Mark Farley (file photo)
UNI senior running back David Johnson became the Panthers all-time leading rusher in Saturday’s 42-29 win over Illinois State. The Clinton native has 4,051 yards and topped the mark set by Corey Lewis back in 2008. “I’ve just got to thank everyone who helped me, the line the receivers and the quarterback, even him blocking. I wouldn’t be able to to that without him,” Johnson says.
UNI coach Mark Farley says Johnson deserves the record. “He’s a great young man that’s a great player. He’s got the world ahead of him, but he’s ours, which makes it a pretty good deal for us,” Farley says.
It was a big win for the Panthers, who improved to 5-4 and handed Illinois State its first loss. Johnson says he felt like they were in a “do or die” situation and now have some momentum going.
Johnson’s biggest play on Saturday came on special teams when he returned a fourth quarter kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to give UNI the lead for good. “I knew our team need a score, we needed some yards and good field position,” Johnson says.
(Reporting by Elwin Huffman, KOEL, Oelwein)