UNI still alive in FCS playoff race after close win

CEDAR FALLS - After three straight weeks of standing before his weekly press luncheon in Cedar Falls having to explain how or why his Northern Iowa football team lost, head coach Mark Farley finally got to talk about a win on Monday - one his Panthers had to have.

In many ways, what he explained was very close to what he did during UNI's three-game losing streak: there were things the Panthers did well, things they still continue to struggle with, and it ultimately came down to a final drive or play.

The difference? UNI finally came out on the winning end of a close game.

'We've been getting beat by inches, and that one we won by inches,” Farley said. 'If you go back and look at the games we lost, there were probably three to six reviews where they had to play it back to find out how close it was. A lot of teams lose by a yard. We were getting beat by instant replay. That's how close it was.

'For our football team, that's exactly what we needed, was to win one of those. It kind of breaks the glass and creates the opportunities now that things are aligned for us. All that stuff balances out in time, and this is our opportunity to make a move.”

The Panthers (3-4, 1-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) needed a fourth down stop - and subsequent video review - to get a win in Brookings, S.D. on Saturday against then-No. 6 South Dakota State.

Getting to that point wasn't flashy or smooth, but Farley has traditionally been unconcerned with the former.

Starting quarterback Aaron Bailey was once again the team's leading rusher, carrying 23 times for 169 yards and the lone UNI touchdown. His 35-yard touchdown run was one of two big runs, including a 41-yarder. Tyvis Smith was the only running back to get significant carries - a change from earlier in the year, when he, Darrian Miller, Savon Huggins and Michael Malloy have split carries - and rushed 12 times for 54 yards.

With the read-option working, UNI also tried to throw deep several times, and Farley said that's by design.

'Everybody is starting to come to the box now for the run game, so you have to back the safeties up or you have to test the corners. We tested the corners and they made some plays,” Farley said. 'I thought we left some balls out there that we should've caught or had opportunities to. We're going to have to find a way to catch those balls. When we do that, you'll at least make them think whether they should be in that kind of coverage to defend the box.

'You have to pick and choose your opportunities and find those matchups that you want, and then you still have to go make a play. There's not that much difference in talent (in the MVFC). It's pretty equal now, top to bottom, in this league. You're going to have to make a play in space.”

What Farley and his staff did Saturday was use every tool left in the toolbox to create something from an offense that hasn't been consistent or overly productive when it's needed to be. Star defensive backs Deiondre Hall and Makinton Dorleant saw time at wide receiver, with Hall hauling in a 25-yard catch. UNI's receiving corps has taken a beating this season - both in criticism off the field and in several moments on the field - so Farley and offensive coordinator Joe Davis reached a point where things had to be shaken up.

It may have only resulted in 10 points, but it showed going forward there's a willingness to shake anything up as necessary.

'We'll keep using any personnel we have, whether it's those two or another two. We'll use our personnel as best we can when it presents itself an opportunity to,” Farley said. 'We can't overdo it, but at the same time, we'll use them.

'Those two (Hall and Dorleant) can run all day, as can a couple other guys. We may even incorporate a few more. Right now we're to the phase of the season that you can do that because the conditioning that they're in and the timelines they're on, they're more conditioned to be able to do this week-to-week now.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com