2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
| 2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 25 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 24 |
| Record | 3–4 (3–4 MVFC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Ryan Mahaffey (3rd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Jeremiah Johnson (8th season) |
| Home stadium | UNI-Dome |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 South Dakota State +^ | 5 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Missouri State +^ | 5 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 North Dakota ^ | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 North Dakota State ^ | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Southern Illinois ^ | 3 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State† | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois† | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 20th-year head coach Mark Farley, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 3–4 with an identical mark in conference play, placing sixth in the MVFC. The team played home games at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Schedule
Northern Iowa had a game scheduled against Iowa on September 5, which was later canceled before the start of the 2020 season.[1]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 19 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 5 South Dakota State | No. 3 |
| PSN[a], ESPN+ | L 20–24 | 2,137 | ||
| February 27 | 11:00 a.m. | at Youngstown State | No. 5 | ESPN+ | W 21–0 | 2,128 | |||
| March 6 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 15 Illinois State | No. 3 | PSN, SPN+ | W 20–10 | 1,920 | |||
| March 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 10 Southern Illinois | No. 4 | ESPN+ | L 16–17 | 2,400 | |||
| March 20 | 4:00 p.m. | Missouri State | No. 10 |
| PSN, ESPN+ | L 6–13 | 1,608 | ||
| March 27 | 7:00 p.m. | at Western Illinois | No. 22 | ESPN+ | W 34–20 | 542 | |||
| April 2 | 6:00 p.m. | South Dakota | No. 23 | ESPN+ | Canceled | ||||
| April 10 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 2 North Dakota State | No. 24 |
| ESPN+ | L 20–23 | 2,037 | ||
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- ^ Panther Sports Network involves these channels (CFU Ch. 15/HD415; KCRG-TV Ch. 9.2; KCWI Ch. 23; KGCW Ch. 26, (NBC Sports Chicago or NBC Sports Chicago Plus)
Players drafted into the NFL
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 93 | Spencer Brown | OT | Buffalo Bills |
| 4 | 116 | Elerson Smith | OLB | New York Giants |
References
- ^ Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Northern Iowa Panthers Schedule 2020". ESPN. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ "2021 Spring Football Schedule". University of Northern Iowa. Retrieved August 11, 2025.