On the Prowl: Pantherpalooza
15,000+ eager Panther fans swarmed the Dome on Saturday. The electricity in the air was felt early on and continue to amp up until the opening kickoff as UNI's notoriously late-arriving crowd saw a game that was defined by missed opportunities on both sides, and some questionable officiating.
First, the officiating. When asked about the Grace-to-Mahaffey TD play in the 3rd quarter that put the Panthers up 21-6, Jackrabbits Head Coach John Stiegelmeier laughed. "What do you want me to say?" He suggested that UNI had twelve men on the field when Mahaffey got the ball, but then continued on to say that SDSU had ample opportunities in the game besides that one single play.
In other words, the officials have some 'splainin' to do. Let them worry about it, though. We're here to talk about a party going on in the Cedar Valley.
A party there was. There's a buzz in this town and the surrounding communities that's simply unprecedented. People are taligating in record numbers, the town takes on a lovely purple hue on Gamedays (and yes, it will be capitalized from here on out). It's felt from the donor lots to the dorms, from young to old, and from lifers to novices.
By this point most people know that UNI held the Jackrabbits to 15 yards on 26 carries, sacked SDSU quarterback Ryan Berry five times, and generally gave the Jacks a monumental headache. UNI flexed their defensive muscles thanks to the anchor that is the front four. Ryan Berry called likes of James Ruffin, Chuck Kinney, and others the best defensive line they've ever faced. UNI's defense will not be hard to figure out. Beating them is entirely another thing.
Don't think that fans aren't aware of this. They want the sacks, the picks, and all the fun, big-time plays that this defense is predicated on. The D will spend the rest of the season obliging them as they try to make another run at Chattanooga. That's only one aspect, though.
"Look, mom! There's Johnny Gray! That's Johnny Gray!" an excited youngster was heard shouting on Saturday. He said it with all the excitment of seeing his first MLB game, or seeing LeBron James for the first time. Whether he knows it or not, Gray has become a full-fledged household name around the area. He has responded by helping the offense get acclimated quite nicely to a new quarterback and a new o-line that's beginning to gel well.
All this means that there's a football program on the rise. There seems to be no ceiling. If 2007 was the Year of the Sellout, 2008 might very well prove to the Year of It Being No Fluke. It's going to get done by thrilling the fans with big plays, big hits, and a whole lot of new friends to meet in a purple-flooded taligate lot.
Let's do it again in two weeks, shall we?
15,000+ eager Panther fans swarmed the Dome on Saturday. The electricity in the air was felt early on and continue to amp up until the opening kickoff as UNI's notoriously late-arriving crowd saw a game that was defined by missed opportunities on both sides, and some questionable officiating.
First, the officiating. When asked about the Grace-to-Mahaffey TD play in the 3rd quarter that put the Panthers up 21-6, Jackrabbits Head Coach John Stiegelmeier laughed. "What do you want me to say?" He suggested that UNI had twelve men on the field when Mahaffey got the ball, but then continued on to say that SDSU had ample opportunities in the game besides that one single play.
In other words, the officials have some 'splainin' to do. Let them worry about it, though. We're here to talk about a party going on in the Cedar Valley.
A party there was. There's a buzz in this town and the surrounding communities that's simply unprecedented. People are taligating in record numbers, the town takes on a lovely purple hue on Gamedays (and yes, it will be capitalized from here on out). It's felt from the donor lots to the dorms, from young to old, and from lifers to novices.
By this point most people know that UNI held the Jackrabbits to 15 yards on 26 carries, sacked SDSU quarterback Ryan Berry five times, and generally gave the Jacks a monumental headache. UNI flexed their defensive muscles thanks to the anchor that is the front four. Ryan Berry called likes of James Ruffin, Chuck Kinney, and others the best defensive line they've ever faced. UNI's defense will not be hard to figure out. Beating them is entirely another thing.
Don't think that fans aren't aware of this. They want the sacks, the picks, and all the fun, big-time plays that this defense is predicated on. The D will spend the rest of the season obliging them as they try to make another run at Chattanooga. That's only one aspect, though.
"Look, mom! There's Johnny Gray! That's Johnny Gray!" an excited youngster was heard shouting on Saturday. He said it with all the excitment of seeing his first MLB game, or seeing LeBron James for the first time. Whether he knows it or not, Gray has become a full-fledged household name around the area. He has responded by helping the offense get acclimated quite nicely to a new quarterback and a new o-line that's beginning to gel well.
All this means that there's a football program on the rise. There seems to be no ceiling. If 2007 was the Year of the Sellout, 2008 might very well prove to the Year of It Being No Fluke. It's going to get done by thrilling the fans with big plays, big hits, and a whole lot of new friends to meet in a purple-flooded taligate lot.
Let's do it again in two weeks, shall we?
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