In the FCS Huddle: Similar yet different finalists

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – His team lost in the round of 16 of the FCS playoffs, yet Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley says his team has made a strong case to be voted to the top 5 in the final rankings.

The Panthers boast a strong argument.

UNI was knocked out in a revenge game on the road at Illinois State. The winning Redbirds then went on to beat the No. 4 (Eastern Washington) and No. 1 (New Hampshire) seeds on the road.

What made the UNI-Illinois State matchup a revenge game is that UNI is the only team this season to beat both FCS national finalists – Illinois State and North Dakota State. Both one-loss teams will meet for the national title on Jan. 10 in Frisco, Texas.

“It puts us in the top echelon that they’re going to be 1 and 2, we should be very close to being in that 3 to 5 category as far as ranking at the end of the season,” Farley said. “They did a great job, but I think it says a lot for our program, it says a lot for playing against us in the UNI-Dome.

“It kind of shows the quality of our team and it also shows the quality of our league.”

North Dakota State (14-1), the three-time defending national champion, and Illinois State (13-1), a first-time finalist, didn’t face each other while they both went 7-1 in Missouri Valley games and tied for the conference title. It’s a conference that dominated the FCS ranks this season, matching the single- season record with five playoff teams.

That list included the UNI team that surged into the playoffs by winning its final five games in the regular season. The Panthers struggled offensively in their 42-28 win over Illinois State on Nov. 1, but benefited from touchdowns on a blocked punt return, a kickoff return and an interception return.

A week later in Cedar Falls, UNI ended North Dakota State’s FCS-record 33-game winning streak with a thorough, 23-3 rout.

After his team blew out Stephen F. Austin in the first round of the playoffs, Farley thought his team could potentially reach the national final if it could beat Illinois State in the second round. But the host Redbirds dominated UNI in the first half en route to a 41-21 victory, which ended the Panthers’ season at 9-5.

Farley expects the FCS championship game to be just another typical Saturday afternoon in the Missouri Valley Conference. In the 37th season of the national playoffs, this will mark the first championship meeting between two teams from the same conference.

“I expect it will be a well-contested, great football game,” Farley said.

“It’s really two similar teams, but two very different teams, to try to beat in a game like this. North Dakota State is going to wear you down with the power game inside and (John) Crockett running the football and their quarterback (Carson Wentz) really does a good job of making decisions. On third down is really when the quarterback really steps up. But with Illinois State, every down could be an explosive play.”

In the regular-season win over Illinois State, UNI contained Redbirds quarterback Tre Roberson while All-America running back Marshaun Coprich ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns. That 1-2 offensive punch then delivered the knockout blow to UNI in the playoffs, with Roberson throwing for four touchdowns and gaining 419 yards of total offense.

Roberson wears a Superman T-shirt under his shoulder pads to remind himself to play like “The Man of Steel.”

“What I’d say about Illinois State is their quarterback is exceptional. He makes it all work at Illinois State,” Farley said. “The running back is great and they’ve got a big offensive line and they’ve got a couple of real tall receivers, but the quarterback is really the trigger. His ability to run, his ability to make a bad play into a great play, he has those capabilities. That’s what makes them as dangerous as they are, it makes them the caliber of team they are right now.

What Farley particularly likes about Illinois State’s defense is its ability to run down ball carriers. Big defensive end Teddy Corwin and middle linebacker Pat Meehan earned All-Missouri Valley first-team honors, but Farley says the talent runs deep on a defense that jelled throughout the season.

“Really athletic,” Farley said. “You look at the transfer from Ohio State (defensive end David Perkins), he really creates a pass rushing problem, he’s got great ability, No. 4. They have the transfer from Oregon (linebacker Oshay Dunmore). They’re just getting better each game because the more they’re there and playing together, the better they get. And I think the guy that we thought was kind of the guy that made things go for them, (and) they have two really good safeties, he’s No. 3 (Dontae McCoy). He really does a nice job, he plays fast, he plays tough, to me he’s the quarterback of their defense. And their other safety, No. 1 (Tevin Allen), is really quick as well.”

As for North Dakota State, UNI stunned the Bison this season by stealing their patented game plan – a strong run game and suffocating defense. The Bison have won 15 straight postseason games and will have invaluable championship game experience over Illinois State.

“North Dakota State, they’re more of a physical football team,” Farley said. “When you play them, they wear you down, they’re going to be a team that more or less is going to come directly at you, versus Illinois State, they’re more of a spread-you-out-type of team.

“You look at (NDSU), I think Crockett is a great running back, and they give him the ball enough times that he’s going to find a crack in the seam and you really have to keep him within his element. Every time he touches the ball, he’s got a chance a chance for scoring – that’s the concern when you play North Dakota State.”

The Bison defense is even more experienced than their offense and features defensive end Kyle Emanuel, the 2014 Buck Buchanan Award recipient as the national defensive player of the year. Like Emanuel, linebacker Carlton Littlejohn and strong safety Colten Heagle will start in the national final for the third time, while free safety Christian Dudzik will achieve it for the fourth time. Starting linebacker Esley Thornton and cornerback C.J. Smith also started in last year’s final.

“They play very hard – that’s the way I can describe it in my terms,” Farley said of a defense that is ranked second in the FCS in scoring defense (13.2 ppg) and third in total defense (270.8 ypg). “And that’s why they’re so consistent.”

North Dakota State has won the last three meetings against Illinois State, most recently 28-10 in 2013. Both programs are so familiar with each other, but Farley doesn’t believe that will stop them from trying to play to their strengths.

“When you know each other through playing, through repetition, you have an idea what their philosophy is,” he said. “And you’ve played them before, so you have an idea what their talent is – how you’ve played them before. And then when you get in the game planning part of it, I think the key is not to outcoach yourself.

“Those players are making plays for you right now, so you want to do what you do well and let the players make the difference in the game and not so much try to out-scheme yourself and not try to outsmart the other guy. Both teams will play to their strength.”

Categorized in: NCAA Football