Farley likes the way these Panthers win

University of Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley likes what he's been seeing in his 16th-ranked Panthers.

UNI (6-3) is on a four-game winning streak and continues to lead the Missouri Valley Football Conference at 5-1. The Panthers have won two straight and three of their last four games on the road, a key to any team's championship run.

“They just have that look about them,” Farley said Monday, two days after UNI toppled Indiana State, 30-20, in Terre Haute, Ind., a game where “they had a lot at stake, we had a lot at stake.”

The Panthers host former UNI coach Terry Allen and Missouri State (3-3, 4-5) on Saturday in yet another key MFVC game. They close at second-place Western Illinois (4-2, 6-3) Nov. 20.

“We're making plays and we're finishing games,” Farley said. “They've got that will, the will to win. That's priceless.”

Another thing Farley has been pleased with is his team's focus - keeping an eye on the next step, not what's at the end of the journey.

“They have to stay there,” he said. “Our challenge this week, every week, is staying with the things that got us here ... don't start feeling good about yourself.”

What has gotten the Panthers here is a solid defense, an improving offense and special teams that have answered the call when needed. Kicker Billy Holgrem, for instance, booted a big field goal just before halftime on Saturday that gave UNI needed momentum.

It came minutes after Indiana State had scored on a drive that started with an interception in the Sycamore end zone.

“That showed maturity, to overcome that,” Farley said.

UNI has been just as resilient late in games, too.

“We're finding ways, in that fourth quarter, to get it done,” Farley said. “You need playmakers and they're making plays.”

Missouri State lost to South Dakota State, 31-10, on Saturday, but that came after back-to-back wins over Western Illinois and Southern Illinois.

- By J.R. Ogden, The Gazette