Oct. 1—GRAND FORKS — The UND football program hits the road this weekend to begin conference play with a 4 p.m. Saturday matchup with Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
Here are eight things to know about the next opponent.
It’s a new era for both teams in this matchup as both programs transition from veteran coaches to first-year head men.
After a long career by Mark Farley, former Drake head coach Todd Stepsis has taken over in Cedar Falls.
Stepsis joined the Drake staff as defensive coordinator in 2014 following six seasons in the same role at NCAA Division II power Saginaw Valley State.
Last November, Farley announced the 2024 season would be his last. Farley, who had been head coach at UNI since 2001, is the winningest football coach in Missouri Valley Football Conference history with 182 wins. His teams won seven MVFC titles and he was twice named MVFC Coach of the Year, as well as 2007 FCS National Coach of the Year.
The Panthers’ UNI-Dome is receiving upgrades in a series of phases.
The first phase, which has been completed, includes a new Teflon-coated fiberglass roof, as well as meeting rooms.
Phase 2, which is considered in progress, includes new seating areas and premium seating options. It also includes an expanded suite level, improved accessibility and a new elevator.
Future phases include a new indoor track surface, new restrooms, improved sound system, better lighting and restroom additions.
The UNI-Dome has a unique playing surface that looks more like a flat Astroturf than the more common modern turf that features rubber pellets.
Because of the unique surface, some visiting players elect for a unique style of cleat.
That’s a choice UND’s coaches have been preparing for already this season.
“We’ll have a couple different pairs of shoes for guys to try,” UND coach Eric Schmidt said. “Our equipment guys have done a great job. Guys have been breaking in different shoes. It’s the art of being a player. Guys will have some options on gameday.”
UND offensive coordinator Isaac Fruechte spent one season as an assistant coach at UNI in 2019.
“It is different,” Fruechte said. “You’re in a hybrid tennis shoe-golf shoe where you have some tackiness to it. It feels different. The guys have to do a good job getting shoes on early and getting out early to get the feel for which shoes I should wear and why. It’s a super-fast turf.”
During his weekly press conference, Stepsis noted how close UND is to a 4-0 record and a Top 5 FCS ranking. Instead, UND is 2-2 and ranked No. 15.
The Fighting Hawks held fourth-quarter leads at Kansas State and Montana before losing in the final two minutes in both Manhattan and Missoula.
“They should have beat Kansas State at Kansas State,” Stepsis said. “Then they went on the road at a tough place (in Missoula). That’s a really hard place to play. If they don’t have a touchdown called back … and right before half, they tried some trickery and came away with no points. If either of those plays go in their favor, they win.”
Northern Iowa is concerned with UND’s defensive pressure.
The Panthers have given up eight sacks through four games, while UND is third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 10 sacks on the year.
“Defensively, they send a lot of pressure, and we have to have a plan for that,” Stepsis said. “We have not handled (pressure) well. They’re typically a four-down front, and they send five or more a high percentage of the time and in every situation.
“They give unique looks like they’re going to send more. Seeing them play that way against Kansas State and Montana … it feels like they’ll treat us similar. We have to figure out how to stay ahead of the sticks, whether that’s the run game or quick passes or not beating ourselves. We need to figure out how to be in third-and-manageable.”
Northern Iowa’s passing game has featured two primary big-play wide receivers in Ayden Price and Tysen Kershaw.
Price is a 6-foot sophomore from West Des Moines. He transferred to UNI after not seeing action in two years at Iowa.
In a win over Eastern Washington, Price had six catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Kershaw is a 6-3 redshirt senior. Kershaw also had more than 100 receiving yards against EWU but didn’t have any catches in the team’s most recent game — a loss at Utah Tech.
The game marks homecoming at Northern Iowa.
This year’s homecoming theme is vintage as the school is celebrating the 150th-year anniversary.
The festivities for Saturday include a 5K race, a parade in downtown Cedar Falls and a number of Panther sporting events such as volleyball and swimming.
The last time UND played in Cedar Falls in 2023, the attendance was 10,677.
Northern Iowa’s rushing game has struggled this season, ranking ninth in the MVFC at 113.8 rushing yards per game.
Stepsis has challenged his offensive line to play tougher.
During the team’s bye week, UNI coaches showed the linemen some video clips of previous games to highlight toughness.
“It was this is where you were the nail and not the hammer,” Stepsis said. “We need more of this and less of that. Now that we’re in conference play, every single play will be a choice of hammer or nail. At the end of the day, it’s them being aware.”
