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Chapter Four: UNI 31, South Dakota St. 17
UNI has dispatched another opponent and has improved their record to 3-0, the first time under Coach Mark Farley that the Cats have done so. This time it was the better-than-advertised South Dakota State Jackrabbits, a future Gateway mainstay and from the sounds of things last night, future rival.
This game marks the second time in two weeks I have been forced to listen to the radio instead of being there to see the game with my own eyes. I could choose to make this particular football-related musing all about how much that sucks, but instead I choose to focus on the positives.
First and foremost, never take Gary Rima and Scott Petersen for granted. If you can't be at the game, you might as well listen to it be described to you by two guys who are really happy to be there and have been for some time. I don't want to say it makes you feel like you're there, but I will say that it made me cheer outloud in the middle of an apartment/Beck's on more than one occasion.
Second, I have noticed one thing that's very exciting to think about: these 2007 Panthers are really, really good. It was the third straight game that UNI got off to a bit of a slow start, but locked and took stock in the second half and never looked back. South Dakota State made sure the Panthers were honest throughout the game, and led them 14-13 in the first half after a bit of a shaky start in the kicking game. I can easily picture Coach Farley reminding his players to keep their eyes on the prize and the Cats responding.
A completely different UNI team took the field in the second half as compared to the first. This team that scored 18 straight points after falling behind 14-13 is, however, the same one that likely put up 21 straight on Iowa State, and 21 straight on Minnesota State. When this team is playing on all cylinders, it's one that's incredibly hard to stop.
The killjoy within me does have one thing to say, however: UNI's football schedule (as if you haven't noticed) is incredibly tough as always, and starting strong could alleviate any problems that could be foreseen if one is being proactive enough. There's still Youngstown State, Southern Illinois, and Illinois State left to play among others. They will likely present the same kind of gritty, take-no-nonsense kind of play that UNI saw from the Jackrabbits. In other words, UNI must play all sixty minutes in order to claim the Gateway. The future (South Dakota State) says so.
UNI has dispatched another opponent and has improved their record to 3-0, the first time under Coach Mark Farley that the Cats have done so. This time it was the better-than-advertised South Dakota State Jackrabbits, a future Gateway mainstay and from the sounds of things last night, future rival.
This game marks the second time in two weeks I have been forced to listen to the radio instead of being there to see the game with my own eyes. I could choose to make this particular football-related musing all about how much that sucks, but instead I choose to focus on the positives.
First and foremost, never take Gary Rima and Scott Petersen for granted. If you can't be at the game, you might as well listen to it be described to you by two guys who are really happy to be there and have been for some time. I don't want to say it makes you feel like you're there, but I will say that it made me cheer outloud in the middle of an apartment/Beck's on more than one occasion.
Second, I have noticed one thing that's very exciting to think about: these 2007 Panthers are really, really good. It was the third straight game that UNI got off to a bit of a slow start, but locked and took stock in the second half and never looked back. South Dakota State made sure the Panthers were honest throughout the game, and led them 14-13 in the first half after a bit of a shaky start in the kicking game. I can easily picture Coach Farley reminding his players to keep their eyes on the prize and the Cats responding.
A completely different UNI team took the field in the second half as compared to the first. This team that scored 18 straight points after falling behind 14-13 is, however, the same one that likely put up 21 straight on Iowa State, and 21 straight on Minnesota State. When this team is playing on all cylinders, it's one that's incredibly hard to stop.
The killjoy within me does have one thing to say, however: UNI's football schedule (as if you haven't noticed) is incredibly tough as always, and starting strong could alleviate any problems that could be foreseen if one is being proactive enough. There's still Youngstown State, Southern Illinois, and Illinois State left to play among others. They will likely present the same kind of gritty, take-no-nonsense kind of play that UNI saw from the Jackrabbits. In other words, UNI must play all sixty minutes in order to claim the Gateway. The future (South Dakota State) says so.
