The Northern Iowa Panthers make their 12th appearance in the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs Friday night with a visit to second ranked James Madison. The Dukes are coming off a 66-21 victory over Monmouth in the second round.
That’s UNI coach Mark Farley who says the Panther defense will be challenged by a balanced James Madison offense that averages 44 points per game.
The Dukes only loss was a 20-13 loss at West Virginia in the season opener.
Despite several key injuries the Panthers avenged a regular season loss with a 13-10 victory at South Dakota State.
Farley says in terms of talent JMU is the equal of North Dakota State.
Farley says the playoffs are a grind and there is no opportunity to celebrate wins.
The weather could be a factor. Friday night’s forecast for Harrisonburg, Virginia, calls for freezing rain and temperatures in the mid 30s.
Kick off is at 6 pm Friday evening at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg.
