Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley feels the defense if making significant progress. The Panthers are coming off a 20-14 win over Indiana State and take a 2-3 record into their homecoming contest against Illinois State.

Farley says the Panthers are getting a better pass rush and doing a better job of locking down receivers.

Farley says it is more about players making plays than the game plan.

Illinois State is 2-2 overall and opened the Missouri Valley race with a loss to Southern Illinois.

Farley hopes it is a raucous crowd in the UNI-Dome

NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner will return for homecoming and Farley says he enjoys having former players who made it in the NFL address the team.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema is encouraging fans to to fill Memorial Stadium for Saturday night’s game against Iowa. The Illini are 4-1 and coming off a 34-10 win at Wisconsin.

Bielema says the Iowa program has been built on consistency. He was a walk on who played for Hayden Fry and later became a part of Kirk Ferentz’s coaching staff.

Bielema is coming off a win at Wisconsin, where he got his first head coaching job.

The Illini are riding a three game win streak and Bielema says they are still working to become a program that expects to win.

Class 5A
1. Pleasant Valley (6-0), LW #1 @ #7 Iowa City High
2. Dowling Catholic (5-1), LW #2 @ #10 Ames
3. Ankeny (5-1), LW #3 @ DSM North
4. Southeast Polk (5-1), LW #5 vs #5 C.R. Prairie
5. Cedar Rapids Prairie (5-1), LW #6 @ #4 S.E. Polk
6. Ankeny Centennial (4-2), LW #9 vs Waukee Northwest
7. Iowa City High (4-2), LW (X) vs #1 Pleasant Valley
8. Cedar Falls (4-2), LW (X) @ Dubuque Hempstead
9. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (5-1), LW #4 vs Davenport West
10.Ames (5-1), LW (X) vs #2 Dowling Catholic

Class 4A
1. Lewis Central (7-0), LW #1 vs Glenwood
2. Cedar Rapids Xavier (6-0), LW #2 @ Clear Creek-Amana
3. Waverly-Shell Rock (6-0), LW #3 @ Mason City
4. Carlisle (5-1), LW #4 @ #5 Indianola
5. Indianola (5-1), LW #5 vs #4 Carlisle
6. Iowa City Liberty (5-1), LW #6 vs Fort Madison
7. Bondurant-Farrar (5-1), LW #8 @ Boone
8. North Scott (4-2), LW #9 vs Clinton
9. Spencer (5-1), LW #10 @ LeMars
10.Newton (6-0), LW (X) vs CR Washington

Class 3A
1. Harlan (5-1), LW #1 vs #4 ADM (Adel)
2. Humboldt (6-0), LW #2 vs Gilbert
3. Mount Vernon (6-0), LW #3 @ Maquoketa
4. ADM (Adel) (6-0), LW #4 @ #1 Harlan
5. Nevada (5-0), LW #6 @ Algona
6. Independence (6-1), LW #9 vs Charles City
7. Solon (4-2), LW #8 @ Fairfield
8. North Polk (4-2), LW #5 vs Ballard
9. Creston (5-1), LW #7 @ Saydel
10.West Delaware (3-3), LW (X) @ Hampton-Dumont-Cal

Class 2A
1. Williamsburg (6-0), LW #1 vs Davis County
2. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (6-0), LW #2 vs Sheldon
3. West Marshall (6-0), LW #3 @ Roland-Story
4. Spirit Lake (6-0), LW #4 @ Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
5. OABCIG (5-1), LW #7 @ Estherville Lincoln Central
6. West Lyon (4-2), LW #8 @ Unity Christian
7. Greene County (4-1), LW #9 Idle
8. Osage (4-2), LW (X) @ Garner Hayfield Ventura
9. New Hampton (5-1), LW #5 vs Forest City
10.Crestwood (4-2), LW #10 @ Clear Lake

Class 1A
1. Van Meter (5-1), LW #1 vs Interstate-35
2. Underwood (6-1), LW #2 @ West Monona
3. West Branch (6-0), LW #3 vs Regina
4. West Sioux (5-1), LW #4 vs Sibley-Ocheyedan
5. Dike-New Hartford (5-1), LW #5 vs Denver
6. Kuemper Catholic (6-0), LW #7 @ Treynor
7. Aplington-Parkersburg (5-1), LW #6 @ Central Springs
8. ACGC (5-1), LW (X) @ Panorama
9. Pella Christian (5-1), LW #10 vs Cardinal
10.South Hamilton (5-1), LW (X) @ Manson-NW Webster

Class A
1. West Hancock (6-0), LW #1 vs Saint Ansgar
2. Lynnville-Sully (6-0), LW #2 @ Ogden
3. Grundy Center (6-0), LW #3 vs BCLUW
4. Woodbury Central (6-0), LW #4 @ Tri-Center
5. AHSTW (Avoca) (6-0), LW #6 @ Logan-Magnolia
6. North Linn (5-1), LW #7 @ Hudson
7. East Buchanan (5-1), LW #8 vs Clayton Ridge
8. Columbus Junction (5-0), LW #9 @ North Cedar
9. HMS (Hartley) (4-2), LW #5 @ Hinton
10.Alburnett (5-1), LW #10 vs Wapello

8-Player
1. Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0), LW #1 vs AR-WE-VA
2. WACO (7-0), LW #2 vs Winfield-Mount Union
3. Don Bosco (6-0), LW #3 vs #6 Gladbrook-Reinbeck
4. Easton Valley (4-1), LW #4 @ Edgewood-Colesburg
5. Gladbrook-Reinbeck (6-0), LW #6 @ #3 Don Bosco
6. Baxter (6-0), LW #8 @ Montezuma
7. Lenox (6-0), LW #7 vs Martensdale-St. Mary’s
8. Newell-Fonda (5-1), LW #5 vs Glidden-Ralston
9. West Harrison (6-0), LW #10 vs Audubon
10.Southeast Warren (6-1), LW (X) @ Murray

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State’s Oct. 15 Big 12 Conference game at Texas will kick off at 11 a.m. (CT) on either ABC or ESPN2.

2022 Schedule

Sept. 3 – SEMO – W, 42-10
Sept. 10 – at Iowa – W, 10-7
Sept. 17 – OHIO – W, 43-10
Sept. 24 – *BAYLOR – L, 31-24
Oct. 1 – *at Kansas – L, 14-11
Oct. 8 – *KANSAS STATE – 6:30 p.m. – EPSNU
Oct. 15 – *at Texas – 11 a.m. – ABC or ESPN2
Oct. 29 – *OKLAHOMA
Nov. 5 – *WEST VIRGINIA
Nov. 12 – *at Oklahoma State
Nov. 19 – *TEXAS TECH
Nov. 26 – *at TCU

The Kansas City Chiefs came hot of the gate and pulled out a 41-31 win at Tampa Bay on Sunday night. The Buccaneers fumbled the opening kickoff and the Chiefs took advantage of the short field. Two plays later Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce for a 16-yard touchdown pass to put the Chiefs up immediately. The Kansas City Offense kept clicking and it was a 28-17 lead at half.

The Chiefs kept enough going in the second half to preserve the lead and the win. Patrick Mahomes finished 23-27 passing for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Mahomes became the quickest to reach 20,000 yards passing in NFL history during the win. Travis Kelce hauled in 9 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Kelce passed Rob Gronkowski for 5th on the NFL’s all-time receiving yard list for tight ends.

The Chiefs improved to 3-1 overall and the Buccaneers fall to 2-2. Next up for the Chiefs is a Monday Night Football game at home against the Las Vegas Raiders on the 10th.

UNI grabbed a 20-14 win over Indiana State on Saturday at the UNI-Dome. Panther quarterback Theo Day ran for one touchdown and threw for another to Alex Allen in the win.

The Panthers took the early lead with a score on their first drive, a 6-yard run by Day. UNI ended up leading 10-3 at halftime and struck again on the opening drive of the second half. Day found Allen for an 18-yard strike to cap off an 87-yard drive. The Sycamores would score the next 11-points to get within three of the Panthers with 7:41 left in the game. UNI would drive and tack on a 35-yard field goal with just under two minutes to play and the defense stepped up. Benny Sapp III grabbed an interception in the final minute to seal the Panther win.

UNI moves to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Indiana State falls to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in MVFC play.

The Panthers return home next week to take on the Illinois State Redbirds for homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the UNI-Dome.

The Drake football team fell short of their first win of the season with a 27-14 loss at Dayton on Saturday.

Drake was able to get a score with only two seconds remaining in the first half to make it a 10-7 Dayton lead, but that momentum didn’t carry over to the second half for the Bulldogs. Dayton scored with 5:06 left in the third to go up 17-7 and scored on a 17-yard run by Jake Chisolm before the end of the third to lead 24-7.

Dayton controlled the ball for the majority of the fourth quarter to ice the game. The Bulldogs did get a late 10-yard touchdown pass from Ian Corwin to Austin Flax, but Dayton would recover the ensuing onside kick attempt to end the game.

Dayton improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the PFL. Drake falls to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the PFL.

Drake football will return home to Drake Stadium for Family Weekend against San Diego at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8.

For Iowa State and Iowa the problem areas are clear, now the goal is to get them fixed. Special teams meltowns cost Iowa State at Kansas. The Cyclones fumbled a punt and freshman kicker Jace Gilbert missed three field goals, including a 37-yarder with 32 seconds remaining in a 14-11 loss.

That’s coach Matt Campbell who decided to go for the tying field goal instead of trying to keep the drive alive by converting on fourth down.

The Cyclones will be looking to bounce back when they host Kansas State.

Iowa’s dreadful offense gave the Hawkeyes no chance against fourth ranked Michigan in a 27-14 loss in a game that was not even that close. The Hawkeyes had only 35 yards of rushing and their second touchdown came during garbage time with just a few seconds remaining. Despite that coach Kirk Ferentz says he saw progress.

Ferentz says as the receiver corps gets healthier the entire offense will get better.

Iowa visits an Illinois team that is coming off a lopsided win at Wisconsin.

Wartburg Cross Country Meet
10/01/2022

Boys

Nodaway Valey finished 21st with a 517 total. Doug Berg led the way with a stellar 6th place finish with a time of 16:51.30. Malachi Broers was 78th, Tyler Cooper 139th, Ben Piearson 146th, Jack Jensen 208th, Landon LeBarge 217th.

Girls

Jazz Christensen ran 55th for the Wolverines with a time of 22:01.84. Annika Nelson was 146th, Lilly Day was 148th, and Hope Kading was 152nd.