Farley: UNI 'got better last week' in big win

At this point in the season, Mark Farley said college football teams are either making progress or “figuring themselves out.”

The Northern Iowa coach said his 19th-ranked team is in the former group - thankfully.

“We got better last week,” Farley said of the 42-14 win over Illinois State on Saturday that left the Panthers in sole possession of the Missouri Valley Football Conference lead. “It was progress and that's exactly what we were hoping for.”

The UNI defense has been solid most of season, but the offense has been hit and miss.

“Our offense, in particular, was more consistent,” he said, singling out the offensive line and quarterback Tirrell Rennie, who “has gotten more comfortable.”

Rennie earned conference and national player of the week honors after rushing for 153 yards, passing for 90 and having a hand in five touchdowns.

Now, Farley said, the trick is to keep progressing. The Panthers (3-1, 4-3) have four games left, including back-to-back road games at Youngstown State on Saturday (noon) and Indiana State on Nov. 6. They close the season with a home game against Missouri State (Nov. 13) and a road game at Western Illinois (Nov. 20).

And if this year's MVFC has shown anything, it's that everybody is vulnerable.

“You feel good today,” Farley said with a laugh, adding that aforementioned progress “is week-to-week. We have to stay hungry, stay focused ... this team needs that.

“We have to line up every week and fight every down. Our team has that type of mentality right now.”

By J.R. Ogden, The Gazette