to compete with Eric Sanders, and a pair of solid freshman linemen (Fetters and DL Chuck Kinney)."

SEASON OPENERS: UNI now is 54-46-7 in season openers dating back to 1895 after defeating Drake 52-17 on Sept. 1. The Panthers had a two-game losing streak in openers heading into this year after dropping contests at 1-A Iowa State the past two seasons. Prior to that, UNI had won five straight season openers against 1-A Eastern Michigan, McNeese State, Division II Morningside College, and two to Wayne State (MI).

2005 CO-CAPTAINS: Seniors, tight end Brian Cutright, receiver Justin Surrency, linebacker Darin Heideman and defensive tackle Kevin Stensrud, have been named team co-captains for the 2005 season.

UNI FANS NO. 10 (but no. 1 in our hearts): 1-AA.org has selected UNI fans no. 10 in the nation in 1-AA. "...their drive to continue to tailgate fiercely, to root rabidly for their Panthers to win Gateway titles, and to believe with all their heart that their Panthers will finally win that elusive 1-AA championship."

ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS: Several Panthers rank amongst active NCAA 1-AA career leaders. Here's the list: *Rushing Carries-Terrance Freeney (6th, 703) *Rushing Yards-Freeney (13th, 2,948) *Rushing TDs-Freeney (13th, 31) *Carries Per Game-Freeney (7th, 20.7) *Rushing Yds Per Game-Freeney (18th, 86.7) *Yards Per Carry-Freeney (19th, 4.19) *Interceptions-Dre Dokes (T14th, 11) *Interception Yds-Dokes (T18th, 183) *Interceptions Per Game-Dokes (T12th, 0.3) *FG Attempts-Brian Wingert (T10th, 48) *FGs Made-Wingert (T8th, 35) *FG Attempts Per Game-Wingert (13th, 1.5) *FGs Made Per Game-Wingert (10th, 1.1) *FGs Percentage Made-Wingert (T10th, 72.92) *TDs Scored-Freeney (T16th, 33) *Scoring-FGs Attempted-Wingert (T10th, 48) *Scoring-FGs Made-Wingert (T8th, 35) *Scoring-PATs Attempted-Wingert (17th, 106) *Scoring, PATs Made-Wingert (16th, 102) *Punt Return TDs-Surrency , Johnny Gray (T9th, 1) *All-Purpose Plays-Freeney (7th, 727) *All-Purpose TDs-Freeney (T16th, 33) *All-Purpose Plays Per Game-Freeney (11th, 21.4)

1,000-YARD MAN: Senior running back Terrance Freeney became the 16th runner in school history last year to gain at least 1,000 yards rushing when he compiled 101 yards in UNI's final game at Northern Arizona. He finished the season with 1,100 yards and seven TDs on 244 carries, ranking 10th on UNI's all-time leaders chart for yards in a season. His 1,261 yards gained in 2003 ranks second. He had a season-high 236 yards rushing last year against Western Illinois, which ranks seventh on the single-game chart.

RECORD BUSTER: Redshirt freshman quarterback Eric Sanders set a school freshman record last year for passing yards in a season after completing 16-of-27 passes with no interceptions for 198 yards and three TDs in the last game at Northern Arizona. He finished the year with a 6-1 record as the starter after taking over for four-year starter Tom Petrie in the fourth game of the year due to injury. Sanders ended up completing 95-of-150 passes with just five interceptions for 1,307 yards and 15 TDs, an efficiency rating of 162.86, ranking third in 1-AA.

GAINING THE TURNOVERS: Another reason for UNI's success in 2004 was the ability to gain the turnovers. Though UNI was not turning the ball over earlier in the season, it also was not getting the turnovers. However, in the last six games, the Panthers turned the ball over just six times, and gained 18 turnovers, including seven in the final game at Northern Arizona. UNI finished the year ranked eighth in 1-AA in turnover margin and tied for first in turnovers lost with just 12.

So far this season, UNI has turned over the ball 10 times on fumbles and seven interceptions while recovering nine opponent fumbles and picking off 10 passes.

MAKING THE CASE: The last time a team made the 1-AA playoffs as an at-large selection with four losses was in 1995 when Idaho advanced with a 6-4 mark. Just 14 teams total have made the post-season field with four losses since the system was expanded to 16 teams in 1986, including Eastern Washington this year. Only five of those teams made it as at-large teams. UNI advanced as the Gateway's automatic bid with a 7-4 mark in 1995.

CLOSE ENOUGH? In UNI's four losses last season, the Panthers lost by just 37 points total, including 23 to 1-A Iowa State. Discounting that one game, UNI lost three games by just 14 points - 24-21 to 12th-ranked Stephen F. Austin, 40-36 to no. 1 Southern Illinois, and 17-10 to no. 6 Western Kentucky. Thus, UNI was 1-3 in games decided by seven or fewer points after defeating Youngstown State 22-20.

UNI was 2-1 in 2003, 3-1 in 2002, 5-0 in 2001 and 2-2 in 2000 in games decided by seven or fewer points, and is 2-1 this year after losing 24-21 at Missouri, and beating Western Kentucky 23-20 in double overtime and Southern Illinois 25-24.

PILE IT ON: UNI's 58-6 defeat of Indiana State last year is the Panthers' largest margin of victory over a Gateway Conference foe, overtaking the 52-7 defeat of Western Illinois in the 1987 season. It also is the largest victory margin ever over a 1-AA opponent.

UNDER FIRE: Redshirt freshman Eric Sanders became just the second freshman dating back to at least 1949 to start for the Panthers at quarterback when he replaced senior Tom Petrie against Western Kentucky last season. Petrie was the first freshman to start when he came on board.

REACHING THE CENTURY MARK: UNI had two players gain over 100 yards versus Minnesota State last year -- Jim Lizzi with a career-high 145 yards and Walter Payton Award candidate Terrance Freeney with 103. UNI repeated the effort against Western Illinois when Freeney rushed for 236 yards, 13 shy of his career high, and Richard Carter gained 123 rushing.

Since 1950, the Panthers have had 25 games total in which they have had at least two players rush for 100 yards in the same game, including this year against Indiana State when Freeney gained 128 yards and David Horne 123. They've had one game when three players rushed for at least 100 yards -- when Leland Crew (142), Richard Eisenlauer (105) and John Bech (103) reached the century mark against North Dakota on Sept. 22, 1951.

UNI ON HOMECOMING: UNI is 54-23-7 in its own Homecoming and has a one-game win streak on that special day after defeating Indiana State 31-10 on Oct. 15.

PLAYING THE BIG BOYS: The Panthers have had some success against teams designated 1-A. Most of the success has come in the last 18 years. UNI now is 8-14 against 1-A teams since 1985 after losing at 21st-ranked Iowa 45-21 on Sept. 17.

UNI now has lost four straight games to Division 1-A teams. Its last win over a 1-A team was 42-39 at Ball State in 2001.

CONFERENCE DOMINANCE: Since the Gateway Football Conference was founded in 1985, UNI now has won or shared 12 league titles. The Panthers won the title outright in 1985 (5-0), 1987 (6-0), 1991 (5-1), 1992 (5-1), 1993 (5-1), 1994 (6-0), 1996 (5-0), and in 2001 (6-1). Titles were shared in 1990 with Missouri State (5-1), in 1995 with Eastern Illinois (5-1), in 2003 with Southern Illinois (6-1), and this year with SIU and Youngstown State (5-2. In the seasons when UNI shared the title, the Panthers received the league's automatic bid to the playoffs in 1990 by virtue of their 20-17 win over MSU, in 1995 with their victory over EIU 17-7, in 2003 because of their 43-40 win over SIU, and this year after the wins against SIU and Youngstown State.

STREAKING: A Gateway team has started conference play 5-0 on 14 occasions (including UNI and Southern Illinois in 2003) and all of the 11 previous teams finished second or better in the league standings. Ten of those 11 earned playoff berths, and 10 won the conference crown. Only twice in league history (1987, 2003) have two teams started 5-0 or better the same year.

UNI VERSUS THE TOP 25: The Panthers now own a 48-30 record over teams ranked in the 1-AA Top 25 (either the NCAA or Sports Network polls) since 1985 after defeating 11th-ranked Youngstown State, no. six Western Kentucky and fourth-ranked Southern Illinois this season.

UNI dropped out of The Sports Network's Top 25 for the first time Oct. 28, 2002, receiving enough votes to be ranked 32nd, and it never recovered to jump back into the top 25s. This was just the fifth time since 1984 that the Panthers ended the season un-ranked. The other years were 1986, 1988, 1997 and 1998.

UNI VERSUS NO. 1: Since moving up to the 1-AA level in 1985, UNI now is 1-4 versus teams ranked no. 1 in a specific poll at the time of the contest after losing 40-36 to Southern Illinois last year. UNI lost to no. 1 Marshall in the 1996 playoffs 31-14, defeated no. 1 Youngstown State 35-32 in 1997, lost to no. 1 McNeese State 20-17 in 1998, and lost to no. 1 Montana 38-0 in the 2001 playoffs.

UNI ON TV: With its 21-7 win over Youngstown State and the 23-20 double overtime win over Western Kentucky this year, UNI now has won eight consecutive games on the Gateway Football Conference television package. It now is 8-2 overall when shown on the conference package.

UNI IN THE DOME: UNI is 149-38-1 (.790) in the UNI-Dome since the building opened in 1976. The Panthers were 6-0 at home in 2003 and had an eight-game home win streak dating back to the 2002 season before losing to 13th-ranked Stephen F. Austin at home last year on Sept. 18. UNI was 5-1 at home in 2000, losing 44-41 to Western Illinois in the last game of the season, snapping a seven-game home winning streak. It currently is 5-0 at home this season and has won eight straight again dating back to last season.

The Panthers were 6-0 at home in 2001and were 3-3 in 2002. They have the best home field winning percentage in the Gateway Conference with a 52-11 record. They have gone undefeated at home in a season seven times since 1990.

UNI had a 25-game overall home winning streak heading into the 1992 1-AA semifinal game against Youngstown State, which the Penguins snapped with their 19-7 win. Prior to a Sept. 24, 1994, loss to McNeese State, UNI had won 29 straight regular-season games in the Dome dating back to the 1989 season opener, lost 22-14 to Mankato State.

GFC RANKED VERSUS RANKED: There have been 57 times in which two Gateway teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. The home team is 33-24, while the higher-ranked team is 29-28. Fifteen times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the top 10.

UNI has played in seven of those games when the two teams have been ranked in the top 10, and has a 4-3 record in such contests after defeating seventh-ranked Western Illinois and losing to ninth-ranked Western Kentucky in 2003. The third-ranked Panthers defeated fifth-ranked Missouri State in the Dome in 1996, 38-31; no. 3 UNI defeated no. 8 Western Illinois 30-6 at home in 1996, no. 10 Illinois State defeated third-ranked UNI 47-28 in Normal in 1999, and no. 9 Youngstown State defeated no. 6 UNI 29-20 in Cedar Falls in 1999.

UNI played six ranked teams in 2001, defeating then second-ranked Youngstown State 30-11 in the Dome, then 12th-ranked Western Illinois 17-14 on the road, sixth-ranked Western Kentucky 24-23 on the road, third-ranked Eastern Illinois 49-43 on the road, 16th-ranked Maine 56-28 at home, and lost 38-0 to no. 1 Montana in the 1-AA semifinals.

UNI defeated 17th-ranked YSU and lost to eighth-ranked Western Illinois for its only games against ranked foes in 2002. UNI played five ranked teams in 2003, defeating no. 11 Northwestern State, WIU, and Southern Illinois. It lost at 12th-ranked Western Kentucky.

SQUEAKERS: When UNI defeated Western Kentucky 24-23 in 2001, it marked just the second time in league history in which there were two one-point decisions on the same day.

In all, there have been 29 games decided by one point. UNI has more one-point wins in Gateway games than any other team, and the Panthers are 8-3 in those contests.

OT NO WAY: UNI is 3-4 in overtime games. The Panthers are 1-1 at home in OT. Two of those extra period games were during the 1-AA playoffs, and the Panthers lost both of those games -- 27-21 at Boston University in 1993, and 44-41 at Northeast Louisiana in 1987.

HALFTIME LEAD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF: UNI's double overtime loss to Western Illinois in 1997 and the 20-17 loss in overtime to McNeese State in 1998 were the only times in the decade of the '90s when the Panthers surrendered a halftime lead (UNI led WIU 9-0 and MSU 7-0). Prior to that, UNI had a 53-0 regular-season record when leading at the half.

UNI led third-ranked Youngstown State on the road, 17-14, at the half in 2000, but went on to fall 28-24 in the last 1:17 of the game. UNI was 8-0 in 2001 when leading at the half and was 4-2 in 2002, losing to Illinois State after leading 17-10 at the half and at Indiana State, 21-19, after leading 10-0 at the break.

UNI was 8-0 in 2003 when leading at the half and was 7-1 last year after defeating Minnesota State 40-0, Youngstown State 22-20, Western Illinois 30-6, Southwest Missouri State 42-20, Indiana State 58-6, Illinois State 41-14 and Northern Arizona 45-21, and losing to Southern Illinois after leading 26-14 at intermission.

In 2005, UNI is 6-0 when leading at the half.

TURF VS. GRASS: Over the past 12-plus years, UNI is 17-19 on grass. UNI was 0-4 on grass in 1997, 0-1 in 1998, 2-1 in 1999, 1-0 in 2000, 4-1 in 2001 and was 1-2 in 2003. It was 0-1 last year after losing at Iowa State and it is 1-1 so far this year. It is 28-18 on artificial surfaces on the road.

2005 Single-Game Superlatives Rush Attempts: 27, Terrance Freeney vs. Indiana State Opp: 34, Stephen Willis (Western Kentucky) Rush Yards: 142, David Horne vs. Youngstown State Opp: 167, Arkee Whitlock (Southern Illinois) Rush TDs: 3, David Horne vs. Youngstown State Opp: 2, Albert Young (Iowa) Pass Attempts: 33, Eric Sanders vs. Southern Illinois Opp: 44, Steve LaFalce (Western Illinois) Pass Completions: 24, Eric Sanders at Western Kentucky Opp: 28, Ted Schlafke (Minnesota Duluth); Steve LaFalce (Western Illinois) Consecutive Completions: 11, Eric Sanders vs. Drake Opp: 9, Drew Tate (Iowa); Steve LaFalce (Western Illinois); Blayne Baggett (Indiana State) Pass Interceptions: 2, Eric Sanders vs. Youngstown State Opp: 3, Jason Murrietta (Northern Arizona) Pass TDs: 3, Eric Sanders vs. Drake, vs. Minnesota Duluth, at Iowa, vs. Southern Illinois Opp: 4, Luke Drone (Illinois State) Receptions: 8, James Lindgren at Illinois State Opp: 11, Reggie Gray (Western Illinois) Reception Yards: 92, James Lindgren at Illinois State Opp: 243, Laurent Robinson (Illinois State Reception TDs: 2, Jamie Goodwin vs. Southern Illinois Opp: 3, Laurent Robinson (Illinois State) Punts: 7, Adam Kos at Western Illinois; at Missouri State Opp: 7, Several Punt Avg.: 50.0, Adam Kos at Illinois State Opp: 46.0, Joe Bishop (Youngstown State) Punt Returns: 3, Johnny Gray vs. Drake, vs. Indiana State, at Illinois State Opp: 3, Reggie Gray (Western Illinois); Michael Sparks (Missouri State); Dennis Mitchell (Western Kentucky) Punt Return Yds: 70, Johnny Gray at Western Kentucky Opp: 37, Jason Horton (Illinois State) PATs Kicked: 7, Brian Wingert vs. Drake; vs. Minnesota Duluth Opp: 6, Kyle Schlicher (Iowa) PATs Attempted: 7, Brian Wingert vs. Drake, vs. Minnesota Duluth Opp: 6, Kyle Schlicher (Iowa) Field Goals Kicked: 2, Brian Wingert vs. Southern Illinois, vs. Northern Arizona Opp: 2, Western Kentucky Field Goals Attempted: 3, Brian Wingert at Western Kentucky, vs. Southern Illinois, vs. Northern Arizona Opp: 3, Chris James (Western Kentucky) Kickoff Returns: 4, Jamie Goodwin at Illinois State Opp: 4, Marcus Davis (Minnesota Duluth) Kickoff Return Yds: 115, Jamie Goodwin vs. Southern Illinois Opp: 112, Marcus Davis (Minnesota Duluth) Total Offense Attempts: 48, Dexter Hill at Illinois State Opp: 57, Steve LaFalce (Western Illinois) Total Offense Yds: 329, Eric Sanders at Western Illinois Opp: 389, Steve LaFalce (Western Illinois) Touchdowns: 3, David Horne vs. Youngstown State) Opp: 3, Laurent Robinson (Illinois State) All-Purpose Yds: 205, Jamie Goodwin vs. Southern Illinois Opp: 256, Arkee Whitlock (Southern Illinois) Points: 18, David Horne vs. Youngstown State Opp: 18, Laurent Robinson (Illinois State)

INJURY REPORT: Senior defensive tackle Kevin Stensrud still is listed as questionable after sustaining a grade 1 concussion with neck involvement against Southern Illinois. He did not play against Northern Arizona. Senior center John Schabilion has been lost for the remainder of the season with a left knee possible ACL/MCL/LAT meniscus injury, also sustained against SIU.

QUOTING FARLEY: UNI head coach Mark Farley had the following comments at Monday's weekly Press Luncheon.

"The Northern Arizona game didn't start out very good with all the turnovers. It just didn't have the hype to it as the previous game, and that was my concern all week long, to try to get our players back to the level to win that game. It was more of a workman-type attitude during that day. When we had those turnovers early, it actually gave them an opportunity. I thought our defense was exceptional. They took the opportunities away, we held them to 54 yards on 52 plays, which is exceptional. Tanner Varner had two intercepts and has been a great player for us, and John Hermann on our pass rush. He set a couple of school records for us. Our whole defensive unit stepped up, it was one of those games where they needed to, because when your offense flutters a little bit, when they lack that emotional part of the game, then the defense needs to create that.

"We had an opportunity to get Eric (Sanders) and (Brian) Cutright out of the game. We tried to give some guys a little extra rest looking to this weekend.

"Excellent football team. Eastern Washington has a quarterback who was the Player of the Year in the Big Sky Conference last year, they have a receiver that's ready to break Jerry Rice's all-time touchdowns...They're the automatic qualifier from the Big Sky Conference.

"Our goal was no. 1 to get (the playoffs) and no. 2 to host. We've done those two things, now we have to take advantage of those opportunities, put a good plan together, and do the best we can on Saturday night.

"We've been hurt the past couple of weeks. Without John Schabilion, Jeff Bates did a good job and that gave him another game under his belt. We can't get hurt much more. Terrance Freeney did hurt his ankle again. We did take some bruises, but I don't think it'll take them out of the game.

"This is a different kind of week with Thanksgiving. School's out on Tuesday, you've got Thanksgiving, the film exchange.

"John (Hermann) has really played well in the past month...He's undersized, but he's relentless. He's really playing hard...The player of the year from our standpoint is Eric Sanders. He's a huge part of our football team's success, he's a leader. Defensively one of our standout players is Tanner Varner. We haven't talked about him much. Tanner's the guy who makes plays for us week in and week out. Between he and John Hermann and what they've done in the past month, and what Eric Sanders does on offense, that's what our football team is right now.

"From my perspective is this -- this time last year we didn't get in, we were knocking on the door, we had a good football team, and we didn't get in. We're in and we have a home field. After that, I can't see an easy path to the championship for anybody. You've got to go play football games, you've got to win at home, you've got to win one on the road, and you've got to let the chips fall as they may if you're still deep into at that time. We've got a quarterback, we've got a good defense, we've got quality skilled kids at the receiver and at the running game, so I think we can balance the factors of road games and home games and the throwing teams and running teams. We've got the size and the speed so we can balance things out and put a good plan together. All you want to do this time of year is equalize the opponent because everyone is going to be good. If you can execute, you're always going to have a chance to win the game. And you need a little bit of luck along the way.

"The team that I fell bad for is Youngstown State. Youngstown State has three losses. They got beat at Pitt, they got beat at Northern Iowa, and they got beat at Southern Illinois. They got eliminated from the tournament and when you look at some of the teams in the tournament, and look at who they play, it doesn't make sense that Youngstown State isn't in this field. I look at quality of schedule, because playing these Division I football games is not being counted as a good thing, not when it comes to playoff time. The people making these decisions need to look at either changing the number of teams that are in the playoffs, or changing how these are selected. There are teams getting left out. That doesn't make sense for the Gateway or for 1-AA.

"If you're only going to seed four teams, let's put one in the midwest, let's put one on the east, let's put one on the west, and one on the south, and balance it that way, instead of making an arbitrary decision. Once we get in, we need to hold up our end of the deal.

"We'll have a normal week of practice, we'll just do it earlier on Thursday. It's fun to keep the players around to be involved with other families. Some guys that are closer to home will take some players home with them. They'll be a lot more team meals this week with school out."