Northern Iowa impressive in 62-7 rout over Indiana State

CEDAR FALLS - All week, Mark Farley insisted that Indiana State had disintegrated throughout its first five games.

It never came to that Saturday at the UNI-Dome. Instead, third-ranked Northern Iowa simply tore the winless Sycamores apart.

Scoring 42 points in the first half, the Panthers cruised to a 62-7 victory as ISU's losing streak grew to 32 consecutive games. That's the longest slide in the nation.

In his pre-game discussions with the media, Farley pointed out that ISU tested teams like South Dakota State and Youngstown State before falling. The critical mistake or untimely breakdown, he said, contributed mightily to the Sycamores' knack for disintegrating.

Not Saturday.

Farley hoped UNI would flex its muscles early. So he deferred the option after winning the coin flip and sent his defense on the field.

“We did that in hopes we'd stop them, go down and score and get them behind,” said the UNI head coach. “The key, I thought, was to get ahead. With what's happened to this (Indiana State) football team, we'd have a better chance to control the whole football game.”

Mission accomplished. The UNI defense forced an ISU three-and-out.

Following the punt, UNI darted 53 yards in four plays. Quarterback Pat Grace hit tight end Schuylar Oordt with the first of two 30-yard touchdown receptions at the 11 minute, 39-second mark of the opening quarter.

That was that.

“Sounds like Coach Farley had a good game plan,” quipped UNI linebacker Elijah Hodge. “It worked.”

Indeed. Farley excused his starters for the final 30 minutes of this Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup. By then, they had done plenty of damage on the way to a fourth UNI win in five games and second in league play. Grace racked up three scoring strikes ­- all to tight ends. Ryan Mahaffey added a 2-yarder to Oordt's pair of touchdown catches.

Derrick Law rushed for a pair of TDs, and Carlos Anderson tallied one. That's how a 42-0 lead was built. Overall, the Panthers outgained ISU, 341-83, in the first half.

“The sooner we can put points up, the better in our minds,” said Oordt after his first two-touchdown game as a Panther. “On offense, our mindset is to try and score on every possession. We know we've got a great defense to back it up and get us the ball back right away.”

Meanwhile, one lingering thread of drama survived the UNI blitz. Could Indiana State score after enduring three straight shutouts? It finally happened in the third quarter, and a defensive lineman, of all people, broke the ice. Tackle Rod Hardy, who set up the short drive with his fumble recovery, plunged a yard for the touchdown with 4:02 to go in the period.

Thus, Indiana State's dry spell ended after 17 quarters. On the clock, it covered 233:52.

-By By Jim Sullivan,

Waterloo Courier