3-phase boon for UNI in dominant win

CEDAR FALLS — Typically, when a football team's punter is the player of the game, it means something (or many things) went wrong.

But with two vital punts in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 20-7 victory, No. 18/21 Northern Iowa's Sam Kuhter essentially sealed the win against South Dakota. A booming 68-yard punt was downed at the USD 3, and then a 51-yarder rolled out of bounds inside the USD 1 on the next series.

Those two plays pinned the Coyotes deep, let the Panther defense pin its ears back and disallowed much of any chance for USD to mount a drive to get back in the game.

'I was very pleased with how our running backs ran, I was very pleased with how our defense played, but the player of the game was Sam Kuhter,' said UNI head coach Mark Farley. 'Those two punts really took them out of many plays they could call, being they started at the one yard line. That took a lot of time off the clock and at the same time sealed the game through the punting game.'

Kuhter's 52.4 yards per punt were a school record, and those last two earned him the adoration of a group of defenders who otherwise would've gotten the glory of the day.

He reveled in the fact that his teammates appreciated the work in the Panthers' second straight win, and even admitted a little awe in his career-long 68-yard punt.

'As long as I can give the defense a long field to defend, it just really helps the team,' Kuhter said. 'I was telling the guys on the sidelines (after the 68-yarder) that I've never really felt a punt off my foot like that, and I was like, 'Wow.'

'It gives the defense a long field to defend, and if they have to go 99 yards compared to 80 yards, in a tight game like that they have to score to keep the game alive. As long as I can pin them deep, it's a good deal.'

The Panthers (4-4, 2-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) were all smiles for many reasons — not just the punter getting a share of the limelight. It seemed as if everything Farley, offensive coordinator Joe Davis and defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson have been asking for from their players showed up in a dominant effort at the UNI-Dome.

UNI's defense gave up just 187 total yards to USD — 81 of those coming on the Coyotes' third drive of the game. The Panthers gave up just 106 total yards the rest of the way, and just 46 in the second half. They held a USD rushing attack that had been averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season to 1.5 per carry on Saturday — 36 rushes for 54 yards.

UNI's offense had often sputtered and failed to get in a rhythm for much of the previous four games, but totaled 394 yards. It also saw quarterback Aaron Bailey give, objectively, his best outing in a UNI uniform — Farley said 'earlier on (this season) I heard people thought he wasn't, but he's a good passer if he's got time and the receivers get to where they belong,' – as he completed 16 of 27 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown. He also had 23 carries for 44 yards, one touchdown and two fumbles.

Tack on special teams, and it's what Farley and Co. have been pining for.

'Would've liked to finish some of those drives with touchdowns, but otherwise it's 100 percent yes (the best three-phase game),' Farley said. 'Defense was sound, special teams was great and offense was moving the ball up and down the field. We're to that next step now, where if we can finish those drives with seven points, we can start to do some things.'

One of the most important stats in the game — one which had plagued the Panthers for the last month — was the number of play disparity. In the three straight losses, the UNI defense was on the field for an average of 74.7 plays per game. But on Saturday, the roles were reversed. The Panthers ran 78 plays on offense, while the Coyotes only ran 57.

Farley pointed to that being vital because most of the defenders are also on special teams. In the weeks where the defense ran 80 plays, they were also running roughly 30 on special teams. A fresh UNI defense in the fourth quarter proved to be suboptimal for USD.

'That's important, too, if we can get a rest here and there. I know offensive guys get tired too — the (offensive) line are a little bigger than us, but they don't have to run as much as the (defensive) line,' said defensive lineman Issac Ales, with a laugh. 'Not having three and outs on offense was nice. It helps out a lot.'

The win keeps the Panthers' postseason hopes alive, but more importantly for Farley it offers a myriad examples with which he can teach his players.

UNI welcomes No. 21/23 Indiana State to the UNI-Dome next week, and needs another performance like Saturday's.

'There's 100 things to teach off of this,' Farley said. 'We were better than we were last week. We gradually got better, and that was my hope. They see production and they see movement in the right direction. They see breaks going our direction. And when you sense that, you can take the game to another level.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com