Farley planning prep changes, new focus for UNI playoff run

CEDAR FALLS — It's postseason time in Cedar Falls and at the UNI-Dome.

Apart from the three state football championships that played Monday, the Northern Iowa football team got into postseason mode Monday, too.

For the second straight year, it took a five-game winning streak to get there, but the FCS Playoffs begin Saturday against Eastern Illinois. It's Coach Mark Farley's favorite time of year. With the last two seasons being so remarkably similar, there's plenty to draw from, but also plenty to learn from as the Panthers prepare.

'There will be a couple things I'll do different,' Farley said. 'To continue to do the same thing over and over again with the same result is kind of insanity. We will make some changes to see if we can't create a long term result and not just a short term one. I think that's any change you make right now has to be a long term choice.

'When I say long term I mean the duration of the whole playoff system. You've got to take one at a time and win one at a time, but I think if you're going to make a change it has to be, 'Will this make me progressively better if I continue to play?' That's been thought through a little bit. Hopefully we'll make the right choices.'

Thanksgiving week plays into that change in preparation, as well.

Players don't have class all week, so Farley can adjust practice schedules to specific times and lengths he wants them to be.

The latter of those two has a lot to do with his relatively inexperienced staff, too. With so many on the UNI staff in the postseason for the first time at the FCS level, Farley has to adjust to their needs and expectations as much as the players'. There's an instinct to go harder at this point in the season because the games mean more and teams want to ensure preparedness.

But Farley said Monday at his weekly press luncheon he wants to buck that trend and be very mindful of the Panthers' next steps. He wants this postseason to last beyond Saturday.

'It's outside their element right now. Before, when you had a staff that's been with you throughout the years, everybody kind of understood the direction and some of the decisions we're going to make this time of year,' Farley said. 'It's all new to this staff. … (Those of us who have been there) know the feeling, but for them, it's their first time through. The excitement they have (makes) everyone want to go out and practice longer, practice harder and make sure you're ready for the game. But really you've got to step back and take a deep breath and make sure your team's ready.'

UNI (7-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) welcomes Eastern Illinois, a former Gateway Conference foe, to the UNI-Dome at 4 p.m. Saturday.

This time of year usually lends itself to playing teams that don't know much about each other. That makes planning more difficult, but it also means taking advantage in some areas.

Farley said there would be no gimmicks or major changes from the purple and gold side of things. He pointed to making sure his team was in the best position to execute what they know and have succeeded at already.

'We know our opponents and they know us. There's really no secrets right now,' Farley said. 'It's performance. It's how you get your team ready to play, who can stay healthy and how you can keep your players fresh. That's a big part of it too, right now, making sure the mind-set is correct. Everybody is giddy today that's in the playoffs. Everyone has fresh legs today and feels good about themselves today. But as you go the rest of the week, there's a lot going on that you've got to prepare for and make sure you've timed it out right.

'We had a good November, and hopefully we're timing up this playoff run. I think we're playing our best football right now, I just hope we can continue that.'

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