Terry Allen says competing against Northern Iowa will never be "just another game." The former UNI head coach and quarterback brings his Missouri State bears to Cedar Falls this weekend to take on the Panthers in Missouri Valley Conference action.

It will be the third time he has gone up against his alma mater as a head coach. Allen says having spent 22 years in Cedar Falls, he has many life-long friends there. Allen says he hasn’t been on the UNI staff for 10 years, so for the players on his team, it is just another game.

Missouri State is 3-5 overall and Allen says while the program is making strides they need to develop more depth. Allen says they need more and better players, and it’s a process they are trying to build. Allen says the strength of the MVC football race makes it even tougher to build a program.

The Panthers are 17-2 and have dominated this series by winning 16 of the last 18 games.