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On the Prowl: Setting the Stage-UNI 31, WKU 20
I've said before many times that one of the reasons I can tolerate being a Cubs fan is because no matter how many times my heart gets broken by that team, there's another group that reaffirms my faith.
That group held WKU and Justin Haddix to only 284 yards of offense and beat them 31-20 on Saturday with their backs against the wall in a scenario that is all too familiar with the devoted Panther faithful. For three and two-thirds of the game it was a nail-biting affair that nearly sent my dad to the hospital. For the final five minutes, it was a chance to remember just what it is that makes this team so hard to give up on.
"Our team responded. They were a very focused team all week long," said coach Mark Farley of his team's effort.
The game got off to a tenuous start, with UNI striking back after WKU put a 34-yard field goal through the uprights. Johnny Gray punched it in from ten yards out to make it 7-3 with :50 left in the first, but the team seemed phase in and out of the game at times in the second quarter. Mental mistakes and incredibly costly penalties denied the Panthers a chance to get any rhythm going. In fact, the Panthers had 122 yards worth of penalties on the day.
"I felt we lost our composure in the second half," Farley said after the game. A great example WKU's game-tying 35-yard touchdown with :43 left in the half. The team seemed a little railroaded from a questionable call on the previous play, and the coverage was blown. "We were just too hung up (on the call)."
"We went into halftime saying 'we're beating ourselves,'" cornerback Dre Dokes said later. Despite a rocky first half, UNI soared in the final moments of the game, giving fans "The Hope" once again by scoring two touchdowns in the last five minutes. With 5:03 left in the game Eric Sanders floated a 56-yard touchdown pass in the hands of Terrell Allen to put the Panthers ahead for good. It seemed improbable, since the coverage was excellent, but somehow the ball dropped into the hands of Allen after a Herculean effort.
"I just hoped that the team would pull together and show the Dome Magic," Terrell Allen said with a smile in the press conference after the game. Count him among an entire team of believers.
"It is a little nervewracking, but we've been here before," says Eric Sanders. "We believe in each other."
A young UNI takes on Southern Illinois in Carbondale next week as UNI's playoff run starts early again this year.
I've said before many times that one of the reasons I can tolerate being a Cubs fan is because no matter how many times my heart gets broken by that team, there's another group that reaffirms my faith.
That group held WKU and Justin Haddix to only 284 yards of offense and beat them 31-20 on Saturday with their backs against the wall in a scenario that is all too familiar with the devoted Panther faithful. For three and two-thirds of the game it was a nail-biting affair that nearly sent my dad to the hospital. For the final five minutes, it was a chance to remember just what it is that makes this team so hard to give up on.
"Our team responded. They were a very focused team all week long," said coach Mark Farley of his team's effort.
The game got off to a tenuous start, with UNI striking back after WKU put a 34-yard field goal through the uprights. Johnny Gray punched it in from ten yards out to make it 7-3 with :50 left in the first, but the team seemed phase in and out of the game at times in the second quarter. Mental mistakes and incredibly costly penalties denied the Panthers a chance to get any rhythm going. In fact, the Panthers had 122 yards worth of penalties on the day.
"I felt we lost our composure in the second half," Farley said after the game. A great example WKU's game-tying 35-yard touchdown with :43 left in the half. The team seemed a little railroaded from a questionable call on the previous play, and the coverage was blown. "We were just too hung up (on the call)."
"We went into halftime saying 'we're beating ourselves,'" cornerback Dre Dokes said later. Despite a rocky first half, UNI soared in the final moments of the game, giving fans "The Hope" once again by scoring two touchdowns in the last five minutes. With 5:03 left in the game Eric Sanders floated a 56-yard touchdown pass in the hands of Terrell Allen to put the Panthers ahead for good. It seemed improbable, since the coverage was excellent, but somehow the ball dropped into the hands of Allen after a Herculean effort.
"I just hoped that the team would pull together and show the Dome Magic," Terrell Allen said with a smile in the press conference after the game. Count him among an entire team of believers.
"It is a little nervewracking, but we've been here before," says Eric Sanders. "We believe in each other."
A young UNI takes on Southern Illinois in Carbondale next week as UNI's playoff run starts early again this year.
