UNI football getting healthier after bye week

CEDAR FALLS - Northern Iowa's bye week began with a few big question marks.

Fast forward a week and the answers are all on the practice field.

If the Panthers are going to be able to fix their problems, availability is what head coach Mark Farley is hoping for.

'Probably what's hurt the most was not practicing with our first unit. I hate to say that because you've got to get ready anyway,” Farley said. 'Without the two tight ends practicing. Without the three running backs practicing. Then going into a football game where they played. Where we missed some blocks, where we didn't move the line of scrimmage or slipped off a block, (it) was usually one of those positions that hadn't been on the field all week long.”

Expectations are that a healthy and practicing group of running backs and tight ends will equal more production from the areas in need. Thankfully for Farley and the Panthers there was good news Monday morning as far as that practice availability is concerned.

'I think I'll get the running backs back (at practice) this week.” Farley said. 'I looked at the (injury) sheet this morning, so I think I'll get two of them back this week. I anticipate I'll have them all on Saturday. That's my hope.”

Typically Farley's teams have undergone a fair amount of personnel changes during bye weeks. So, given the mixed results of nonconference play changes were anticipated. With only a few practices left before their road tilt versus Southern Illinois (2-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Farley said the age of players they looked at moving played a large factor in their final decisions.

'There were other things last week. To go back and put more detail in the work that's already installed. So, there's a little bit of movement of personnel, not a lot,” Farley said. 'But there was some experimentation, and there was also just going back and getting our younger players reacquainted with some of the calls we haven't used yet.”

While they'll have to wait until Saturday night in Carbondale, Ill., for answers to their problems, the Panthers were able to make use of the bye as a return to a camp-like atmosphere. It allowed them to dig back into their defense (likely their offense too) in an effort to 'stretch the package,” as Farley put it.

'We've been practicing against each other. Ones against twos, twos against ones, ones against ones,” Farley said. 'So, we've had that competition again where we've been good against good. So that should help us going into this week's football game.”

PANTHERS SET TO GO YOUNG AT SAFETY

Before UNI's season-opening matchup with Iowa State the safety position was one of a handful at the time that was, 'ready to move,” according to Farley.

UNI was going to use its three nonconference games - against three very different opponents - to get in-game evaluations of the players at that position. Isaiah Nimmers and Nikholi Jaghai started against the passing-efficient Cyclones. A.J. Allen and Elijah Campbell started Week 2 against Cal Poly's triple option. Korby Sander and Suni Lane started in Week 3 against Southern Utah's spread attack.

Headed into MVFC play the Panthers have settled on redshirt freshman Korby Sander and true freshman Suni Lane.

'They both are, athletically what we're looking at for the position. And they're both very intelligent. The two guys that started at Southern Utah - Suni and Korby - I think really did a nice job and will be the starters again this week,” Farley said. 'They just had to keep building what they do and the more they have a knowledge of what we're doing, the more we can do on defense.”