The 2021 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 21st-year head coach Mark Farley, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 6–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing sixth in the MVFC. Northern Iowa received an at-large bid to NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Panthers lost to Eastern Washington in the first round. The team played home games at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Schedule
Game summaries At No. 7 (FBS) Iowa State
Statistics UNI ISU First downs 13 17 Total yards 275 336 Rushes/yards 26/45 34/136 Passing yards 230 199 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 21–34–2 21–26–0 Time of possession 28:48 31:12 Team Category Player StatisticsNorthern Iowa Passing Will McElvain 21–34, 230 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing Dom Williams 12 carries, 43 yards Receiving Quan Hampton 8 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TDIowa State Passing Brock Purdy 21–26, 199 yards Rushing Breece Hall 23 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD Receiving Xavier Hutchinson 7 receptions, 88 yards
At Sacramento State
St. Thomas (MN)
Youngstown State
At No. 5 North Dakota State
No. 21 South Dakota
At No. 6 South Dakota State
No. 3 Southern Illinois
At Illinois State
At No. 16 Missouri State
Statistics UNI MSU First downs 22 18 Total yards 360 379 Rushes/yards 33/122 32/59 Passing yards 238 320 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 17-30-2 22-30-0 Time of possession 29:28 30:32 Team Category Player StatisticsNorthern Iowa Passing Theo Day 17/30, 238 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing Dom Williams 16 carries, 83 yards Receiving Deion McShane 6 catches, 86 yards, 2 TDMissouri State Passing Jason Shelley 22/33, 320 yards, 1 TD Rushing Tobias Little 10 carries, 34 yards Receiving Naveon Mitchell 3 catches, 74 yards, 1 TD
Western Illinois
At No. 4 Eastern Washington—NCAA Division I First Round
Players drafted into the NFL
1 19 Trevor Penning OT New Orleans Saints
References