No. 20 Northern Iowa (8-4) has confidence in its ability to go back to Brookings, S.D. and beat fifth-ranked South Dakota State (10-2) Saturday for the second time this season.
But the Panthers also know several other important factors go into this second-round FCS playoff game where the winners move on and the losers clean out their lockers.
“It will be different teams. It won’t be the same game,” senior linebacker Jared Farley said of Saturday’s game compared to UNI’s 38-18 win on Hobo Day on Oct. 14. “I’m sure they have been watching the film of that game.