Panthers frustrated, disappointed after loss to Hawkeyes

Northern Iowa players didn't enter postgame interviews Saturday talking about a valiant effort on the road against a superior opponent.

The Panthers were more frustrated than disappointed with their 17-16 loss to Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. The players said they were not only good enough to win but should have won with “should” in capital letters.

“I feel we gained respect, but I feel we should have had it in the first place,” UNI wide receiver Jarred Herring said. “You just open a lot of eyes when you show you can compete. You hear a lot about how you're going to get blown out, but we stung them numerous occasions and we showed we can play right with them.”

UNI, which entered ranked No. 4 in the Sport Network's preseason FCS poll, hasn't beaten Iowa since 1898. Since the series reignited in 1995, UNI had been outscored 145-34 in three meetings.

But something was different this year. The Panthers were well-prepared, and it showed. UNI outgained Iowa, 354-329, and held the ball nearly four minutes longer. UNI avoided obvious mismatches and exploited their strengths. UNI scored on all four red-zone opportunities and led by 10 points midway through the third quarter.

Those facts - and a pair of last-second blocked field-goal attempts - grind at Herring.

“It hurts a lot,” said Herring, a Burlington native who caught six passes for 100 yards. “A lot of people look at it as, ‘Oh, we see where we're weak, and we see where we're better.' We're the type of team where we're the top of our division. We feel we should be beating these guys.”

“We didn't come out here to come close; we came out here to win,” said defensive end Ben Boothby, a Clinton native. “Everybody's always talking about Iowa, Iowa State, but seeing a game like this, we can play with anybody.”