UNI preparing for Bob Nielson’s fast-paced South Dakota offense

CEDAR FALLS - After facing the plodding, methodical, rugged attack of No. 2 North Dakota State a week ago Northern Iowa's football team is set to take on the dynamic, up-tempo, quick-strike offense of No. 6 South Dakota on Saturday at the UNI-Dome.

Senior quarterback Chris Streveler leads the Coyotes offense and is a front-runner for Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year with video game-like numbers. Streveler has thrown 19 touchdowns to just two interceptions and totals 2,378 passing yards to go with 478 yards rushing and eight more touchdowns.

'... You see the quarterback, they've gotten a lot of deep balls on people and when you do cover things up he's ran for touchdowns,” UNI head coach Mark Farley said. 'I mean, he got us last year on an 80-yard run if you remember. So he's probably the fastest player on the field.”

Fastest player on the field in what's arguably college football's fastest offense.

'They go about as fast as anybody in FCS football. Probably any football right now,” Farley said. 'For instance, on Saturday in our North Dakota State game they had 66 plays and we had 60-some odd plays. In comparison, they're putting up 95 plays. So you're playing a game and a half.

'They're snapping the ball very quickly, and when I say quickly most people (that) are going no-huddle, it doesn't mean they're going fast, it means they're going no-huddle. When you're snapping the ball within 10 seconds of the last play being over, that's going fast.”

Streveler's dual-threat ability is enough to keep Farley and his defensive coaches up at night. Combine that with the up-tempo offense and the Panthers (4-4, 3-2) have a challenge on their hands Saturday unlike any they've seen yet this season.

Coming off a loss to North Dakota State that saw the defense wear down in the second half and commit what Farley called 'dumb penalties” only increases the demand for mental toughness.

'(Their up-tempo offense) creates error,” Farley said. 'And call it that mental toughness and awareness, (our defense has) got to go like that (snaps fingers). (South Dakota is) trained that way. This is the first team that will go that fast against us, so we'll have to train our guys to be prepared for it.”

Besides a hiccup two weeks ago against Illinois State - a 37-21 loss in which Streveler threw his only two interceptions of the season - the Coyotes (7-1, 4-1) have been the next best thing to NDSU in the MVFC this season. It's been a remarkable turnaround led by former Wartburg head coach Bob Nielson, who is in just his second year at USD and has the Coyotes on the doorstep of making their first FCS playoff appearance.

Needless to say, between the Panthers' need to win their remaining three games to secure their own at-large bid to the playoffs and the Coyotes quest to punch their ticket for the first time, the stakes couldn't be much higher on Saturday.

'The key to the whole football game will probably be, one, the defense being able to execute quickly through a thought process,” Farley said. 'But it will also be the offense. When you play a team like this the best thing you can do is have a good offense to sustain drives.”