UNI football making changes after bye week

CEDAR FALLS — Plenty of change appears to be on the horizon for the Northern Iowa football team, now and in the future.

After being able to reset their body clocks with a bye week after trips to Nebraska and Hawaii in weeks 3 and 4, the Panthers (2-2) will look different this Saturday against two-time defending national champion South Dakota State (4 p.m., ESPN+).

The question is — how different?

“I’ve made some (changes) based off what I saw in those first four games,” UNI Coach Mark Farley said Monday at his weekly news conference. “Last week gave me three (practices) to look at my ideas, my thoughts and then did they work or not work? There will be some changes, some movement.”

Most notable among Farley’s adjustments could be at quarterback.

Sophomore Matthew Schecklman replaced starter Aidan Dunne late in the third quarter of UNI’s 36-7 loss at Hawaii and split first-team reps with Dunne during bye week practices last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

“I wanted to give (Schecklman) real snaps in a real situation against a good football team on the road so we found out what he was going to be like before we (have) this run of games,” Farley said.

Unsurprisingly Farley didn’t name a starter for Saturday’s Missouri Valley Conference opener against the top-ranked Jackrabbits, but he didn’t rule out Schecklman getting the nod.

“He got more opportunity this last week in practice,” Farley said. “(Schecklman) has an opportunity to be the starter (Saturday). (Dunne) didn’t do anything wrong, I just wanted to see what (Schecklman) could do.”

Limiting explosive plays on defense and better execution on special teams also were pointed out by Farley on Monday, along with the possible quarterback change to pump life into UNI’s air raid offense that has yet to get off the runway.

Personnel and scheme changes are part of the adjustments, but better execution is ultimately what the Panthers need.

“We gotta raise (our) level everywhere,” Farley said. “It’s personnel. It’s coaching. It’s everything. When you have (coaches and players) you’re getting acquainted with you need four games to really see what were they like in game situations. Then, try to evaluate each coach, segment (and) player to find the balance of what’re you going to do the next two months.”

When it comes to changes in the future for UNI, a recent appeal by university president Mark Nook at a Board of Regents meeting on Sept. 19 to make in-state tuition rates available for students from neighboring states would be of major positive impact to the football program.

“That would be a game-changer,” Farley said. “It makes your budget more efficient for the use of players and it balances the playing field because a lot of our other state schools around us can come into our state and give our students in-state tuition when we’re recruiting against them. But, yet, if I cross the (state) line I’m paying out-of-state (tuition). When one ship rises we all rise, and that ship would rise exponentially should we have the opportunity to do that.”