Sports
What we learned from the Panthers’ 24-20 loss to South Dakota state
CEDAR FALLS, Ia. On an ethat started with maximum excitement in Northern Iowa after a 14-month football wait, the Panthers accounted for a year-long pain in a crushing loss on opening night.
The receding South Dakota State Pierre Strong Jr. caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds to go, giving the Jackrabbits a 24-20 victory in the UNI-Domain on Friday night, which was the second game of the FCS spring 2021 season. It was a brutal end to the defensive masterpiece by UNI, which sustained the Panthers in this top-5 match until a premature meltdown.
UNI (0-1) gave up only seven points, three first downs and 68 yards in the second half, but 43 of those came to Zach Heins ‘third down catch that caused the Panthers’ downfall. The statewide receiver in South Dakota got into motion, stopped a moment early on its route, and took off wide open along the sidelines. Isaiah Nimmers chased Heins to save a touchdown with two minutes to go.
By keeping Heins short, an exciting final series was created. Panthers coach Mark Farley chose to give his defense a chance of redemption, refusing to use either of his two timeouts that would have saved time on the backend. UNI got stops in first and second place, but Strong leaked out of the backfield untouched. the third dagger. A diminished UNI-Dome crowd did not detract from the baffled silence permeating Panther supporters.
This is what we have learned.
The Panthers’ attack had hurdles to overcome, but the production was a turnoff.
For a moment the horrible offensive night of UNI seemed to be forgotten. After taking over deep into South Dakota state territory after a fumble that also caused the Panthers’ quarterback on landing, Will McElvain found freshman wide receiver Tysen Kershaw in the end-zone corner for a 13-yard score.
The 20-17 lead by just under six minutes was UNI’s first lead since the first quarter. When it didn’t hold up, the Panthers’ attacking woes became all the greater.
It didn’t help that offensive coordinator Ryan Mahaffey reportedly left Thursday for a job with the Green Bay PackersIt didn’t help that top receiver Isaiah Weston was left injured without a single reception. It didn’t help that McElvain didn’t have any running game reinforcements.
Still, no matter who mentions plays, McElvain knows about this offense, and the Des Moines Lincoln product was recognized as much postgame. Even with a reliable defense for assistance, McElvain’s Friday stat-line 19-for-29, 164 passing yards and a touchdown won’t make it.
About the last defensive series of UNI …
Although Heins’ grab sucked the life out of a UNI crowd and made all the noise it could, the state of South Dakota still had to finish the ride from ten feet away. The Jackrabbits wide receiver was tackled with 2:01 left, and after South Dakota State let the clock run to 1:25 before calling the first timeout, Farley had to decide how to proceed.
Do you accept that the state of South Dakota is likely to score a touchdown and burn the two timeouts on the first and second time to keep the clock for your offense? Or do you run the clock, rely on your defense to leave another goal line and at worst, give up a field goal in the game to force overtime?
Here’s how the situation unfolded.
After Heins’ catch, Strong’s 2-yard run came, putting South Dakota State a yard away from paydirt. The Jackrabbits then ran the clock before calling their second time-out with 37 seconds remaining. In second place, Strong was stopped again just before the end zone and South Dakota State did the same, calling his last timeout with 24 seconds to go. Another UNI stop would have forced the Jackrabbits to either kick a field goal for overtime or attempt an unpredictable fourth defeat attempt for the win.
That did not happen. And as a result, South Dakota State accidentally played things perfectly by only scoring third. Despite a night of defensive domination, Farley’s conviction in his familiar unit ultimately failed.
“I didn’t want to burn the first time-out right after the (Hein’s catch). I wanted to see where we ended up after that game, because if you have two (time-outs), you’re (almost) out of time anyway”, Farley said. “So when we stopped them (down first) I’m going ‘OK, now maybe we can win this thing and keep them out of the end zone.’ Then we stopped them again, and they’re in third place Now it’s their choice to throw it or run it and just try to reattach the game.
“They made a nice play-action play, I made a bad call and they got the touchdown. We went for the win and we always go for the win. That’s just who we are.”
If Farley had used his timeouts in a row, starting after Heins’ catch or after the first down run, UNI had about a minute to go, even if South Dakota State only scored third. While not ideal, that scenario is still better than what UNI had after the Jackrabbits touchdown: two timeouts but only 19 seconds.
Almost a third of the Panthers’ offensive attack was playing Big 12 football in 2019.
It’s no secret that pulling back Dom Williams, wide receiver Quan Hampton and right-wing tackle Antione Frazier from Kansas to UNI ahead of this season, prompted action to head their agendas. All three had spent several years under coaches David Beaty and Les Miles with few stats to show.
Hampton had the most prolific debut, hauling in seven catches for 65 yards to head the receiving output. The five-foot Texas resident had a crucial third-down grab on UNI’s first scoring drive. When McElvain and the passing attack finally woke up deep in the second half, it was Hampton who snatched the most long wins until he was injured in the third quarter after a helicopter flight through the sky on a high pass.
“As of today, things that you’re really concerned about seemed to be okay,” said Farley. “But the kind of hit that was and the way Quancame hit the ground, I think that will have to be evaluated over time.”
On the ground, Williams was in charge of the Panthers’ backfield with 14 carries for 28 yards. When fellow running back Tyler Hoosman looked in street clothes after a mid-week injury, Williams gave only sporadic touches to third-stringer Nick McCabe. Williams had an early first-down run, but not much more in what was a ground battle.
See, it’s not like UNI has snatched frontline Big 12 talent. In three Kansas seasons (2017-19), Williams and Hampton came together for 693 yards and four touchdowns, most of them early in their career. Frazier made three starts in four seasons (2016-19) and didn’t play at all in 2019.
But to see all three insert immediately indicates exactly what Farley wanted from the transfer market. Some intriguing additions are duds, others inject veteran life on arrival, and it looks like the Panthers got the last.
Dargan Southard covers track and field in Iowa and UNI, recruiting and preparation for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com, and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @ Dargan_Southard.
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