2008 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
American college football season
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The 2008 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Mark Farley, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 12–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the MVFC title with South Dakota State. Northern Iowa was awarded the third seed in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Panthers defeated Maine in the first round and New Hampshire in the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual national champion, Richmond, in the semifinals. The team played home games at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
ConferenceMissouri Valley Football Conference
Sports NetworkNo. 4[1]
FCS CoachesNo. 4[2]
Record12–3 (7–1 MVFC)
| 2008 Northern Iowa Panthers football | |
|---|---|
MVFC co-champion | |
NCAA Division I Semifinal, L 20–21 vs. Richmond | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 4[1] |
| FCS Coaches | No. 4[2] |
| Record | 12–3 (7–1 MVFC) |
| Head coach |
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| Co-offensive coordinators |
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| Co-defensive coordinators |
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| Home stadium | UNI-Dome |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Northern Iowa +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Southern Illinois +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota State | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 5:00 pm | at No. 16 (FBS) BYU* | No. 3 | mtn | L 17–41 | 64,108 | ||
| September 6 | 4:05 pm | South Dakota* | No. 9 | CFU | W 24–13 | 12,904 | ||
| September 20 | 4:05 pm | No. 12 South Dakota State | No. 8 |
| CFU, Mediacom | W 34–20 | 15,136 | |
| September 27 | 6:00 pm | at No. 15 Southern Illinois | No. 5 | Mediacom | L 24–27 | 14,427 | [3] | |
| October 2 | 6:35 pm | Nicholls State* | No. 10 |
| ESPNU | W 34–14 | 9,028 | |
| October 11 | 4:05 pm | Illinois State | No. 10 |
| CFU, Mediacom | W 31–17 | 16,100 | [4] |
| October 18 | 4:05 pm | No. 20 North Dakota State | No. 6 |
| KFXA, Missouri Valley FB TV | W 23–13 | 13,416 | [5] |
| October 25 | 3:00 pm | at Youngstown State | No. 5 | W 21–20 | 15,937 | |||
| November 1 | 12:05 pm | at No. 12 Western Illinois | No. 5 | W 30–6 | 10,258 | [6] | ||
| November 8 | 4:05 pm | Missouri State | No. 4 |
| CFU, Mediacom | W 42–0 | 13,426 | [7] |
| November 15 | 11:00 am | at Indiana State | No. 4 | W 28–0 | 2,381 | |||
| November 22 | 2:00 pm | at Southern Utah* | No. 4 | W 34–24 | 3,145 | |||
| November 29 | 4:05 pm | No. 21 Maine* | No. 4 |
| W 40–15 | 8,477 | ||
| December 6 | 6:00 pm | No. 10 New Hampshire* | No. 4 |
| ESPN360 | W 36–34 | 9,055 | |
| December 13 | 3:00 pm | No. 7 Richmond* | No. 4 |
| ESPN | L 20–21 | 12,062 | |
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Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| The Sports Network | 3 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| FCS Coaches | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year at Northern Iowa | Alma mater (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Farley | Head coach | 8th | Northern Iowa (1987) |
| Rick Nelson | Recruiting coordinator Offensive Line | 9th | Northern Iowa (1984) |
| Bill Salmon | Associate head coach Offensive coordinator Receivers | 8th | Northern Iowa (1980) |
| Mario Verduzco | Co-offensive coordinator Quarterbacks | 8th | San José State (1988) |
| Atif Austin | Running backs | 4th | Iowa State (2003) |
| Scott Frost | Co-defensive coordinator Linebackers | 2nd | Nebraska (1997) |
| Chris Klieman | Co-defensive coordinator Secondary | 3rd | Northern Iowa (1990) |
| Jerry Montgomery | Defensive line | 3rd | Iowa (2001) |
| Erik Chinander | Tight ends | 5th | Iowa (2003) |
| Bill Wilt | Defensive line | 1st | Eureka College (1977) |