Northern Iowa Panthers
Overall Rank: #6
#3 Missouri Valley
Northern Iowa made a run to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs last season, beating San Diego 17-3 and South Dakota State 13-10 along the way. In the quarterfinals they fell 17-0 against James Madison. As one can tell from those scores, the Panthers were very good defensively, but inconsistent offensively. The hope heading into the spring of 2021 is that UNI can generate a bit more offense. With quarterback Will McElvain and 1,000 yard receiver Isaiah Weston back, Northern Iowa should be able to score a few more points in 2021.
2019 Record: 10-5, 6-2
2019 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: Mark Farley (159-83 at Northern Iowa, 159-83 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Ryan Mahaffey
Defensive Coordinator: Jeremiah Johnson
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Tyler Hoosman, RB, 388 yards
Passing: Will McElvain, QB, 2,778 yards
Receiving: Isaiah Weston, WR, 1,053 yards
Tackles: Bryce Flater, LB, 143
Sacks: Elerson G. Smith, DL, 14.0
Interceptions: Omar Brown, DB, 6
Other Key Returnees: WR Deion McShane, OL Spencer Brown, LB Spencer Cuvelier, DL Jared Brinkman, LB Chris Kolarevic. DB Austin Evans, DL Brawntae Wells, DB Xavior Williams, K Matthew Cook
Key Losses: RB Trevor Allen, WR Jaylin James, WR Aaron Graham, OL Jackson Scott-Brown, DB Christian Jegen, DB Roosevelt Lawrence
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2019 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 110.9 (104th in nation, 8th in conference)
Passing Offense: 185.2 (92, 6)
Total Offense: 296.1 (112, 9)
Scoring Offense: 21.0 (98, 6)
Rushing Defense: 110.3 (11, 1)
Pass Defense: 187.4 (20, 6)
Total Defense: 297.7 (9, 3)
Scoring Defense: 17.7 (7, 4)
Turnover Margin: 1.00 (6, 2)
Sacks: 2.73 (20, 6)
Sacks Allowed: 2.20 (65, 3)
Madness 2020 Recruit Rankings
#24 Gunnar Kilen
#55 Jaylin Richardson
#254 Da'Vonshai Harden
