Panthers believe they’re best FCS team left

CEDAR FALLS — Confidence is not an issue inside the Northern Iowa football facilities these days.

The Panthers are playing good football — that much cannot be denied by anyone — and they know it. But are they playing the best football? Is the collection of Aaron Bailey and Tyvis Smith on offense and Deiondre Hall, Brett McMakin, Karter Schult and the rest of the cast of characters on defense the best team left playing?

That's a matter of perspective.

'We're one of the eight best teams playing. Hopefully we can stand at the podium next week and say that we're still here,' said head coach Mark Farley. 'If you win one game, the next game gets bigger. Of course, we're still at that stage right now. There's more at stake now than ever before. We've fought our way to a good stage right now.

'We're playing good football, sound football. I'm very pleased with how we're playing.'

OK, so there's the measured take.

Farley has never been one to make guarantees or blanket statements, especially given what he's experienced in 15 years as a head coach.

But his players weren't shy about how they feel. The UNI team that takes the field on Saturday at the FargoDome is very different from the one that took the field Oct. 10 — though, to be fair, so is this version of North Dakota State. Point is, what the Panthers (8-4) have gone through since their three-game losing streak that began Missouri Valley Football Conference play has turned them into what everyone sees now.

The things only they get to see every day are what made a guy like Schult pause only briefly when asked if UNI was the best left.

'In my opinion, yeah, absolutely. I think we're the best team because I know the guys on this team,' Schult said. 'I know we have unbelievable character. We've been preparing all year for this goal. What we go through, I just think it's the top of the FCS. You can compare our offense and defense, the numbers — we may not be the No. 1 team statistically, but I just think with the guys we have, in my opinion, we're the best team left.'

All right, there's the character take.

Looking at those statistics Schult mentioned does yield a mixed bag. Of the eight teams left playing, UNI ranks seventh in passing offense, fifth in passing defense, fifth in rushing offense, fifth in rushing defense, sixth in total offense, fourth in total defense, sixth in scoring offense, fourth in scoring defense and first in turnover margin. NDSU (10-2) outranks UNI in all but one of those categories (turnover margin).

Those numbers are a season-long look, and the Panthers are hanging their hat on the idea that they've gotten to a point where the improvements they've made in those areas are better than others. That's not to say there isn't room left to grow.

'In my eyes, of course (we're the best left),' Hall said. 'We definitely can get better in some areas, but (we're) definitely playing good football right now. We're hitting on where we should be hitting, but there's plenty of spots that need work. For us to be where we want to be, and that's (January) 9, we have to perfect those areas.'

There's the improvement take.

Belief is a powerful thing this time of year. Belief in the work a team has done and belief in each other as teammates can supersede literal production when a team gets into the playoffs. A team like Colgate, for example, ranks in the bottom half of teams left in every statistical category listed above except turnover margin — yet they're still alive.

The Panthers believe in each other. They believe when push comes to shove, their guy will win the battle.

'Are we the best team that's playing? We believe so,' McMakin said. 'We're just coming together. Like this last game, when times got tough, people made plays. That's just what happens with us. When times get tough, people step up. We want to win.'

And there's the togetherness take.

Ultimately, what Saturday's game looks like is a combination of all the above. A team that has confidence, plays with character and togetherness and makes improvements week-to-week is all Farley and his staff could ever ask for.

It's also what Chris Klieman and his Bison staff are asking for from the NDSU players. They believe they're the best left, too, and they have four national titles in a row that say that's usually the case this time of year.

What's to be expected Saturday at 11 a.m. in the FargoDome, then? It's anyone's guess.

'The road we were put on takes us on the road again. We have to find a way to put a plan together against this particular team and find a way to win,' Farley said. 'I've watched their film, and I'm sure they're watching ours. I don't know how this game will unfold, if it's a lot of points or not many points.

'I don't know how we'll match up on game day. Every time we've played them, it's been earlier in the season. We haven't played them in December. Everything is different in December just because the stage of the season we're in.'

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