Mark Farley
After starting the season against two teams that primarily throw the football the UNI defense is preparing for a much different look this week. The Panthers visit a Cal-Poly team that features a double-wing triple option attack.
UNI coach Mark Farley says the Mustangs are averaging 307 yards of rushing and have only thrown 21 passes in two games.
“We probably played 80 percent throws the last two weeks and now we’ve got 80 percent run and a whole different style”, said Farley. “This is a totally different play book we are facing this week and we’ve got to do a great job on this week’s worth of practice.”
Farley says the triple-option is a unique preparation and the key for the Panthers is to be assignment sound.
“You’ve got one guy for the dive, the quarterback and the pitch and if somebody comes out of sync it becomes a big play”, said Farley. “You’ve got to have your eyes on your target and your target being your responsibility. If you take your eyes off the target for a split second that’s when he gets out of the chute the next thing you know is he’s in your end zone.”
After opening the season with a victory at Montana, Cal-Poly lost at Arizona State 35-21. The Panthers followed up a loss at Iowa State with a 38-35 win over Eastern Washington.