Northern Iowa hoping for big things in 2007
Posted: August 3, 2007
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- This could be a big year for Northern Iowa. The Panthers return 17 starters, including senior quarterback Eric Sanders, and they've already been tabbed the favorites to win the Gateway Conference.
Of course, 2006 was also supposed to be a big season for the Panthers, and Northern Iowa wound up watching the playoffs on television.
That's why coach Mark Farley's optimism has been tempered heading into this season. He knows there's good reason why many believe UNI will be one of the nation's top Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division 1-AA) teams, but he also knows better than anyone just how much has to go right for a team to have the kind of season many are predicting for his Panthers.
Northern Iowa, ranked seventh in The Sports Network's preseason Top 25, open their season by hosting Minnesota State-Mankato on Aug. 30.
"Our motto around here has been to never assume anything," Farley said. "Every game makes a difference. Every play makes a difference."
Of course, Farley has to say things like that. But it was the little things that kept UNI -- the 2005 Football Championship Subdivision runners-up -- from returning to postseason play last season. There was the 14-point lead the Panthers squandered at Iowa State, and the 51-yard field goal with six seconds left that missed by inches, that denied UNI an upset over its Big 12 rival.
There was also the 50-yard TD pass the Panthers allowed to North Dakota with 54 seconds left that led to another heartbreaking loss.
UNI finished 7-4 in 2006, and was likely one of the last teams to miss out on an automatic bid to the playoffs. They vow not to leave that decision to a selection committee this season.
"There were a lot of plays that we could have made that could have gotten us into the playoffs. This year we don't need that. There's not going to be plays that we could have made, because we're going to go out there and make them," wide receiver Terrell Allen said.
The focal point for the Panthers will again be Sanders, one of the top quarterbacks in the FCS. Sanders emerged as a difference maker for UNI as a sophomore in 2005, leading the Panthers to the national title game. His numbers dipped last season as UNI focused more on the running game, but Sanders still threw 15 TDs and completed 68 percent of his passes.
Sanders said he's not interested in the preseason hype surrounding himself and the team. He said he's focused solely on getting back to the playoffs.
"It was pretty disappointing because he had so much success the year before (2005), and there were a lot of expectations that we could do that again," Sanders said. "Hopefully we'll learn from that. Last year we just weren't as consistent. We let a couple of games get away that we could have, or should have won."
The talent for a return to the national title game is there. The defense returns nine starters and Sanders will have plenty of options of offense, including a talented corps of receivers and the 1-2 punch of Darian Williams and Corey Lewis in the backfield.
UNI's toughest challenge just might be the schedule. The Panthers hit the road for four straight following the season opener, and play only five home games.
But Farley says the talent level on the current roster reminds him of that Panthers squad from two years ago, which went further than any team in school history. "You put all those pieces together -- and we have a foundation, and talent -- that if it all comes together ... opportunities will present themselves," Farley said. "Now we have to go take advantage."
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