The UNI coach added, "I was concerned that they were gonna be prepared and ready, especially early in the football. But there's no doubt they came and it was a great effort and a great prep by the players. They came out focused today."

To no one's surprise, David Johnson jump-started the Panther charge.

On the first offensive play of the night, UNI's senior running back scored. With a sharp cut left at the line of scrimmage and another against the grain to the right, Johnson tallied on a 73-yard run with only 12 seconds erased from the opening-quarter clock.

"It was the best play of the day," said Farley. "It was phenomenal."

Said Johnson, "That was really special. I couldn't believe I was that wide open. I mean, everyone blocked well and I did my part."

The Walter Payton Award candidate also closed out the scoring in the half. Left wide open in the left flat, Johnson grabbed a swing pass from Brion Carnes, raced down the sideline and finished off a 70-yard touchdown play. That TD set the halftime score at 30-7 in UNI's favor.