UNI needs bye week after 1-4 start - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

The bye week might be coming at a good time for the Northern Iowa football team. The Panthers, who were as a high as number-6 in the FCS polls, are now ranked 25th after a 1-4 start.

UNI lost at home to number-1 North Dakota State on Saturday, 33-21. The Panthers have also lost at Wisconsin and Iowa, and to third-ranked Youngstown State to fall to 0-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The schedule has been brutal, but the Panthers need some wins to make the playoffs for the fifth time in six years.

Mark Farley says, "When you're at UNI, you know how to get to the playoffs. You know the process and the records and that type of stuff. What I need really to stress to them is focus on the fact that the only thing we control is getting ready for the next football game. We don't control anything else right now. You control what you control and put your energy in that.

After the off week, UNI plays at Southern Illinois on the 13th. The Salukis are 1-1 in the conference and 2-3 overall.