Farley, UNI get another look at the wishbone

CEDAR FALLS -- He fared pretty well against it as a player. Or maybe not.

“I had a lot of tackles that game,” Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley said. “But never the guy with the ball.”

The crowd at UNI's weekly press luncheon Monday burst into laughter, and the coach let loose with a big old Cheshire cat smile. The subject was the Panthers' 40-33 playoff semifinal loss to Georgia Southern way back in 1985.

Georgia Southern ran a wishbone offensive attack nicknamed the “Hambone” after prolific quarterback Tracy Ham. Farley was a linebacker then for Northern Iowa, which, obviously, didn't have much success containing Ham or his bone.

Kind of funny that 26 years later, Farley meets the wishbone again, this time as a coach. Wofford brings its “Wingbone” offense to the UNI-Dome for Saturday's FCS second-round game against the fifth-seeded Panthers (9-2).

“It's a unique offense, and when you're good at it, you can beat people,” Farley said. “It doesn't take size, it's a very deceptive offense. The discipline, the defense making errors probably gives up more points than anything else. You've got to be so sound against it (defensively) because they just keep tapping.”

Wofford (8-3) is ranked 11th in the FCS Coaches Poll and 12th in the TSN/Fathead.Com Poll. Despite a tiny enrollment of 1,550, the Terriers are making their fifth playoff appearance since 2007 under veteran coach Mike Ayers.

In his 24th season at the Spartanburg, S.C., school, Ayers' old-school approach to offense has allowed Wofford to lead the nation in rushing (356.2 yards per game). The Terriers throwing less than 10 times per game on average.

There's little doubt what UNI will see: run, run, run, run, run.

“I only know of three (schools) in the FCS that run this offense, and all three of them are from the same conference - the Southern Conference,” Farley said. “We've watched it in depth (on tape), but there's only so much they allow you to do. You have to be very disciplined to play (against) this style of offense. They just keep coming at you. They come so fast, that first series, you can never really put that speed on the field (in practice), simulate what you're going to see.

“It will be a huge challenge for our defense. But, obviously, you're in the playoffs, and that's what it's all about right now.”

UNI has never beaten a SoCon school in the playoffs, standing 0-4. The first of those four losses was ... against Georgia Southern in 1985.

“You've got to be able to stop the run,” Farley said. “This might be a fast football game. It's going to go very quickly with all the rushing that's going to go on.”