Farley, Panthers concerned about the unknown

CEDAR FALLS - It's a tale of two different teams, two very different weeks.

Last Saturday, Northern Iowa traveled to Wisconsin and Camp Randall Stadium, which holds nearly 80,000 fans, to face a Top 10 team from the Big Ten.

Saturday, UNI takes on Division II Central State University, which has an enrollment of just under 2,500 students. Winners of just one game last year, the Marauders are 0-1 after losing to Stillman College, 28-27, last week.

UNI Coach Mark Farley knows, however, the Panthers can't overlook a team with 15 returning starters.

Kickoff is 6 p.m. at the UNI-Dome.

“It's a big game for us,” said Farley, who could earn his 100th coaching victory today. “We're at home and we need the win. You have to win at home.”

UNI moved up one spot in The Sports Network poll this week to No. 8.

“There's a lot of unknowns to it,” Farley said about preparing for a team he knows little about. “I think the adversity is that there's a lot of uncertainty of not knowing their personnel, not knowing their coaching staff and not being familiar with what they do.”

Although UNI played well last week, a key today is improving the running game. Carlos Anderson and David Johnson combined for just 34 yards on 16 carries against the Badgers.