AMES – UNI Panthers open the 2021 college football season with a very tough road game in Ames agains the highly-ranked Cyclones of Iowa State.
THE GAME
#21/16 UNI (0-0, 0-0 MVFC)
@
#7/#8 Iowa State (0-0, 0-0 Big12)
Date: Sept. 4
Place: Jack Trice Stadium
Time: 3:30 p.m. CT
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Talent: Shawn Kenny (pxp), Sage Rosenfels (analyst), Skubie Mageza (sideline)
THE PANTHERS
• Panther football returns on September 4, with UNI playing a 2021 spring season, only 147 days have passed since the teams last took the field on April 10, 2021.
• The Panthers return all 22 offensive and defensive starters from last season.
• 11 Panthers were honored with MVFC Preseason honors, Jared Brinkman (First Team), Trevor Penning (First Team), Spencer Cuvelier (First Team), Mathew Cook (First Team), Omar Brown (Second Team), Austin Evans (Second Team), Deion McShane (Second Team), Will McElvain (HM), Isaiah Weston (HM), Benny Sapp III (HM), Tyler Hoosman (HM)
• 8 Panthers were honored with All-MVFC recognition in the Spring of 2021. First Team All-MVFC selection and the returning MVFC Defensive Player of the Year Jared Brinkman leads a stout defensive unit along with Spencer Cuvelier (First Team), Brawntae Wells (Second Team), Austin Evans (Second Team), and Omar Brown (Honorable Mention)
•Mathew Cook ranks T8 at UNI with 34 made field goals. The All-American has a 77.3 field goal percentage, good enough for 5th in the UNI career record book.
• Making his presence felt in the backfield, DT Jared Brinkman has 27 tackles for loss in his career, pushing opposing offensive back 122 yards, and ranking 9th in the UNI career record book.
• A BIG play machine, Isaiah Weston has caught 72 passes for 1,585 career yards. His 22.0 yards per catch is 7th in the UNI career record book.
• Mark Farley is the winningest coach in UNI and Missouri Valley Football History and the 10th coach in FCS history with 150 FCS victories. The win against Youngstown State last season was his 100th MVFC win.
• Farley opens 2021 ranked 11th all-time in FCS win percentage with a 162-87 (.651) record.
THE CYCLONES
• Iowa State is coming off one of its most successful seasons in 2020, tying the school record for wins (9), winning its first New Year’s Six Bowl (PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Oregon, 34-17) and finishing the season ranked in the AP Top 10 (No. 9) for the first time in school history.
• ISU returns 10 starters on offense and nine on defense.
• ISU returns 16 players on offense who have a combined 221 starts and 11 players on defense who have a combined 225 starts.
• A total of 20 players are back who have earned some sort of All-Big 12 recognition, including eight players who earned first-team honors in 2020.
• ISU returns three All-Americans- RB Breece Hall, TE Charlie Kolar, LB Mike Rose. Those three, plus DB Greg Eisworth II, OL Colin Newell and DE Will McDonald IV, made various preseason All-America teams.
• The ISU defense has an active streak of six games allowing fewer than 10 points in the second half, the second-best string nationally.
