GAMEDAY: A classic matchup and much more

It's a classic football matchup - the tougher-than-nails defense against the explosive offense.

But this game is so much more.

Sixth-ranked Northern Iowa, with that tough defense, hosts unranked but red-hot Youngstown State, with its potent offense, today in a key Missouri Valley Football Conferene game inside the UNI-Dome.

UNI is coming off a 27-19 loss at North Dakota State, snapping the Panthers' six-game winning streak. The Penguins have won three in a row and are “starting to mature a little bit, understanding the things we are trying to do,” Coach Eric Wolford said.

UNI likely will be without its offensive leader. Quarterback Tirrell Rennie. who ranks sixth in the league in passing yards per game (181.9) and seventh in rushing (69.1), is “questionable” after suffering an injury while sliding under a tackle in last week's loss.

It's likely red-shirt freshman Jared Lampher will get his start. He completed 4 of 9 passes in relief last Saturday for 68 yards and a touchdown, but “he just doesn't have the burst of speed that Tirrell has,” Farley said. “It's the same offense, but it changes.”

Still, Wolford knows, it won't be easy for Youngstown today. UNI is 19-6 against the Penguins and UNI has won 10 in a row.

“We'll have our hands full,” he said, adding the UNI-Dome “is a very difficult place to play.”

Farley is impressed with the job Wolford has done with the young Penguins.

“Everything is running smooth for them right now,” he said. “They are just getting better every week ... they are playing very well right now.”