The UNI football team is once again looking to regroup after the Panthers dropped another overtime decision last Saturday. UNI has now lost three consecutive games by a combined total of 15 points, but UNI coach Mark Farley says the margin of defeat has been even slimmer than the scores. “We are 3 plays from being undefeated and all those plays you are talking about are with 3 to 4 minutes left in the games,” Farley says. He says it is frustrating that they have not made enough critical plays in the final stages of games.
Farley says there’s only one way to work through the frustration his team is dealing with, and that is to play your way out of it and play into the same level of play they had before in critical situations.
Farley says the players will have to find a balance between trying to make one of those game-changing plays and not trying to do too much. “Human nature is you want to press and make some things happen and try to start forcing things. There’s a fine line of making the play to catapult you into the win or making a misfire in trying to make the big play,” Farley says.
The Panthers face another ranked team this Saturday when they visit #25 South Dakota State.
By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls