After scaring Wisky, UNI gets set for home opener

CEDAR FALLS - “No matter what happens, this is the right thing to do. Life is about experiences.”

Those were the thoughts of UNI's head coach Mark Farley before the team took the field last Saturday against the University of Wisconsin. The Panthers came up just one touchdown short of pulling of what would've been the biggest upset in the history of the program.

“What I'll remember from the game is very similar to what I remember when we played at Kinnick Stadium a few years back,” Farley said at his weekly news conference. “When you have that many people in red and you hear a UNI chant going on in the background, you know they're quiet and that you're in the game.”

Redshirt freshman Sawyer Kollmorgen was named one of five The Sports Network FCS National Player of the week while also being honored with Co-Freshman of the Week in his first collegiate start.

“I liked his demeanor. He never changed. He didn't come off looking at someone else. He looked like he does at practice every day. He has a short memory.”

But while the main headline of the University of Northern Iowa Panthers has been about their two Big Ten opponents in three weeks, Farley is more worried about that third opponent.

“It's very concerning,” Farley said. “Our players are coming off this game that had so much hype put into it and so much put into it and so much energy involved with it. Now we come right back into (this game). Fortunately we're at home which gives you a little extra juice.”

The Panthers welcome Central State University, a Division II school from Wilberforce, Ohio to the UNI Dome this Saturday. The game comes in between last week's opponent, Wisconsin, and next week's opponent, the University of Iowa.

Farley admitted that most of Monday and Tuesday are about game film of Saturday's game, but the rest of the week will be focused on picking up the first win of the season.

“We put a great effort into (film), more so than in years past. Now all of our focus will go into Central State. It's a big game for us. Hopefully our players will stay focused because at the end of the day we're 0-1.”