Sugar Bowl Game Highlights Can Be Seen on YouTube
January 10, 2015
Season Report Posted: August 20, 2009 02:41
The Sugar Bowl that pitted #9 Northern Iowa against #6 Penn State was a good game and now all of the big plays can be seen on YouTube Video. Click on the following links to see the quarter by quarter highlights.
Quarter 1 Highlights can be found by CLICKING HERE
Quarter 2 Highlights can be found by CLICKING HERE
Quarter 3 Highlights can be found by CLICKING HERE
Quarter 4 Highlights can be found by CLICKING HERE
Pelini Receives Offers, UNI Gets Final Poll #'s
January 8, 2015
Season Report Posted: July 29, 2009 20:34
After another great season with UNI, Coach Bo Pelini has again received some impressive offers to go coach at other teams. The three teams that have offered a head coaching job to Coach Pelini are Ohio State, Arizona, and Tennessee. Pelini has declined all offers still wanting to keep his "coaching promise" to the UNI team. Win a National Championship. Once he does that he says that he then might consider whatever offers come his way or he may go create a team of his own and work them into the rankings and national spotlight.
Attendance stayed the same at 24,621.
Final polls for UNI are Coaches - #5, Media - #6 and BCS - #6.
UNI will look to go after some 5-star recruits in the off-season and try and improve on their special teams and try to cut down on the returns for touchdowns.
#9 UNI Wins Sugar Bowl Over #6 Penn State
January 2, 2015
Game Report Posted: July 29, 2009 20:13
UNI pulled out some surprises as they were able to do some passing which is one of their weaknesses. QB Welsh was 8 of 11 for the day and passed for 148 yds and 2 TD. He also added just as many yards on the ground as Welsh ran for 172 yds. UNI's Heisman winner, HB Steve Jackson ran for 113 yds and had 3 TD.
The biggest surprise of the game was the Time of Possession. UNI held the ball for nearly 80% of the game with a time of 22:18 to Penn State's 5:42.
UNI's defense did their job by holding Penn State to a negative in rushing yards for -5 and held Penn State to a astounding 2 Total Offense yards!
Pelini increases his perfect bowl record to 6-0 and only has the Fiesta Bowl trophy to acquire of the five major bowl trophies.
Coach Pelini Has Impressive Bowl Game Stats
December 21, 2014
Season Report Posted: July 16, 2009 21:42
Since Pelini has had the "head coach" title, he has yet to be beat at a Bowl Game. He has an impressive 5-0 bowl record. Those victories come with two national champions (Nebraska '08, Iowa '11), Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl and just last year the PetroSun Independence Bowl trophy.
If Pelini can win his upcoming bowl game against Penn State, he'll be one trophy away from having the top five bowl trophies. All he'll need after the Sugar Bowl trophy is the Fiesta Bowl trophy.
UNI - A Cover Story
December 10, 2014
Season Report Posted: July 16, 2009 20:34
The headline tells the whole story. UNI might not be in the National Championship game this year but you can expect them to be there in the end within the next few years.
By looking at all of the ESPN covers that UNI graced, you would think that they were playing in the National Championship game.
The Panthers made a record six covers!
Top 25 Polls Cover: Getting The Job Done - UNI clinches the SEC Title with a 28-16 win over Tennessee
Heisman Winner Cover: Dreams Fulfilled - Jackson earns Heisman honors after rushing for 3,232 and 48 scores.
Bowl Games Cover: Bowl-a-rama - Check out where the Panthers are headed in our Bowl Issue
Players of the Week Cover: Can't Be Denied - Tennessee rematch fuels Jackson and UNI to victory
Conference Standings Cover: Mission Accomplished - Panthers secure SEC Championship following a 28-16 victory over Tennessee
Strongest Conferences Cover: Top to Bottom - The SEC is looking strong with teams like #9 UNI
UNI isn't satisfied with just six covers though, they want that seventh one! The one that reads - UNI wins first major bowl game with a victory over #6 Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.
The #9 UNI Panthers are scheduled to play #6 Penn State in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2015 at 8:30pm. It will also be UNI's first televised game of the season because of being on probation still.
UNI Wins Many Post-Season Awards
December 8, 2014
Season Report Posted: July 06, 2009 22:17
UNI has won an incredible seven major post-season awards. HB Steve Jackson was among the highest award winners with three awards and two-first team all-americans. Jackson won the Maxwell, Doak Walker and the Heisman along with being named to 1st Team All-American and 1st Team All-SEC. OLB Tony Cole was right behind him with two major awards (Bednarik, Butkus) and 1st Team All-American and 1st Team All-SEC. The most impressive was Freshman Kicker Scott Chance who won the Lou Groza award, was named to the 2nd Team All-American, Freshman All-American and 1st Team All-SEC. Coach Pelini rounds out the major award by winning the Home Depot Coach of the Year Award.
UNI's All-American team numbers had three players in the 1st team, two players in the 2nd team and a record four players in the Freshman All-American team. In their conference they named eight UNI players in the 1st Team and four in the 2nd Team.
UNI will also look to expand their facilities as they added another 7,000 in attendance! Attendance is now at a record: 24,621.
UNI only moved up in one of the polls which was the BCS. They went from a #10 to a #9 ranking and stayed at #9 in the Coaches and #10 in the Media.
UNI Wins SEC Championship
December 6, 2014
Game Report Posted: July 06, 2009 21:59
UNI can cross one more off on their 'Goals' list. They have finally won an SEC Championship. The first year, they had the record to go to the Championship but they were on probation and couldn't go to anything. The second year, the probation was lifted from being invited to bowl games but they had to face a tough #1 Florida and lost. This year, they faced Tennessee who they beat earlier in the season with a blowout but this game they knew Tennessee was going to be a much better team than the first time these two teams faced each other.
UNI stuck with their running game and won the game behind the strong arms and legs of HB Steve Jackson. Jackson ran for 180 yards and had all four touchdowns in the game. He was not only named player of the game but NCAA Player of the Week.
With the win, UNI improves their record to 12-1 and 8-0. They will now await their bowl invite and see who is next on their agenda and may be able to cross off their next 'Goals' item which would be to win a major bowl game if they get invited to one of the four big ones.
UNI Loses, No Time to Cry
November 30, 2014
Season Report Posted: July 01, 2009 19:49
UNI suffered their only loss this season when they played #26 Virginia, but they don't have time to look back on that loss as they have to foucus and prepare for their next game which is a conference championship game against a team that they destroyed earlier in the season, 72-7. When #15 UNI faced #5 Tennessee two months ago, it was no contest as UNI "ran" all over Tennessee. UNI had two players who rushed over 200 yards, HB Steve Jackson and QB Victor Welsh.
UNI made the cover: Defeated! - Virginia hands the #3 Panthers their first setback of 2014
UNI slipped in the polls of course after the loss, but they stayed in the top 10 in all of them. They went from #3 in the coaches poll to #9. In the media poll they slipped from #3 to #10 and the most important poll where the Panthers were at a #3 in the BCS they slipped to #10.
Probably the most upsetting for the Panthers though was that they learned the #2 Clemson Tigers lost their conference game which would have pitted UNI against Iowa in the National Championship game with would have been a dream for Coach Pelini and probably Pelini fans. Pelini coached Iowa to a National Championship trophy while he was there and to have two teams in the National Championship game that Pelini coached would have been remarkeable. They should finish nicely with a major bowl game though.
Currently they are projected to play in the Sugar Bowl against #5 Arizona State
After the loss, the fans still support their Panthers as attendance rose by 16. The current attendance: 16, 975
UNI Suffers Devastating Loss
November 29, 2014
Game Report Posted: July 01, 2009 19:36
Virginia came to play and play they did. Not only did they come into Cedar Falls to take on the #3 and undefeated UNI Panthers, but they beat them with ease.
"We REALLY need to work on our special teams", coach Pelini said. "I think we've given up at least one touchdown every game now and that's what is turning our momentum around". "I'm really not sure what we're going to do, because I thought when we made the changes earlier in the year, it helped, but evidently not."
The Panthers had a comfortable 10 point lead with 2:28 left in the first half until Virginia drove the field and capped off the first half with a 32-yard field goal to bring them in within seven.
The defense then began to break down as they allowed two passing touchdowns and a running touchdown.
The Panthers lose a heartbreaker 20-38. They still should play in a major bowl game with only one loss on the season. UNI finishes 11-1 and 8-0 in their conference.
ESPN Covers Recognize UNI
November 24, 2014
Season Report Posted: June 29, 2009 01:30
UNI stays steady in all of the polls at #3. While the polls are steady for UNI, the cover spotlights are coming left and right for UNI.
The Awards Finalists cover reads - Finalists Tabbed - Jackson from UNI is our pick to win the Maxwell.
The Players of the Week cover reads - A New Star? - The Defensive Player of the Week honors go to UNI's Cole, even though he just won defensive player of the week for the SEC conference and NOT the NCAA.
The Conference Standings cover reads - Make The Move - Can the Panthers hold on to win the SEC Title in 2014?
And the final cover of the Strongest Conferences reads - Top to Bottom - Teams like UNI make the SEC the toughest conference in football.
The UNI Panthers DID win their conference, the SEC West and will be heading to the SEC Title versus the Tennessee Volunteers.
Bowl Projections still project UNI in the Sugar Bowl only this time against #7 Penn State.
Next up for UNI is #26 Virginia (8-3)(6-2). UNI has two games to go before the bowl games. If they can win out, they have a slight chance to get into the National Championship game. They'll need help from either Iowa or Clemson though.
A Good Win For UNI
November 20, 2014
Game Report Posted: June 29, 2009 00:28
UNI held the lead the entire game and it looked like they were in cruise control the whole way through.
Player of the game, which is a common occurrence was HB Steve Jackson who ran 35 times for 261 yards and three touchdowns. QB Victor Welsh ran for 97 yards and added two touchdowns of his own. The other touchdown came by way of air when WR Chris Peterson caught a two-yard pass from Welsh in the fourth quarter to extend the Panther's lead to 18 points.
With the win, the Panthers go undefeated on the SEC Season and finish with an 8-0 conference record. They will await one more week for the "official" invite to the SEC Championship and to see who they will face in the SEC Title game.
Their next match-up is against a tough Virginia team who is 8-3 on the season and 6-2 in their conference.
Panthers Steady, Projected Bowls Released
November 17, 2014
Season Report Posted: June 23, 2009 02:54
With their fifth consecutive road win, the UNI Panthers are still at #3 in all of the polls. As the bowl projections come out, the #3 Panthers are picked to play in the Sugar Bowl against #6 Arizona State (9-1) Jan. 1 at 8:30pm.
The Panthers have somewhat of a test as they only have five days to get ready for their last road game which will pit them against #110 Ole Miss Rebels on 11-20-2014.
Panthers Keep it Close and Exciting
November 15, 2014
Game Report Posted: June 23, 2009 02:34
The UNI Panthers kept the lead most of the day with two ties during the game but it was the last minute of the game that kept the fans in their seats. With under a minute to go, the Yellowjackets, with no timeouts left, kept driving the field only down by five points. With about :10 left, James Brown caused a fumble which Georgia Tech would recover but could not get back up to the line with time left on the clock.
The specials team of UNI need some work as they have allowed a touchdown for two consecutive games now.
The game turner was when freshman outside linebacker Allan Pettway had a safety and gave the Panthers a five point lead with 2:41 left in the third. Kicker Scott Chance would add another three points at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give the Panthers a comfortable one possession lead, 22-14. The Yellowjackets would not give up though as they drove the field for three minutes and added a 45 yard field goal to pull the game back within five.
Georgia Tech would then play some great defense and use their timeouts wisely to get the ball back for that last drive. They couldn't pull it off as the UNI Panthers continue on their win streak and improve their record to 10-0 on the season.
Panthers Steady at #3
November 10, 2014
Season Report Posted: June 23, 2009 01:14
UNI continues to surprise the nation with their unblemished record and their impressive consecutive road wins. Iowa and Clemson know that if they make one mistake that UNI will be able to take their place in the top two rankings.
This week ESPN featured the UNI Panthers on their cover with the headline:Who?!--How high can these Panthers climb in the polls?
UNI stays steady in all of the polls with a #3 ranking in the Coaches, Media and BCS.
Next week the Panthers will learn what the bowl projections predict where the Panthers could end up playing if Iowa and Clemson finish out with victories.
Coach Pelini had this to say about the two teams ahead of his Panthers. "I know how good Iowa is. I should, I coached them to a National Championship. Iowa is a lucky team, because they don't have to play in a conference tournament at the end of the season. That could help or hurt them in the BCS polls. Personally, I think it's going to help their chances. Clemson will have to play a tough conference team at the end of their regular season as will our UNI Panther team. It could be anybody facing Iowa in the National Championship game, but I think Iowa will be there at the end and I hope we get that chance to play them!"
Next up for UNI is on the road again at #42 - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Score Doesn't Tell Whole Story
November 8, 2014
Game Report Posted: June 23, 2009 01:07
The start of the game, South Carolina ran the kickoff back for an 88-yard touchdown in the first play of the game to take the lead and keep the lead throughout the entire first half. At the end of the first quarter the Gamecocks would take more onto their lead with a field goal to put them up 10-0. The Panthers didn't see their first score until 20 seconds into the second quarter when HB Steve Jackson ran for a one yard touchdown to bring the Panthers within three, 7-10. The Gamecocks would see their last scoring success come at 4:01 left in the second quarter with a 40 yard field goal to go up 13-7.
Coach Pelini must have given the Panthers a good talkin' to, because they would come alive in the second half and score 27 more points to take the lead and the victory, 37-13.
QB Victor Welsh showed some struggle during the game as he ended up on the day with three interceptions and was sacked twice.
HB Steve Jackson would have a remarkeable day rushing for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He also showed that he has great strength as he broke 21 tackles on the day.
UNI In Cruise Control
October 27, 2014
Season Report Posted: June 16, 2009 22:12
More ESPN cover headlines come for UNI. On the cover this week for week 9, "The SEC Proves to be the Best Conference in All of College Football".
Attendance stayed the same at 16,959.
Sophomore halfback, Steve Jackson stays at the #1 position in the Heisman watch list for Week 9.
UNI continues to improve in rankings as they move up three more spots in the coaches poll from #6 last week to #3 this week. In the Media, they stay steady at #3. And, the most important poll, the BCS Polls, UNI moves up two more spots to #3.
Next week, should be an easier week for UNI as they face the #83 South Carolina Gamecocks.
A Close Win
October 25, 2014
Game Report Posted: June 16, 2009 22:02
After a four month layoff, for some reason, the UNI Panthers started back playing football with a tough show, visiting #3 Alabama Crimson Tide. "If we knew we were going to take a four month layoff, I definitely wouldn't have left us with a #3 team to play next when we haven't played in a while!" Coach Pelini said.
UNI looked rusty at times but they were the first to score and it was just 1:26 into the first quarter. It was back to the old stuff with a QB keeper for an 8 yd rush for a TD by QB Victor Welsh.
The rustiness came though for Welsh with only :25 left in the first quarter when he threw an interception for a 96 yd. return which had Alabama tying the game at 7-7.
UNI defense looked a little rusty as well as they got mis-matched for a play and allowed the quarterback to complete an 88-yard pass for a touchdown to put the Crimson Tide up 14-7 in the 2nd qtr.
It got worse as HB Steve Jackson fumbled the ball and Alabama returned that for a 34-yard TD to go up 21-7 with 3:24 left in the 1st half.
The Panthers started their comeback run and QB Victor Welsh pulled the team within 7 by scoring on a 9 yd. qb keeper, 21-14.
Panthers had some great clock management as they used their timeouts wisely while on defense and used hurry-up offense to tie the game with :08 left in 2nd qtr., 21-21.
The third quarter was all UNI all the time. Panthers started with a 71 yard rushuing touchdown by their Heisman leading candidate Steve Jackson to go up 28-21. Good defense helped UNI keep the lead and go up two possessions with a 29-yard field goal by kicker Scott Chance to put the game at 31-21 which would end up being the final score.
On The Rise Again, and Again!
October 20, 2014
Season Report Posted: February 24, 2009 22:46
More ESPN cover headlines come for UNI. On the cover this week for week 8, "Dark Horse--Jackson is determined to prove that the Panthers belong in the Top 10". On the Award Semifinalist ESPN Cover this week, "This His Year?--Can UNI's Jackson win the 2014 Maxwell?"
UNI gets more great news as the top two guards in the nation committ to UNI during the season.
With attendance continuing to rise, there may have to be a new dome built as there won't be much more room to watch this UNI team. Attendance rose another 45 last week and is now at 16,959.
Sophomore halfback, Steve Jackson stays at the #1 position in the Heisman watch list as he also made player of the week for week 8 rushing for 517 yards and having 10 total touchdowns.
UNI continues to improve in rankings as they move up three spots in the coaches poll from #9 last week to #6 this week. In the Media, they move up three spots as well from #6 last week all the way up to #3 this week! And, the most important polls came out this week, the BCS Polls. UNI is right where they want to be at #5.
Next week, could be UNI's only true test as they head to Alabama and take on the #3 Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams are undefeated and are the only two undefeated teams in the SEC. If they can beat a tough #3 Alabama away from home, then they should easily win the rest of their games on the schedule and have a great chance at playing in the SEC Championship game at the end of the regular season.
Deja Vu--Part 3!
October 18, 2014
Game Report Posted: February 24, 2009 22:31
Same stuff, different game. Since week five of the Auburn game, the UNI Panther's offense and defense have been unstoppable. Week five was a 59-0 victory, week 6, a 72-7 win, week 7, a 76-7 beating and this recent week, week 8, a 91-0 pounding.
A couple of records were broken as the offense had 1105 total yards and the biggest record was broke when sophomore halfback Steve Jackson ran for 517 yards with a total of 10 touchdowns.
Freshman quarterback Victor Welsh passed for 222 yards and a touchdown and ran for 69 yards.
The entire team had some impressive stats with the punt return and kick return teams, Steve Jackson ran a 86 yard kick return back for a touchdown as well as a 64 yard touchdown punt return. Adding to the punt return touchdown stats was sophomore wide receiver Chris Peterson having a 59 yard punt return for a touchdown.
The defense had a touchdown of their own where cornerback Derek James ran a 14 yard interception return for a touchdown. The defense held Kentucky to 52 total offensive yards, -16 of those coming from rushing. UNI improves to 5-0 in the SEC and 7-0 overall.
On the Rise...Again!
October 13, 2014
Season Report Posted: February 12, 2009 04:21
It's sounding like a broken record but UNI keeps winning and keeps moving up in the polls. Pretty soon there won't be any more room to move up, at least that's what coach Pelini is hoping for. UNI got a ton of great news this week. Two was the magic number for the Panthers this week. Starting with the polls, in the coaches, UNI moves up two spots from #11 to #9, cracking the Top Ten for the first time in the school's history in both polls. In the Media they move up the same amount of spots, from #8 to #6.
Their halfback Steve Jackson also moved up two spots in the Heisman Watch list from #3 to the top spot, #1.
UNI had two players named for SEC Player of the week, adding to the SEC was Steve Jackson being named NCAA Player of the Week for week 7 with 22 carries, 257 yards, and 6 touchdowns. OLB Tony Cole was named with Steve Jackson to the SEC Player of the week with his performance of 6 tackles, 4 for loss, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
UNI also signed two committs this week. Wide receiver Thomas Sutton who is nationally ranked #2 and a five-star signed after being promised a starting position and tackle Scott Jacques who is #3 in the nation and a four-star signed despite not being promised the tackle position.
Attendance rises again to 16,914.
Next up for #9 UNI is #78 Kentucky.
Not Even Close--Part 2!
October 11, 2014
Game Report Posted: February 12, 2009 04:04
If you thought the last matchup was a blowout, this one beats that last one by four!
"Our defense did a superb job in this game by intercepting the ball six times! I'm really proud of our freshman CB Brett Willis. He literally stepped up and intercepted the ball a total of three times in the game for us" Pelini added.
UNI dominated pretty much the entire game. The defense didn't allow a score until the fourth quarter. Arkansas didn't score until there was 52 seconds left in the game on a pass that just got by the UNI cornerback.
The impressive stats in this game was QB Victor Welsh throwing for 234 yards and three touchdowns, HB Steve Jackson running for 257 yards and six touchdowns, WR Jarvis Whitaker with 164 receiving yards and three touchdowns and CB Brett Willis with three interceptions.
With the SEC win over Arkansas, UNI goes to 4-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall. They have won that magic sixth win for a possible bowl invitation.
Next up for UNI is an SEC matchup which will pit them against Kentucky.
On the Rise
October 6, 2014
Season Report Posted: February 12, 2009 03:24
The UNI Panthers continue to rise in the polls. They have moved up four spots in the coaches poll from #15 to #11 and a whopping seven spots in the media from #15 to a #8, cracking the top ten.
HB Steve Jackson remains on the Heisman Watch list at #3 in the nation. Jackson was also named NCAA Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6 as well as SEC Player of the Week. Jackson had 25 carries for 256 yards and five touchdowns. Adding to the SEC Player of the Week was OLB Byron Gorman for UNI with 12 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 sacks and a forced fumble.
Attendance continues to rise at 16,842.
Not Even Close
October 4, 2014
Game Report Posted: February 12, 2009 03:17
The #5 Tennessee Volunteers didn't even come close to touching the #15 UNI Panthers, literally! Tennessee didn't make their first score until 2:05 left in the 3rd quarter of the game. Coach Pelini had this to say about the Special Teams, "I'm really proud of our special teams coach for making the appropriate changes and really getting the right combination in there. The first play of the game our special teams forced a fumble and returned it to the 9 yard line and we scored on that."
The Panthers had a first where they had two players rush for over 200 yards. HB Steve Jackson ran for 256 yards and QB Victor Welsh ran for 220 yards. Jackson and Welsh ran for a combined 8 touchdowns. It was the third highest rushing total by UNI with 464 yards.
UNI did set a new high for this season by scoring 72 points against Tennessee. Next up for UNI is versus #41 Arkansas.
Numbers Continue To Rise for UNI
September 29, 2014
Season Report Posted: February 06, 2009 02:49
UNI once again has moved up in both the coaches and media polls to #15. Their attendance continues to grow as well with the current average attendance sitting at 16,694. That's 370 past the maximum capacity of the UNI Dome.
HB Steve jackson has made it back into the Heisman Watch at #4. Coach Pelini was happy to see that two teams that he had previously coached Nebraska and Iowa, also have a member in the Heisman race.
Something a little sad for UNI was to see DE James Brown go down with broken ribs and out for three weeks. Replacing him will be DE Byron Gorman.
Next matchup is #15 UNI taking on #5 Tennessee. The last time Pelini played Tennessee, Tennessee was ranked #9 and they beat then ranked #3 Iowa Hawkeyes. That would be the only loss suffered that year by the Iowa Hawkeyes as they went on to win the National Championship in 2011.
#18 UNI Takes Down Second SEC Opponent
September 27, 2014
Game Report Posted: February 06, 2009 02:44
Going into the game, UNI has played Auburn two times. In 2012, the first year with Pelini as coach, UNI took down Auburn by a score of 38-7. Last year, it was a much closer game with the outcome being UNI 27-24 on a last second field goal to win the game for the Panthers.
This year, no contest. UNI shutout Auburn by a score of 59-0. HB Steve Jackson would lead the way with 352 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. Newly acquired QB Victor Welsh would prove to be a huge asset as he ran for 136 yards and a touchdown and passed for 164 yards and a touchdown. 7 of the 8 touchdowns came by way of ground. Next up for the UNI Panthers is a tough SEC matchup and a team that has beaten Coach Pelini, #5 Tennessee.
UNI Gets Highest Ranking Yet and Overflows UNI Dome
September 22, 2014
Season Report Posted: February 03, 2009 23:20
Since UNI has become a program in the SEC, they have gotten up to a #20 ranking which was in the 14th week last season. Going into week five, UNI will have its highest ranking yet with a #18 rank. Despite the win over #18 Florida State, UNI slipped a spot in the Media poll to #19.
Their next game will be their second conference game at home versus #44 Auburn Tigers. The average attendance at UNI has overflowed the maximum capacity of 16,324 and has shot up to 16,444. Standing room only now for games.
#20 UNI Takes Down Another Higher Ranked Team
September 20, 2014
Game Report Posted: February 03, 2009 23:12
The #18 Florida State Seminoles proved to be one of UNI's toughest match-ups this season. UNI started down 14-0 in the first quarter and the special teams allowed not one, but two and almost three kickoff returns for touchdowns. The very first play of the game, Florida State would almost run the kickoff back for a touchdown had it not been for some amazing blocking by the REFEREE to help slow down WR Frye and allow a Panther to tackle him. There were a record number of ties in this game with five different times the score was tied. UNI took the lead with 4:28 left in the third quarter and would never allow Florida State to re-take the lead again. Pelini had said that if a touchdown was allowed in this game that he was going to be making some line-up changes on kickoffs.
HB Steve Jackson had an outstanding game rushing for 433 yards and five touchdowns. Something that was weird was aftat that amazing game, Jackson was left off of the Heisman watch list after being ranked at #3 the previous week.
UNI pulled off a great victory with little defense and special teams help, 52-42.
UNI Moves Into Polls
September 15, 2014
Season Report Posted: February 03, 2009 22:43
After a win last weekend over #15 LSU, the UNI Panthers have gotten into the rankings the earliest in the season that they've ever been. Last week in the coaches they were ranked just outside the Top 25 at #26. This week, they are ranked at #20. The Media polls were also just released and UNI is ranked higher at #18.
UNI also made a couple of ESPN Covers after the win over LSU. Week 4 ESPN Cover says: Title Is Off On The Right Foot - UNI is sitting pretty after conference opener against LSU. Halfback Steve Jackson also made the Heisman ESPN Cover with the title: He Got Next? - UNI's Jackson has all the ingredients of a Heisman quality running back.
Jackson had 217 rushing yards against LSU along with three rushing touchdowns. Jackson is currently ranked #3 on the Heisman Watch list.
UNI will go after #18 Florida State next on Sept. 20th in Florida State which is one of the toughest places to play.
Title Is Off On The Right Foot for #26 UNI
September 13, 2014
Game Report Posted: February 03, 2009 22:36
The UNI Panthers were only tied once in the first quarter but other than that, the Panthers led the entire game versus heated rival #15 LSU. Pelini had this to say after the game, "I'm really proud of these kids and how well they're handling the pressure against top ranked teams. We were really put in a tough conference and to be able to have a winning record in the SEC, is quite a task! The only thing I was disappointed in was our special teams. We would have shut out LSU had it not been for our special teams allowing a 92-yard kick return letting LSU tie the game. I'm going to give our special teams another chance next game and if we allow just one touchdown next time, there will be a change in the way we line up for kickoffs." The Panthers should now be in the Top 25 after a win over a Top 15 team.
UNI Moves Up Four Spots in Coaches Poll
September 8, 2014
Season Report Posted: January 28, 2009 02:30
UNI sits just outside the Top 25 Coaches Poll at #26. If they can win their next game versus #15 LSU which is an SEC Conference game, they should crack the Top 25. However, this will not be an easy feat as this series under Coach Pelini is tied at one game a piece. Last year, the Panthers made a remarkable run to attempt an unbelievable comeback being down 35-0 at the half. The Panthers would end up losing to LSU at home but the first year under Coach Pelini, the Panthers defeated LSU at their turf. This will be the earliest in the season that they've cracked the Top 25 on their way to a great bowl game at the end.
In the Heisman race, UNI still has its three candidates in the hunt. At the #2 spot is HB Steve Jackson, at the #3 spot is WR Chris Peterson and at the last spot #5 is LOLB Tony Cole.
UNI continues to increase their attendance. It is getting very close to its max capacity of 16,324. They have raised it this week to 15,749 which is only 575 filled seats from reaching MAX CAPACITY!!
#30 UNI Takes Care of #20 Cal
September 6, 2014
Game Report Posted: January 28, 2009 01:58
UNI has earned their patch as they defeat the #20 team of California Golden Bears.
The UNI defense intercepted the first drive of Cal and then on the first drive of the offense for UNI, freshman QB Victor Welsh who was picked up last year during the season, had the play of a HB Option and he kept the ball to run it in for a 61-yard touchdown.
The first run he makes was a touchdown and the first pass he made was a touchdown. At one point the UNI Panthers were up 31-0 in the 2nd quarter.
However, not everything went right for the Panthers. The first three kickoffs, UNI Punter Jeremy Jones, made all three tackles. The special teams also allowed a touchdown.
Because of QB Welsh's great performance, Welsh was named SEC Player of the Week for Week 2. Welsh threw for 16-27 319 Yds., carried the ball 13 times for 143 yards and had 6 total touchdowns.
UNI Schedules New Foes
August 1, 2014
Season Report Posted: January 27, 2009 23:25
UNI are going for two things this season as they look at their non-conference schedule. They wanted to not only schedule teams who they haven't played before and the second reason they scheduled the teams that they did for their non-conference games was to play teams currently all ranked ahead of UNI.
Their first team, Cal is ranked #20. Their second non-conference team, Florida State is ranked #23. Their third non-conference team, Georgia Tech is currently ranked 26th and their final non-conference team, Virginia is currently ranked #24. Now, they may not be ranked that high once UNI gets to play them but all of these teams can potentially be a patch for UNI if they win.
UNI Pre-Season Honors
July 31, 2014
Season Report Posted: January 23, 2009 18:50
UNI will begin the season ranked higher than they've ever been. They will start out at #30.
Many Pre-Season All-Americans from UNI were named including: HB Steve Jackson, WR Chris Peterson, OLB Tony Cole, and CB Derek James. All were named to the All-American 1st Team and All-SEC 1st Team. Named to the All-SEC 2nd Team was CB Tyler Elimimian.
UNI also starts with three players out of five in the Heisman Watch list. They are: HB Steve Jackson, WR Chris Peterson, and LOLB Tony Cole. Never has a LOLB been in the Heisman running.
UNI is also picked to finish 5th in the Conference Outlook this year. Four teams in the SEC are ranked in the Top 25 of the coaches poll. Florida is ranked #8, Tennessee is at #9, LSU is ranked #15 and Alabama is at #16. UNI is not far behind at #30.
UNI Has Great Off-Season Recruiting
March 20, 2014
Season Report Posted: January 22, 2009 22:28
Last season, UNI had the 28th top recruiting class in the nation. This year, they moved up a whopping 13 spots to the #15 highest recruiting class. The main difference between this year's recruiting class and last year's is the amount of five-star recruits that UNI landed. UNI landed 4 five-star recruits, 5 four-star recruits, 4 three-star recruits, and 2 one-star recruits for a total of 15 recruits.
The top three signees are: OLB Allan Pettway, FS William Cooper, and OLB Byron Gorman.
Next up for the Panthers is the Spring Game to see how well everyone performs.