Mark Farley gives UNI football a ‘B+’ in latest performance

CEDAR FALLS — Mark Farley pulled no punches with his team after a 41-14 blowout win over Utah Tech on Saturday.

The 22nd-year football coach said he asked for perfection from his Panthers (3-4, 2-2) against the Trailblazers, hoping it could be a much-needed springboard game, but Monday after film study he graded it a “B-plus” performance.

“They played at a B-plus,” Farley said. “If I was grading the game and the win and how they played and the improvement they made from the week before and those five days (of preparation) I’d give them an A. I give them a B-plus as far as what they can be.

“You guys haven’t seen an ‘A’ and I haven’t seen ‘A’ yet this year. I’ve seen ‘As’ over the years, but not many.”

Despite Farley’s ‘B-plus’ grade, he acknowledged after Saturday’s win that the performance was enough to build momentum as four tough Missouri Valley Football Conference games remain in UNI’s regular season.

Saturday’s win included momentum-building moments for the Panthers offense and defense.

On defense, a game plan that heavily featured a three-man front helped UNI’s third-down woes. Utah Tech converted just two of its 10 opportunities.

“Part of what provoked (the scheme) was probably 50-50, the first 50 percent of it was due to who we played and the style of offense they play,” Farley said. “The other 50 percent of it (was our) injuries. Be it the guys we had on the defensive line that we had lost, I just felt that we were deeper in the direction of the three-man front than we were going to be in the four-man.”

Offensively it was another above average performance for Bodie Reeder and Ryan Clanton’s unit.

Quarterback Theo Day continued to demonstrate he’s one of the FCS’s better signal callers this season when he has protection. Running backs Dom Williams and Vance McShane again provided more than was needed on the ground and receivers Sam Schnee, Desmond Hutson and Sergio Morancy continued to show big-play ability.

Asked about the working relationship between first-year Reeder and tenured Clanton, Farley had nothing but compliments to offer.

“I think it looks pretty good,” Farley said of the Panthers offense. “I’m pleased with it. It’s like anything — when you get new guys it isn’t their resume, it’s how well do they work together?

“This has worked its way into a good system right now that the players are performing in. Theo is a big part of that. The receivers are a big part of that. I’m very pleased with it.”

UNI hosts Missouri State (2-4, 0-3) Saturday at 4 p.m. (KCRG 9.2).