Mark Farley likes where UNI football is headed

CEDAR FALLS — Things are steadily coming together for the Northern Iowa football team.

After an 0-3 start that featured numerous defensive errors and ball security issues, the Panthers have won two straight and most importantly have shown progress in much-needed areas.

Among UNI’s improvements the past couple weeks has been its defense finding a rhythm.

Cannon Butler’s emergence as a starting defensive tackle, along with more in-game pass coverage repetitions, have gone a long way toward this season’s defense looking like the formidable unit of last season’s, according to Coach Mark Farley.

“I think it’s evident the growth the past two weeks,” Farley said Monday during his weekly news conference. “The plays that were made in the red zone were more like the plays that we need to make. That’s more not the plan, that’s the players.

“I think our coverages have improved (and) tightened up in the last few weeks. With tighter coverage, you get better pressure and you can’t do any of that without stopping the run. It all goes hand-in-hand.”

Getting off the field on third and fourth downs remains one of the distinguishable differences between this season’s defense and last year’s unit.

The Sycamores had 11 combined third- and fourth-down conversions in their narrow loss last Saturday to the Panthers.

“We made the error to create (those) drives to leave them on the field, but I still go back to the team (and say), ‘hey, they didn’t get in the end zone,” Farley said. “What I like about our football team was — you say where’s the progress on defense — (Indiana State) got down there after a long drive (and) you think the defense might have been weary at that time and that’s when they stepped up.”

As Farley works to fine tune an improving defense, he’s doing so as the unit’s play-caller for the first time in a while.

After an offseason shake-up with the coaching staff saw longtime defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson leave for Kent State, the 22nd-year head coach has the play sheet back in his hands this season and is reacquainting himself with a play-caller’s game-day workload.

“Honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I did it the full game, but I’ve always done it (periodically), particularly probably the last three or four years,” Farley said. “Now, it’s a little bit different because it keeps you busy on the sidelines — let’s put it that way — to try and stay ahead of the game as much as make the adjustments in the game and still be on top of situations that are going to come up that maybe aren’t just defensive situations.

“It’s fun. It’s what I do, man.”

UNI hosts Illinois State (2-2, 0-1) Saturday at 4 p.m. for its annual homecoming game (KCRG 9.2).