Mark Farley (file photo)

Mark Farley (file photo)

After defeating in-state opponents in their first two games of the season, the UNI football team has this weekend off before they travel to Northern Colorado next Saturday.

Panther coach Mark Farley says he likes the timing of this bye week. “I like a third week, fourth week open date because we can shuffle the deck and clean some things up. We’re still healthy, so it’s not a week just to get healthy — it’s a week to get better in,” according to Farley.

Farley says he’s much more confident in where his team is at this year, as opposed to when they reached their bye week a season ago. The Panthers did not get a break until the 6th week of the season last year. They were 1-4 at that point after losses to Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota State, and Youngstown State.

He says he is more “content” with where they are at and says he has a better handle on the team. Farley expects to make some player changes, but says they are 99-percent in the right positions right now. Though it is still early in the season, Farley says the play of the Panther offensive line has been a bright spot so far.

(Reporting by Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls)