NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

A lot has changed since Iowa and Northern Iowa last met on the football field in 2018. 

Kinnick Stadium's north end zone renovation wasn't even completed yet (the scoreboard wouldn't be installed until the following year), the Panthers were still considered an FCS contender in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, COVID-19 was still two years away, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) was still a few years from inception as well. 

Flash-forward to 2026, and we're living in a completely different world. Iowa remains a tough out in the Big Ten, but Northern Iowa has fallen off a cliff in recent years, winning only three games in each of the last two seasons. 

The rise of the Dakota schools in the MVFC – North Dakota State and South Dakota State – began UNI's slow decline, but the transfer portal probably hasn't helped the Panthers maintain any sort of continuity. 

Despite the growing talent gap between the FBS and FCS, Hawkeye head coach Kirk Ferentz still has a ton of respect for UNI and second-year head coach Todd Stepsis. The Panthers enter Saturday's matchup at Kinnick Stadium (3 p.m., FS1) with nothing to lose, and Ferentz knows his squad will need to remain sharp to get to 3-0. 

But what will this Northern Iowa team look like on Saturday? To find the answer, I spent the last two days watching the Panthers' Week 2 blowout victory over in-state rival Drake. It probably isn't the best game to evaluate considering the Bulldogs are non-scholarship, but UNI's 56-14 win certainly brought out the best in many players. 

Here are the top things I saw that Iowa will certainly include in its game plan. 

You Know What UNI Wants To Do On Offense 

Whenever Northern Iowa has the football, you know what it's going to do on offense because of the base formations the Panthers run. UNI wasn't afraid to mix things up on occasion, but I mostly saw it go with the classic under center or shotgun formations with one running back in the backfield and two wide receivers split out wide. 

There's nothing run with going old school, especially when you've been as successful on offense as the Panthers have been through two weeks. They showed flashes in a narrow Week 1 loss to Eastern Washington, but everything came together against Drake. 

UNI used penalty yardage to score on its opening drive, but the Bulldogs didn't have an answer for anything the Panthers employed. Quarterback Jaxon Dailey sliced and diced his way to 242 passing yards and three touchdowns, and he used a variety of playmakers to do so. The Panthers utilized nine rushers (including Dailey) to tally 201 yards on the ground, with eight catching passes. 

While Dailey is quarterback capable of making plays with his legs, don't expect UNI to run many designed runs for him outside of the red zone. The Panthers love to get their speedy running backs to the edge, so Iowa will need to contain the edge to make UNI run through the teeth of its defense. 

Physical Defense 

Stepsis' speciality is on the defensive side of the ball. He previously served as Drake's defensive coordinator for five seasons before being promoted to head coach in 2019, and his Bulldogs ranked third in the Pioneer Football League in total defense when he left for Northern Iowa after the 2024 season. 

The Panthers didn't have much success on defense in Stepsis' first season in Cedar Falls (they finished 7th out of 10th in the MVFC last year), but they took a good step in the right direction against Drake. The Bulldogs did tally 325 total yards, but UNI made plays when it counted, recording five turnovers, including an interception by veteran linebacker John Powers on the third play from scrimmage. 

The Panthers were simply swarming to the football throughout this game, and their base 4-3 defense resulted in Drake quarterback Riley Warzynski being under consistent pressure (he was sacked five teams). 

I hinted at this earlier, but any success the Bulldogs had in this game was via the return game. Drake collected 93 yards on five kick returns for an average of 18.6 yards per return, and there were usually gaping holes opening up on the right sideline. The Hawkeyes have yet to return a kickoff this season, so could this be the game where they can get things going? 

Looking for a FREE Hawkeyes community? 

Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join.

Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members in the community section! Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!

Click here to join the fun and potentially win some FREE Hawkeye swag! 

HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos