Mark Farley (file photo)
UNI football coach Mark Farley called the just concluded season “gratifying”. The Panthers lost at Illinois State 41-21 in the second round of the FCS playoffs and closed the season with a record of 9-5.
Farley says it was stressfull at the time, but the wins were fun and he is pleased with the results especially considering how difficult the schedule was. He says they’ve gone further against some lesser teams, but he says the wins this year were good as it was probably the toughest schedule the team has ever played.
The Panthers were 3-4 before winning their next six games. “The games were probably more fun to watch than many in the past, as a group in a season because of the talent that was on the field both for and against UNI,” Farley says.
Saturday’s game brought to an end the UNI careers of standout dsefense lineman Xavier Williams and record-setting running back David Johnson. He says Johnson was a very special football player and the type that doesn’t come around very often. Farley says Johnson stayed healthy throughout the season and he is pleased to see him healthy as he goes into the next phase of his career.
(Reporting by Elwin Huffman, KOEL, Oelwein)