UNI drops Illinois State, 42-28

CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa is fighting for its football playoff lives.

With their backs against the wall and a top contender in their way, the Panthers kept swinging.

UNI still has a puncher's chance after dropping seventh-ranked and previously unbeaten Illinois State, 42-28, in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game Saturday at the UNI-Dome.

The Panthers were led by All-American running back David Johnson, who setting the career rushing mark, running for 129 yards and scoring three touchdowns, including a 98-yard kickoff return in the fourth.

'I felt like we were probably in a do-or-die situation with our record,” Johnson said. 'I knew we needed this win. I'm glad we ended up getting it. Now, we have momentum going against North Dakota State at home next week.”

The Panthers (5-4, 3-2 MVFC) were staggered at the very start of the game when things went awry quickly. UNI mishandled a shotgun snap on its opening play of the game that Illinois State's defense pounced on at the UNI 28. The Redbirds converted it into a lead when Marshaun Coprich rushed for a 28-yard TD for a 7-0 just 12 seconds into the game.

'This feels really good,” UNI Coach Mark Farley said. 'Hard fought. It was a battle.

'I'm very pleased, especially how we started out with the fumble and a touchdown. Their consistency their toughness of staying through that showed up.”

The tone and tempo of the game turned after halftime and accelerated in the final quarter. Both teams combined for 56 points in the second half and 35 total points in the last nine minutes. Johnson was a huge part of it, giving UNI the lead again at 28-21 on his first kick return for a score.

Johnson put the Panthers up for good with an impressive 18-yard run with 4:12 left, stopping and cutting on a dime, juking a defender who fell on the ground and spinning his way into the end zone.

Johnson, who had a 31-yard touchdown run in the third to make it 21-7, achieved a major milestone, setting the school record for career rushing yards with a 2-yard carry at the end of the third. Johnson has 4,051 career rushing yards in his career, topping the old mark of 4,003 by Corey Lewis from 2005-08.

'He deserves it,” said Farley, marveling at the 6-foot-1, 229-pounder's ability to make people miss and outrun coverage on the kickoff and his temperament as a competitor. 'He's a great young man that is a very good player. He's got the world ahead of him but he's ours. It makes a pretty good deal for us.”

The defense helped keep UNI close in the first half when the offense struggled. They thwarted a couple ISU drives in Panther territory. Until the closing minutes, all of the Redbirds' points - three touchdown runs by Coprich - followed Panther turnovers.

'It started up front,” UNI senior linebacker Max Busher said. 'One thing we focused on was making sure we took the edge. We managed to set the edge.

'The (defensive) line, when it was a passing situation, getting to that quarterback. Ultimately, man for man, everybody out there was making plays, trusting in each other. We knew we were going to finish this game.”

The defense delivered the knockout blow and finished off the first loss for Illinois State (7-1, 4-1) this season. Tim Kilfoy picked off Tre Roberson twice in the final minute, running the first 32 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory.

'This is a game we've been waiting for,” Kilfoy said. 'We've had chances this season and the season before to close out games like this. We hadn't been getting it done.”

Kilfoy added, 'Coach Farley said why didn't you kneel it after that first one but I wasn't think that at all. I was trying to score right away. That was my instinct to do that. I was fortunate to get some blocks along the way.”

The special teams produced more than Johnson's return. A punt block accounted for the Panthers' only first-half points.

Tate Omli came off the left edge to block an Illinois State punt. The ball bounced and spun on the turf and Charles Brown scooped up the ball amid a pack pf Panthers and returned it seven yards for the score. It provided a spark and pulled them even at seven apiece with 11:09 left in the second.

'That was huge,” Farley said. 'That blocked punt put us at 7-7 or back to 0-0 basically. Then it was keeping your composure and working the plan.

Now, UNI welcomes the top-ranked Bison to the UNI-Dome next week. Farley plans to approach it like any other week, but he will let the team soak this one in before the fight continues.

'We've been grinding on them,” Farley said. 'They've done a nice job. They need to go enjoy this thing and we'll come back tomorrow, make our corrections and start getting ready for North Dakota State.”

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