2018 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
| 2018 Northern Iowa Panthers football | |
|---|---|
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NCAA Division I Second Round, L 16–23 at UC Davis | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 23 |
| Record | 7–6 (5–3 MVFC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | John Bond (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Jeremiah Johnson (6th season) |
| Home stadium | UNI-Dome |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 North Dakota State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 15 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 South Dakota State ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2018 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Mark Farley, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 7–6 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the MVFC. Northern Iowa received an at-large bid to NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Panthers defeated Lamar in the first round before losing to UC Davis in the second round. The team played home games at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 24 Montana* | No. 13 | PSN[a] | L 23–26 | 25,018 | |
| September 15 | 6:30 p.m. | at Iowa* | No. 21 | BTN | L 14–38 | 69,250 | |
| September 22 | 4:00 p.m. | Hampton* | No. 25 | PSN, ESPN3 | W 44–0 | 9,116 | |
| September 27 | 6:00 p.m. | at Indiana State | No. 23 | ESPN3 | W 33–0 | 5,487 | |
| October 6 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 1 North Dakota State | No. 22 |
| PSN, ESPN+ | L 31–56 | 9,899 |
| October 13 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 24 South Dakota | ESPN+ | W 42–28 | 9,513 | ||
| October 20 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 2 South Dakota State | No. 25 |
| ESPN3 | W 24–9 | 12,013 |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western Illinois | No. 17 | ESPN+ | L 17–37 | 2,832 | |
| November 3 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 14 Illinois State |
| PSN, ESPN+ | W 26–16 | 10,838 | |
| November 10 | 11:00 a.m. | at Youngstown State | No. 22 | ESPN+ | L 10–31 | 8,407 | |
| November 17 | 4:00 p.m. | Missouri State |
| PSN, ESPN+ | W 37–0 | 10,072 | |
| November 24 | 4:00 p.m. | Lamar* |
| ESPN3 | W 16–13 | 4,082 | |
| December 1 | 9:00 p.m. | at No. 7 UC Davis* |
| ESPN3 | L 16–23 | 8,306 | |
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- ^ Panther Sports Network involves these channels (CFU Ch. 15/HD415; KCRG-TV Ch. 9.2; WHO-DT Ch. 13.2; KGCW Ch. 26, (NBC Sports Chicago or NBC Sports Chicago Plus)
Ranking movements
| Week | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS FCS | 13 | 21 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 22 | RV | 25 | 17 | RV | 22 | RV | RV | 23 |
| Coaches | 12 | 18 | 18–T | 22 | 21 | 22 | RV | RV | 23 | RV | 24 | RV | RV | RV |
Preseason
Preseason MVFC poll
The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Panthers predicted to finish in third place.[3]
Preseason All-MVFC Teams
The Panthers placed six players on the preseason all-MVFC teams.[4]
| Offense 1st team Briley Moore – TE 2nd team Marcus Weymiller – RB Isaiah Weston – WR Cal Twait – OL | Defense 1st team Rickey Neal Jr. – LB 2nd team Xavior Williams – DB |
Game summaries
At Montana
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 23 |
| No. 24 Grizzlies | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
At Iowa
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 21 Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Hawkeyes | 7 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 38 |
Hampton
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 25 Panthers | 10 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 44 |
At Indiana State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Panthers | 3 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 33 |
| Sycamores | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
North Dakota State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 | 56 |
| No. 22 Panthers | 14 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
At South Dakota
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 0 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| No. 24 Coyotes | 3 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
South Dakota State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Jackrabbits | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| No. 25 Panthers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
At Western Illinois
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 17 Panthers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 37 |
Illinois State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Redbirds | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
| Panthers | 3 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 26 |
At Youngstown State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 22 Panthers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Penguins | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
Missouri State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
Lamar—NCAA Division I First Round
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Panthers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
At UC Davis—NCAA Division I Second Round
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| No. 7 Aggies | 10 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
Personnel
Roster
| 2018 Northern Iowa Panthers Football | ||||||||||
| Quarterback
Running back
Wide receiver
Placekicker
Tight end
| Offensive Lineman
Defensive Lineman
Long snappers
| Linebacker
Defensive back
Punter
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References
- ^ "Northern Iowa Panthers Schedule 2018". ESPN. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ "2018 Football Schedule". University of Northern Iowa. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ "North Dakota State Picked to Win 2018 MVFC Title".
- ^ "Preseason All-Conf and Team (PDF) - Missouri Valley Football Conference" (PDF).
- ^ "2018 Football Roster". UNI Athletics. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
