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CEDAR FALLS | The UNI-Dome will be flooded with bright light Saturday when Northern Iowa hosts Stephen F. Austin.

That said, the Panthers will be peering into darkness until minutes after this first-round FCS playoff game kicks off at 7 p.m.

Yes, UNI's staff spent hours Sunday and Monday breaking down video of the Lumberjacks. The knowledge gleaned from those images will be etched into memory by the players and the coaches.

All well and good, but the Panthers can't fill in all the blanks until the clock starts and the bodies collide on the Dome turf. Moreover, UNI and SFA have not played since 2011, and the Lumberjacks have changed coaches -- from J.C. Harper to Clint Conque.

"That's kind of the challenge of it," said head coach Mark Farley. "You really don't know. You've seen them on film, but until you line up against them, you don't really understand how they play."

While Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents tested UNI week after week after week, UNI understood exactly what each team would bring to the field on Saturday. With a Stephen F. Austin team that competes in the Southland Conference, the depth of knowledge just won't be there, said Farley. And the Lumberjacks face the same problem with the Panthers.