CEDAR FALLS, Ia. — Shortly after Northern Iowa learned its postseason fate last Sunday, veteran coach Mark Farley succinctly summed up the perils of playoff football.
“Everybody’s got the same shot going down the stretch right now,” the Panthers coach said. “Doesn’t matter. It’s a free-for-all.”
Boy was he right.
Locked in an opening-round battle with upstart Lamar, the Panthers simply had to hang on to avoid a crushing playoff upset. UNI did, barely, squeezing out a 16-13 win Saturday at the UNI-Dome. With the victory, the Panthers will travel to UC-Davis for next Saturday’s second-round game.