A SEASON TO REMEMBER: 2005 was a season to remember for the UNI football team, staff and fans. After advancing to five previous I-AA semifinal games, the Panthers finally leaped over that hurdle to advance to its first national title game. Ranked sixth in the final regular season ESPN/USA Today poll, UNI faced fifth-ranked Appalachian State in the national championship game.

The 2005 journey was filled with last second heroics and nail-biting finishes and the title game was no different. The Panthers would not have it any other way. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers scored a 21-16 come-from-behind win, their first national crown also in their first trip to the title game.

Played at Max Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn., in front of 20,236 fans, the largest crowd for the championship game since 1996 and the largest crowd since Chattanooga began hosting the event, the game was aired nationally by ESPN2.

UNI broke out first on a career-high 50-yard field goal by junior Brian Wingert with 11:36 left in the first quarter. The Panthers forced the first turnover of the game on the ensuing kickoff when freshman Corey Lewis recovered a fumble on the ASU 24. UNI tacked on three more points with 9:46 left in the opening quarter with Wingert's 26-yard field goal.

The Mountaineers took their first lead with 13:18 left in the half on a five-yard TD run. UNI senior safety Tanner Varner turned the tables on the Mountaineers with an interception midway through the second quarter. Senior running back David Horne scored from two yards out with 8:20 left in the half to give UNI a 13-7 lead. Horne's score was his 17th rushing TD of the season, breaking the school's single-season rushing TD record.

The Panther defense came up big again late in the half. Senior linebacker Darin Heideman forced a fumble and junior safety Matt Tharp jumped on the ball at the ASU 28. Wingert's third field goal from 31 yards with 1:03 left before intermission gave the Panthers a 16-7 lead.

ASU broke through in the second half on a one-yard run to trim UNI's lead to 16-14 with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter. The rest of the game was dominated by both teams' defenses until the Mountaineers made the game-changing play. Jason Hunter scooped up an Eric Sanders fumble and returned it 15 yards for the game-winning TD with 9:14 left in the game.

THE COACH: UNI head coach Mark Farley (UNI '86) ended his fifth year at the Panther helm with an 11-4 mark, 44-20 overall. Prior to being appointed at UNI, he served as the linebackers assistant and punt block/return specialist at Kansas from 1997-2000.

A UNI player from 1983-86 and a co-Gateway Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1985, he then was a Panther graduate assistant from 1986-88 and a full time assistant from 1989-96, coaching linebackers and special teams while also serving as Strength and Speed Coordinator, in addition to Recruiting Coordinator for one year.

Farley was a candidate for this year's Eddie Robinson Award, finishing 15th in the balloting. He was named the Northwest Region Coach of the Year by Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette.

He also was a candidate for 2003's Eddie Robinson Award, finishing 10th in the balloting. He was named Bruce Craddock Gateway Coach of the Year and AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2001 when the Panthers advanced to the I-AA semifinals. He placed third in the Eddie Robinson balloting in 2001.

POLL TALK: UNI, which ranked 25th in the final 2004 Sports Network poll, was ranked No. 12 in TSN's and the ESPN/USA Today 2005 preseason polls. It also was tied for ninth in the AGS poll, 10th by Sports Illustrated.com, was 17th in Don Hansens' National Weekly Football Gazette, and was tied for 18th by Lindy's. Dopke.com had UNI ranked 9th in the preseason.

The Panthers climbed to No. 7 from No. 10 in the final regular season Sports Network poll behind New Hampshire, Hampton, Furman, Texas State, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Southern Illinois was ranked eighth, Youngstown State 13th, Eastern Washington 15th, and Illinois State was 23rd. The Panthers were ranked sixth by ESPN/USA Today.

In the final 2005 polls, UNI is ranked second by TSN and ESPN/USA Today, in addition to the AGS poll, and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. It is ranked fifth by the CollegeSportsReport.com.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The Panthers went 2-2 in non-conference games last year and 6-2 this season. UNI is the only original Gateway member to win at least two non-conference games each year. The Panthers now are 95-42 against non-conference teams since 1985.

UNI'S 1ST TRIP TO TITLE TOWN: UNI made its sixth trip to the I-AA semifinals and in the five previous trips, had lost each time to the eventual national champion. The Panthers lost to Georgia Southern 40-33 in 1985, to Northeast Louisiana 44-41 in OT in 1987, to Youngstown State 19-7 in 1992, to Marshall 31-14 in 1996, and to Montana 38-0 in 2001. The NLU, Marshall and Montana games were on the road.

RECORD WATCH: UNI tied or set several school records this season. UNI set a season record with 32 rushing TDs, 6,008 yards in total offense, 449 points, and for wins in a season with 11. UNI's 32 rushing TDs is a new season record, as is its 1,024 offensive plays, and its 298 first downs.

Senior tailback David Horne set three school records with 114 total points, 19 total touchdowns and 17 rushing touchdowns. Junior Brian Wingert set a mark with 51 extra points kicked. Senior John Hermann recorded a school record 5.5 tackles-for-loss (press box stats) in a 41-17 win over Northern Arizona.

Sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders set a Gateway Conference record with a 68.3 percent completion percentage.

UNI's 2,456 rushing yards ranks sixth all-time, its 641 attempts ranks second, its 259 completions ranks second, its 3,552 passing yards ranks third, its 25 passing TDs ranks sixth, its 17.3 receptions per game ranks eighth, its 400.5 yards per game ranks 10th, and its 5.9 yards per play ranks eighth.

The 70,585 attendance at the Iowa game on Sept. 17 was the most-ever to see a UNI football game.

New Hampshire set a playoff record against the Panthers with 631 yards in total offense and 96 total plays. Patrick Hunter set a UNI playoff record against Texas State with 160 receiving yards.

SANDERS UNBELIEVABLE: Sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders continues his remarkably efficient leadership on the field. Against Texas State, he hit his first nine pass attempts for a total of 200 yards and three TDs, not throwing an incomplete pass until midway through the second period. He completed 24-of-31 passes for a career-high 417 yards and four TDs without an interception. His four TDs tied a career-best. He was named a I-AA.org All-Star for his effort..

THARP TIMES IT OUT: Junior free safety Matt Tharp couldn't have timed his first career interception any better. Seeing more and more playing time as the season has progressed, he recorded his first interception against Texas State in the overtime period to preserve UNI's win.

HORNE REACHES 1,000: Senior tailback David Horne became the 17th runner to gain at least 1,000 yards in a season when he rushed for 73 yards at Texas State. His 1,141 yards this season is the 6th-best in UNI history.

ON THE EDGE: UNI won five games this season after trailing or being tied at one point in the fourth quarter despite being 9-0 now when leading at the half. The Panthers won two games in OT. Against Western Kentucky, UNI trailed 10-3 at the half and tied the game 10-10 with 7:30 left in the game which sent the game into OT, when UNI survived 23-20 in two extra sessions. The Panthers trailed Southern Illinois 24-13 with 14:20 left in the game and scored two more TDs, the last with 2:38 left, to take a 25-24 win. Eastern Washington led UNI 38-24 with 11:03 left in the game and the Panthers pulled out a 41-38 win with 51 seconds left. New Hampshire and UNI were tied at 21 with 1:39 left in the third quarter before the Panthers won on a field goal with 11:50 left in the game. The Panthers pulled out a 40-37 win in OT at Texas State after trailing 37-29 with 5:01 left in regulation.

UNI TIDBITS: UNI assistant coach Jeremy Gold is the brother of current Denver Bronco linebacker Ian Gold...UNI receivers Patrick Hunter and Jamie Goodwin were members of the Panthers' 4x100 relay team that won the conference title and qualified for nationals last season...UNI quarterback/defensive back Nick Nelson is the son of current assistant coach Rick Nelson...Three current UNI coaches played for UNI -- head coach Mark Farley lettered from 1983-86, associate head coach Bill Salmon lettered 1973-75 and led the Panthers to the Division II playoffs; and offensive line coach Rick Nelson lettered in 1982 and '83...Senior defensive tackle Kevin Stensrud's father, Mike, played professionally and his brother, Andy, played for Iowa State...Quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco learned his trade from such greats as Terry Shea and Bill Walsh and has written a book entitled "Quarterbacks Born or Made? The Biomechanics of the quarterback position: An integrative approach".

DRAGON SLAYERS: UNI defeated three teams this season that were ranked No. 1 at one time or another during the year. The Panthers defeated Western Kentucky (23-20 in double overtime), Southern Illinois (25-24) and New Hampshire (24-21). The only other time UNI defeated a No. 1 ranked team at the time of the contest was in 1997 when it beat Youngstown State, 35-32. UNI lost 40-36 to No. 1 Southern Illinois in 2004.

LARGEST I-AA CHAMPIONSHIP CROWD IN CHATTANOOGA: The announced crowd of 20,236 was the largest for the NCAA I-AA national championship game since moving to Chattanooga and the largest crowd since 1996. The game was broadcast to a national television audience on ESPN2.

WING-ING IT: Junior placekicker Brian Wingert's 50-yard field goal in the first quarter of the national championship game vs. Appalachian State was a career-best. Wingert's previous best was a 49-yarder back in the 2003 season.

Wingert led all I-AA playoff kickers with eight field goals made in eight attempts. Wingert tallied a postseason best 35 points in the Panthers' four playoff games.

FIRST REPLAY IN I-AA HISTORY: Junior Adam Kos' (Kalona, Iowa) punt that was downed on the one-yard line in the first quarter of the national championship game against Appalachian State became the first I-AA play to be overturned. Junior Dre Dokes (Springfield, Mo.) brought the ball over the goal line when he downed the punt and the instant replay official overturned the call. The I-AA championhship game was the first-ever I-AA game to use instant replay.

FIRST QUARTER DOMINANCE: UNI held Appalachian State scoreless in the first quarter of the national title game and it marked the third straight playoff game the Panthers had done so. It was the 8th time this season that the Panthers held the opposition to zero after 15 minutes of play.

HORNE BREAKING FREE: Senior taiback David Horne rushed for a career-high 144 yards against New Hampshire on 28 carries, scoring on a 40-yard TD run to put the Panthers up 7-0 with 10:14 left in the first quarter. He also caught three passes for 36 yards, including a 32-yard pass to give UNI a 14-0 lead with 9:36 left in the half. He was named a I-AA.org All-Star for his effort.

Horne rushed for 100+ yards in six games during the 2005 season. Horned rushed for 123 vs. Indiana State, 142 vs. Youngstown State, 103 vs. Southern Illinois, 141 vs. Eastern Washington, 144 vs. New Hampshire and 102 vs. Appalachian State.

Horne led all I-AA postseason rushers with 460 yards and six touchdowns in his four playoff games.

He set the school mark for TDs in a season with 18, and the rushing touchdowns in a single-season mark with 17.

HERMANN DOES IT AGAIN: Senior end/linebacker John Hermann has run down opposing offenses over the past month and against New Hampshire was no exception. Though he wasn't the team's leading tackler, he recorded 11 total stops, including seven solos. He also finished with two deflections, including one on a fourth-down pass at UNI's 27 and teamed up with Michael Matthes for another key third-down stop to force another fourth-down play with just 2:57 left in the game. He covered a UNH fumble after that to help preserve the win. He ranks 26th in the nation in tackles for loss and is eighth in sacks.

Hermann was named Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette's National Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Senior linebacker Darin Heideman led the squad with 17 tackles, including 12 solos, and senior 'backer Brett Koebcke had 16 stops, including 10 solos. Junior corner Curtis Cooper tallied 14 tackles, including 10 solos, and one tackle for loss and one forced fumble.

WINGERT CLUTCH: For three weeks in a row, junior placekicker Brian Wingert secured a Panthers' playoff win. In the first round of the 1-AA playoffs against Eastern Washington, he kicked a 31-yard field goal with 51 seconds remaining to give UNI a 41-38 win. In the 24-21 quarterfinal win at New Hampshire, he booted a 22-yarder with 11:50 remaining which completed the scoring. He was named Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette's National co-Special Teams Player of the Week. He also was honored the previous week. Against Texas State, he booted a 25-yard field goal in OT to secure the win. He was named a 1-AA.org All-Star for his effort.

BREELAND RECORDS COME-OUT GAME IN SENIOR CAMPAIGN: Senior wide receiver/running back Jason Breeland had his best game as a Panther against Eastern Washington. He led the team in receiving with eight catches for 98 yards while rushing twice for 13 yards. He had caught just 31 passes total in his career heading into the game and has caught 23 so far this season.

HORNE DOES IT BOTH WAYS: Senior tailback David Horne scored 18 of the Panthers' 41 points against Eastern Washington, rushing 28 times for 141 yards, one yard shy of tying his then UNI career high, and three TDs of one, one and four yards. His four-yard TD scamper tied the game at 38 with 5:22 left in the game. He also caught eight passes for 47 yards.

SPREADING THE GLORY: It is no surprise that the UNI defense stepped up big time over the final two months in its seven-game win streak. Against Eastern Washington, senior end Michael Matthes had a a game-saving deflection on a fourth-and-one play on the Eagles' last possession.

Senior linebacker Darin Heideman led the team again with 11 total tackles, including five solos, two tackles for loss and one sack. Senior end John Hermann recorded four tackles, including three solos, two tackles for loss of 23 yards, one deflection and two sacks for 23 yards.

QB DUELS: UNI quite possibly saw the nation's five best I-AA quarterbacks in all four of its postseason games, a list which would include its own sophomore signal caller Eric Sanders.

UNI faced one of the best quarterback-receiving duos in Eastern Washington's Erik Meyer and Eric Kimble and faced another deadly duo at New Hampshire in Ricky Santos and David Ball.

Meyer completed 25-of-44 passes with no interceptions for 387 yards and four TDs, with Kimble catching nine passes for 155 yards and two of those scores.

Santos completed 27-of-42 passes with no interceptions for 345 yards and three TDs, all to Ball who had 10 catches for 188 yards. Both Meyer and Santos are candidates for the Walter Payton Award.

Texas State QB Barrick Nealy finished fifth in this year's Walter Payton balloting. He completed 16-of-25 passes for 221 yards and three TDs against the Panthers, throwing his only interception in the OT period to help give UNI the win.

Appalachian State QB Richie Williams passed for 129 yards on 10-of-26 passing in the national title game. Williams also carried the ball once for a three-yard gain.

UNI has its own efficient signal caller in sophomore Eric Sanders who now is 17-3 as the Panthers' starter in complete games played. Against the Eagles, he completed 31-of-40 passes with no interceptions for 330 yards and two TDs. He completed a pass to nine different receivers again, with Jason Breeland and David Horne each bringing in eight passes. Against UNH, he was 15-of-25 with one interception for 185 yards and one TD. At Texas State, he completed his first nine passes and ended with 24-of-31 with no interceptions for a career-high 417 yards and four TDs. Against Appalachian State, Sanders passed for 181 yards on 17-of-31 passing.

All totaled in the playoffs, Sanders passed for a I-AA best 1,113 yards on 87-of-127 passing. Sanders tied for a I-AA best seven postseason touchdown passes. He threw only one interception in the four playoff games.

UNFRIENDLY BRACKETS: For the third playoff appearance in a row, the Panthers were granted a first-round home game, and then went on the road for the second game to a No. 1 seed in the northern part of the country. In 2001, UNI defeated Maine 56-28 at home in the first round, then traveled to Montana where it lost, 38-0. In 2003, UNI beat Montana State at home, 35-14, then lost at Delaware, 37-7. All went on to win the national title.

UNI's 24-21 defeat of No. 1 New Hampshire marks the first I-AA quarterfinal victory for UNI played on the road.

UNI IN THE PLAYOFFS: The Panthers made their 12th trip to the I-AA playoffs. It was UNI's sixth trip to the semifinals, but first trip to the national title game. UNI owns a 15-12 record in the tournament. Their last appearance was in 2003 when they defeated Montana State 35-14 at home and lost at Delaware in the quarterfinals 37-7. UNI is 11-2 at home in the playoffs, and 4-10 on the road.

HERMANN STUFFING THE OPPONENT: Senior linebacker John Hermann put a hit on the Northern Arizona offense. In the 41-17 win, he recorded a team-high eight tackles with seven solos. He had a school-record 5.5 tackles for loss of 34 yards, and tied a school mark with four sacks for 31 yards (press box stats). The Panthers as a whole set a school record with 16 tackles for loss and held the Lumberjacks to a total of 54 yards and a negative 44 yards on the ground after averaging 320.9 yards, including 104 rushing. This marked the fewest yards allowed by a Gateway team since Missouri State allowed just 48 yards to Indiana State in 2003.

Hermann was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week, Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette co-National Defensive Player of the Week, and a CollegeSportsReport.com co-Gateway Conference Performer of the Week.

TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS: UNI and Northern Arizona combined for 10 turnovers, with NAU losing two fumbles and throwing four interceptions, and UNI losing three fumbles and throwing one interception. Last year in the season finale for both teams, the Lumberjacks turned the ball over seven times to the Panthers.

VARNER HAPPY PICKIN': Senior safety Tanner Varner intercepted two passes against Northern Arizona, his first picks of the season. The first one stopped a NAU drive on the UNI 34, and the second helped set up a UNI 20-yard field goal which put UNI up 31-10 with 12:21 remaining in the third quarter. The last time a Panther intercepted two passes in a game was last year at NAU when James Idelburgh pulled in two. Varner also nabbed an interception in the I-AA national title game against Appalachian State.

SENIOR GOODBYE: Eighteen seniors played their final season in a Panther uniform. They were: OL Jeff Bates, WR Jason Breeland, TE Brian Cutright, TB Terrance Freeney, WR Jamie Goodwin, LB Darin Heideman, DE John Hermann, TB David Horne, WR Patrick Hunter, DT Charles Johnson, LB Brett Koebcke, DE Michael Matthes, OC John Schabilion (injured), LB Geoff Stamp (injured), DT Kevin Stensrud, DB B.J. Stotser, WR Justin Surrency, and SS Tanner Varner.

HEIDEMAN'S THE MAN: Senior linebacker Darin Heideman was named the Gateway Football Conference's Defensive Player of the Week and The Sports Network's co-National Defensive Player of the Week after the Southern Illinois game. For the third week in a row, he led UNI in tackles, this time around with nine total, including seven solos. He also had one tackle for loss of four yards and recovered a SIU fumble on the UNI 24 with 9:50 left in the game. Eight plays later, UNI scored to pull within five points. He also had the tackle on a fourth-and-four play on SIU's 49, which turned the ball over to the Panthers with 19 seconds left in the game to preserve the win.

He led UNI in tackles with 98.0 total, including 64 solos, 13 tackles for loss of 43 yards, to go along with 3.5 sacks for 22 yards, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

YOUNG SANDERS LEADING THE PACK: Though just a sophomore, UNI QB Eric Sanders has positioned himself as the team leader. He led the Panthers to their third straight defeat over a ranked opponent, a share of the Gateway Football Conference title, and the league's automatic berth in the I-AA playoffs with UNI's 25-24 defeat of fourth-ranked Southern Illinois. He completed 22-of-33 passes with no interceptions for 272 yards and three TDs, including the game-winning 35-yard pass to Jamie Goodwin on a fourth-and-two with 2:38 left in the game.

UNI CROWD 12TH MAN: UNI's announced crowd of 15,536 at home against Southern Illinois is the largest crowd ever that wasn't a sellout (16,324). The last sellout was in the 1995 season against Idaho.

NEVER GIVE UP: In their come-from-behind win over sixth-ranked Western Kentucky on Nov. 5, the Panthers were three-of-three in fourth-down conversions, including two in the overtime sessions. Against Southern Illinois, UNI was 1-of-1 in fourth-down attempts -- a fourth-and-two on the winning 35-yard TD pass to Jamie Goodwin from Eric Sanders with 2:38 left in the game. The Panthers were 13-of-21 on fourth-down conversions on the season (.620), and 98-of-222 (.441) on third-down attempts. They held the opponents to four-of-20 on fourth downs (.200) and 101-of-226 (.447) on third-down attempts.

TWO GOOD ENOUGH?: No Gateway champion had won the title with two league losses in 20 previous seasons. With UNI's 25-24 defeat of Southern Illinois, there was a three-way tie for first place for the first time in league history, with UNI, SIU and Youngstown State all boasting 5-2 marks. UNI gained the automatic berth in the I-AA playoffs due to its wins over both SIU and YSU.

SANDERS SUCKING IT UP: Sophomore QB Eric Sanders led UNI to the 23-20 double overtime victory over sixth-ranked Western Kentucky despite still nursing a high ankle sprain and wearing a brace. He completed 24-of-29 passes with no interceptions for 235 yards and one TD, the game-winner, and rushed one yard for a score in the first OT. He threw to 10 different receivers. He led I-AA in passing efficiency at one point in the season and finished fifth in the nation at 168.25.

GRAY GETS 1ST ST SCORE: Red-shirt freshman Johnny Gray spurred UNI's come-from-behind win over sixth-ranked Western Kentucky when he returned a punt 70 yards to tie the game at 10 with 7:30 left in regulation. This was UNI's first special teams touchdown of the season. He was named the league's Special Teams Player of the Week and The Sports Network's Co-National Special Teams Player of the Week for his effort.

BB SKILLS PUT TO USE: Freshman defensive end Everett Pedescleaux stands 6-5 and weighs 240 pounds. The transfer from Minnesota also plans on playing basketball for the Panthers. Against Western Kentucky, he put his height and basketball skills to use when he blocked a Hilltopper field goal which sent the game into overtime. UNI won the game in double overtime, 23-20. He missed the final four games of the season with a knee injury.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: Prior to the Nov. 5 game at Western Kentucky, which finished under the lights, the Panthers went off campus one day for practice in an effort to simulate the different conditions. Wednesday night the week before the game, UNI traveled a short ways down the road to Waverly and Wartburg College to practice under the lights on a similar playing surface. It paid off. The Panthers beat WKU 23-20 in double OT.

HORNE SHOULDERS THE LOAD: UNI senior TB David Horne scored all of UNI's TDs in the Panthers' upset of No. 11 Youngstown State. He rushed for a 142 yards on 26 carries with a long run of 33, scoring on TDs of 1, 33 and 2 yards. He also caught two of UNI's seven receptions for nine yards. He gained 109 of his 142 yards in the second half after teammate Terrance Freeney was sidelined with an ankle injury. He had half of UNI's total ground yardage (280).

ELEPHANT OFFENSE: The Panthers at times this season have returned to what fondly has been called the "elephant" offense which dates back to the late '80s and early '90s. At that time, defensive tackle/end James Jones, who went on to play professionally for several teams, was used as a fullback in goal line situations and he even scored a TD once. Earlier this year, senior nose tackle Charles Johnson was used at fullback.

Junior linebacker Cyrus Garrett was switched to fullback mid-season. Against Youngstown State, he caught a two-yard pass to the Penguin one yard line. David Horne scored on the next play to put the Panthers up 7-0. Against Western Kentucky, Garrett caught three passes for 10 yards, including a three-yarder to the WKU 26 on a fourth-and-one play. Garrett had two carries for two yards and six catches for 23 yards.

AS SANDERS GOES...: As Eric Sanders goes, so goes UNI. UNI struggled offensively without the sophomore signal caller after he suffered a high ankle sprain Oct. 8 at Missouri State. He then missed two games. He ended up starting against Youngstown State, leading the Panthers to a 21-7 win over the 11th-ranked team. Sanders is 17-3 as the starter in complete games, dating back to last season when he took over for the injured Tom Petrie.

SHUT THEM DOWN: After being embarrassed the week before at Illinois State, UNI's defense stepped up big time against Youngstown State, holding the league's leading rusher, Marcus Mason, to just 41 yards and the conference's second-best rushing team to only 79 yards. UNI also limited the Penguins to nine-of-17 on third-down conversions and zero-of-three on fourth-down attempts. One of those fourth-and-one stops was accomplished by senior LB Darin Heideman in the second quarter on UNI's 37, spurring a UNI TD drive to put the Panthers up 14-7 with 4:12 left in the half.

HUMBLED: UNI's 38-3 loss to Illinois State was its worst regular-season loss to a non-1-A opponent since losing 52-9 at home to Southern Illinois in 1983 season. UNI failed to score a touchdown in the loss for the first time since last year's opening game when it fell 23-0 at 1-A Iowa State.

LIGHT ON A DARK DAY: Junior wide receiver James Lindgren had his best day as a Panther against Illinois State when he caught a career-high eight passes for a personal-best 92 yards.

VARNER MAKING THE EFFORT: Senior strong safety Tanner Varner recorded a game-high 15 tackles with 11 solos and four and a half tackles for loss of 21 yards against Illinois State. He also had one sack for 13 yards.

GOOD DAY FOR KOS: First-year punter, junior Adam Kos, had his best day as a Panther at Illinois State when he punted five times for a 50.0 average, just two yards shy of tying the school record for best average in a game. He had a long punt of 63 yards.

POUNDING IT OUT: UNI produced its first 100-yard rusher of the season not once, but twice, in its 31-10 win over Indiana State. Senior Terrance Freeney carried the ball 27 times for 128 yards with TD runs of one and 10 yards, while senior David Horne rushed 19 times for 123 yards, including a 40-yard TD run. The last time two players reached the century mark in the same game was last year against Western Illinois (Oct. 23) when Freeney gained 236 yards and Richard Carter 123.

UNI gained a season-high 288 yards rushing against the Sycamores and attempted a season-low 14 passes, with just five players catching a pass, as opposed to eight or nine who caught passes in the previous five games.

PICKIN' AND KICKIN': The Panthers had been slow in picking off opponents' passes this season and entered the Indiana State game with just one interception to their credit. Against ISU, Brannon Carter picked off his first UNI career interception and handed it off to Tanner Varner for a 53-yard return to the ISU 16 as time ran out in the half. Dre Dokes, who has led the Panthers in interceptions the last two years with four each season, got his first interception of the year, also, returning it five yards to the UNI 46 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game. He picked off his second interception in the upset win over Western Kentucky and his third of the season against Northern Arizona. Dokes and Varner tied for the team lead in interceptions this season with three each.

KING OF THE HILL: Junior Scottsdale Community College transfer Dexter Hill started his first game for the Panthers against Indiana State, leading UNI to a 31-10 win. He completed nine-of-14 passes with one interception for 159 yards and no TDs.

SCORELESS A RARITY: UNI trailed Missouri State 14-0 at the half. The last time UNI didn't score in the first two quarters was last year on Oct. 9 at home in a 17-10 loss to Western Kentucky in QB Eric Sanders' first full game as the starter. UNI then went on to win six straight games to end the season. UNI also trailed at Illinois State 21-0 at the half on Oct. 22.

STREAK HITS THE DUST: UNI had a six-game win streak against Missouri State snapped on Oct. 8 when the Panthers lost 24-21. UNI hadn't lost in Springfield since 1989.

HILL IN THE SPOTLIGHT: With the injury to QB Eric Sanders, Scottsdale Community College transfer Dexter Hill found himself in the spotlight just as Sanders was last year when Tom Petrie went down to injury. Hill replaced redshirt freshman Nick Nelson at QB against Missouri State with 5:12 left in the second quarter. Nelson had replaced Sanders for just one series with 14:37 left in the half. Hill responded with 12-of-19 passing with one interception for 186 yards and one TD.

GATEWAY OPENERS: UNI now is 17-7 in Gateway Football Conference openers, including 6-5 on the road, and has a one-game win streak after defeating Western Illinois in Macomb 41-24 on Oct. 1. The Panthers had played Western Illinois once previously in a league opener, defeating the Leathernecks 17-7 in Macomb in 1995.

SANDERS MULTI-DIMENSIONAL: Sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders led the Panthers in rushing for the second consecutive game when he gained a career-high 85 yards on nine carries against Western Illinois. His 68-yard rushing TD also was a personal best and put UNI up 34-17 with 10:16 left in the third quarter. He also completed 18-of-26 passes with no interceptions for 244 yards and TD throws of 38 and 36 yards. He returned to action against Youngstown State and now is 17-3 as the starter.

PARSONS COVERIN' THE BALL: Converted quarterback, sophomore free safety Chris Parsons, recorded three solo tackles in the Western Illinois win and had one deflection, but more importantly, recovered two WIU fumbles. His first recovery with 8:07 left in the second quarter eventually led to UNI's third TD which put the Panthers up 21-7 with 7:09 left in the half. His second recovery was at UNI's 40 with 7:49 left in the game. He played both quarterback and defensive back in high school. He had two interceptions this season, picking off one in the end zone against Texas State to foil a Bobcat two-point conversion attempt.

SCHABILION SEMI-FINALIST FOR NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD: Senior center John Schabilion was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation 2005 National Scholar-Athlete Award, the Draddy Trophy. Schabilion has a 3.87 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in quantitative economics with a minor in mathematics.

He and junior wide receiver James Lindgren have been named to The ESPN The Magazine first team all-district 7 academic team.

UNI IN I-AA GPI: The 2005 I-AA Gridiron Power Index, the BCS-style ranking and top indicator of at-large playoff selections, debuted with the Panthers ranked No. 8. The Panthers fell to No. 19 following their loss to Missouri State, to No. 21 after the Indiana State win, to No. 36 after the Illinois State loss, rose to No. 23 after the Youngstown State win and was tied for 14th after defeating sixth-ranked Western Kentucky. The final regular season GPI had UNI ranked seventh.

SCORIN' BIG: UNI's 21 points scored against the 21st-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes were the most points UNI has scored against UI in school history. The previous high was 13 points in 1995's 34-13 loss to the Hawks. Only eight of Iowa's previous 28 opponents had scored more than 21 points.

IT'S A CROWD: Iowa announced a sellout crowd of 70,585, the Hawks' 13th straight sellout. That is the largest crowd UNI has ever played against, topping the 70,397 played before at Iowa in the 1995 season.

SANDERS RARELY MISCUES: UNI sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders rarely miscues. He threw his first interception of the year against Iowa amidst completing 19-of-29 passes for 263 yards and three TDs. This was his first interception since Nov. 11, 2004. Between those turnovers, he had thrown 14 touchdowns. Sanders threw only five interceptions this season.

VARNER BACK ON ATTACK: Senior strong safety Tanner Varner returned to action against Iowa after missing the previous game due to a hamstring injury. He responded with a team-high nine tackles (coaches' film), including five solos and one sack along with a forced fumble. Senior inside linebacker Darin Heideman recorded six total tackles, including three solos. He tied a school record with three tackles for loss in a game.

PICKING IT UP: Sophomore quarterback Eric Sanders had picked up where he left off last season prior to his injury at Missouri State on Oct. 8. He's now 17-3 as the starter after returning to action against Youngstown State. He took over for the injured Tom Petrie in the fourth game last year and had led the Panthers to eight straight wins before the Iowa loss on Sept. 17. He threw for a career-high 289 yards against Drake on 14-of-17 passing, at one point completing 11 consecutive passes. Against Minnesota Duluth, he was 12-of-14 passing for a new career-high 311 yards and three TDs.

NEW FACES STEP UP: The Panthers received stats from 13 new faces in their season opening win over Drake. Redshirt freshman Corey Lewis led UNI in rushing with 10 carries for 51 yards, while Nebraska transfer, senior tailback David Horne, rushed for 44 yards and one TD on nine carries while catching three passes for a team-high 68 yards. Redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Nelson, son of UNI assistant coach Rick Nelson, completed two-of-three passes for 27 yards and one TD. Senior Akron transfer, receiver Jamie Goodwin, also caught three passes for 53 yards and a TD. Freshman tailback David Shields rushed four times for 16 yards and freshman receiver Johnny Gray rushed one time for one yard. He also led the team with three punt returns for an 18-yard average. In another first, sophomore fullback Matt Garvin scored his first career TD against Drake, a 15-yard pass from Nelson with 12:24 left in the game.

OUT OF THE BLOCKS: Junior offensive tackle Joe Lobdell had a breakout game against Drake in his first action on the offensive side of the ball after switching from defensive tackle during the spring. He participated in 33 plays, grading out 95 percent with three-plus plays.

FREENEY DROPPED FROM PAYTON WATCH LIST: UNI tailback Terrance Freeney was named to the 2005 Walter Payton Award watch list preseason, the third year in a row he has been a candidate for the honor given to the top offensive player in 1-AA. After the revised list was issued, and he was dropped from the list for the second consecutive year mid-season. Eastern Washington quarterback Erik Meyer won the award this season.

Freeney was added to the revised "watch list" about midway through the 2003 season after not being selected to the roster preseason. Just a sophomore, he finished 14th out of 17 candidates with 26 points in the final voting, including one first-place vote. The Walter Payton Award is now in its 20th year of existence.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES: David Horne, a senior tailback transfer to UNI from Nebraska, was named the fifth-best I-A transfer in I-AA by Matt Dougherty of The Sports Network. Junior Scottsdale Community College transfer, quarterback Dexter Hill, was named the fourth-best JUCO transfer by Dougherty. Freshman offensive lineman Codie Fetters was named the sixth-best high school senior.

Overall, UNI's recruiting class was picked No. 1 in I-AA by Dougherty. "...the Panthers bring in a Big 12 transfer (Horne) to share carries with Terrance Freeney, a top JUCO QB (Dexter Hill) and freshman Patrick Grace to compete with Eric Sanders, and a pair of solid freshman linemen (Fetters and DL Chuck Kinney)."

SEASON OPENERS: UNI now is 54-46-7 in season openers dating back to 1895 after defeating Drake 52-17 on Sept. 1. The Panthers had a two-game losing streak in openers heading into this year after dropping contests at 1-A Iowa State the past two seasons. Prior to that, UNI had won five straight season openers against 1-A Eastern Michigan, McNeese State, Division II Morningside College, and two to Wayne State (Mich.).

2005 CO-CAPTAINS: Seniors, tight end Brian Cutright, receiver Justin Surrency, linebacker Darin Heideman and defensive tackle Kevin Stensrud, have been named team co-captains for the 2005 season.

UNI FANS NO. 10 (but No. 1 in our hearts): I-AA.org has selected UNI fans No. 10 in the nation in I-AA. "...their drive to continue to tailgate fiercely, to root rabidly for their Panthers to win Gateway titles, and to believe with all their heart that their Panthers will finally win that elusive I-AA championship."

MAKING THE CASE: The last time a team made the 1-AA playoffs as an at-large selection with four losses was in 1995 when Idaho advanced with a 6-4 mark. Just 14 teams total have made the post-season field with four losses since the system was expanded to 16 teams in 1986, including Eastern Washington this year. Only five of those teams made it as at-large teams. UNI advanced as the Gateway's automatic bid with a 7-4 mark in 1995.

UNI ON HOMECOMING: UNI is 54-23-7 in its own Homecoming and has a one-game win streak on that special day after defeating Indiana State 31-10 on Oct. 15.

PLAYING THE BIG BOYS: The Panthers have had some success against teams designated 1-A. Most of the success has come in the last 18 years. UNI now is 8-14 against 1-A teams since 1985 after losing at 21st-ranked Iowa 45-21 on Sept. 17. UNI now has lost four straight games to Division 1-A teams. Its last win over a 1-A team was 42-39 at Ball State in 2001.

CONFERENCE DOMINANCE: Since the Gateway Football Conference was founded in 1985, UNI now has won or shared 12 league titles. The Panthers won the title outright in 1985 (5-0), 1987 (6-0), 1991 (5-1), 1992 (5-1), 1993 (5-1), 1994 (6-0), 1996 (5-0) and in 2001 (6-1). Titles were shared in 1990 with Missouri State (5-1), in 1995 with Eastern Illinois (5-1), in 2003 with Southern Illinois (6-1), and this year with SIU and Youngstown State (5-2). In the seasons when UNI shared the title, the Panthers received the league's automatic bid to the playoffs in 1990 by virtue of their 20-17 win over MSU, in 1995 with their victory over EIU 17-7, in 2003 because of their 43-40 win over SIU, and this year after the wins against SIU and Youngstown State.

UNI VERSUS THE TOP 25: The Panthers now own a 51-31 record over teams ranked in the I-AA Top 25 (either the NCAA or Sports Network polls) since 1985 after defeating 11th-ranked Youngstown State, No. 6 Western Kentucky, fourth-ranked Southern Illinois, 15th-ranked Eastern Washington, No. 1 New Hampshire and No. 4 Texas State this season.

UNI dropped out of The Sports Network's Top 25 for the first time Oct. 28, 2002, receiving enough votes to be ranked No. 32, and it never recovered to jump back into the top 25. This was just the fifth time since 1984 that the Panthers ended the season unranked. The other years were 1986, 1988, 1997 and 1998.

UNI VERSUS NO. 1: Since moving up to the I-AA level in 1985, UNI now is 2-4 versus teams ranked No. 1 in a specific poll at the time of the contest after losing 40-36 to Southern Illinois last year and defeating New Hampshire 24-21 this year. UNI lost to No. 1 Marshall in the 1996 playoffs 31-14, defeated No. 1 Youngstown State 35-32 in 1997, lost to No. 1 McNeese State 20-17 in 1998, and lost to No. 1 Montana 38-0 in the 2001 playoffs.

UNI ON TV: With its 21-7 win over Youngstown State and the 23-20 double overtime win over Western Kentucky this year, UNI now has won eight consecutive games on the Gateway Football Conference television package. It now is 8-2 overall when shown on the conference package.

UNI IN THE DOME: UNI is 150-38-1 (.796) in the UNI-Dome since the building opened in 1976. The Panthers were 6-0 at home in 2003 and had an eight-game home win streak dating back to the 2002 season before losing to 13th-ranked Stephen F. Austin at home last year on Sept. 18. UNI was 5-1 at home in 2000, losing 44-41 to Western Illinois in the last game of the season, snapping a seven-game home winning streak. It currently is 7-0 at home this season and has won 11 straight dating back to last season.

The Panthers were 6-0 at home in 2001and were 3-3 in 2002. They have the best home field winning percentage in the Gateway Conference with a 52-11 record. They have gone undefeated at home in a season seven times since 1990.

UNI had a 25-game overall home winning streak heading into the 1992 1-AA semifinal game against Youngstown State, which the Penguins snapped with their 19-7 win. Prior to a Sept. 24, 1994, loss to McNeese State, UNI had won 29 straight regular-season games in the Dome dating back to the 1989 season opener, lost 22-14 to Mankato State.

GFC RANKED VERSUS RANKED: There have been 57 times in which two Gateway teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. The home team is 33-24, while the higher-ranked team is 29-28. Fifteen times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the top 10.

UNI has played in seven of those games when the two teams have been ranked in the top 10, and has a 4-3 record in such contests after defeating seventh-ranked Western Illinois and losing to ninth-ranked Western Kentucky in 2003. The third-ranked Panthers defeated fifth-ranked Missouri State in the Dome in 1996, 38-31; no. 3 UNI defeated no. 8 Western Illinois 30-6 at home in 1996, no. 10 Illinois State defeated third-ranked UNI 47-28 in Normal in 1999, and no. 9 Youngstown State defeated no. 6 UNI 29-20 in Cedar Falls in 1999.

UNI played six ranked teams in 2001, defeating then second-ranked Youngstown State 30-11 in the Dome, then 12th-ranked Western Illinois 17-14 on the road, sixth-ranked Western Kentucky 24-23 on the road, third-ranked Eastern Illinois 49-43 on the road, 16th-ranked Maine 56-28 at home, and lost 38-0 to No. 1 Montana in the I-AA semifinals.

UNI defeated 17th-ranked YSU and lost to eighth-ranked Western Illinois for its only games against ranked foes in 2002. UNI played five ranked teams in 2003, defeating no. 11 Northwestern State, WIU, and Southern Illinois. It lost at 12th-ranked Western Kentucky.

SQUEAKERS: When UNI defeated Western Kentucky 24-23 in 2001, it marked just the second time in league history in

which there were two one-point decisions on the same day. In all, there have been 29 games decided by one point. UNI has more one-point wins in Gateway games than any other team, and the Panthers are 8-3 in those contests.

WORKIN' OVERTIME: UNI is 4-4 in overtime games. The Panthers are 1-1 at home in OT. Two of those extra period games were during the I-AA playoffs, and the Panthers lost both of those games -- 27-21 at Boston University in 1993, and 44-41 at Northeast Louisiana in 1987. UNI played two overtime games this season and won both contests against Western Kentucky and Texas State.

HALFTIME LEAD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF: UNI's double overtime loss to Western Illinois in 1997 and the 20-17 loss in overtime to McNeese State in 1998 were the only times in the decade of the '90s when the Panthers surrendered a halftime lead (UNI led WIU 9-0 and MSU 7-0). Prior to that, UNI had a 53-0 regular-season record when leading at the half. UNI led third-ranked Youngstown State on the road, 17-14, at the half in 2000, but went on to fall 28-24 in the last 1:17of the game. UNI was 8-0 in 2001 when leading at the half and was 4-2 in 2002, losing to Illinois State after leading 17-10 at the half and at Indiana State, 21-19, after leading 10-0 at the break.

UNI was 8-0 in 2003 when leading at the half and was 7-1 last year after defeating Minnesota State 40-0, Youngstown State 22-20, Western Illinois 30-6, Southwest Missouri State 42-20, Indiana State 58-6, Illinois State 41-14 and Northern Arizona 45-21, and losing to Southern Illinois after leading 26-14 at intermission.

In 2005, UNI was 9-1 when leading at the half with the only loss occuring in the national championship game to Appalachian State.