It may come down to which team, No. 14 Illinois State or Northern Iowa, that can best lift itself off the turf and get back after it.
Saturday’s 1 p.m. kickoff inside the UNI-Dome on Family Weekend poses challenges for two teams with post-season ambitions and another loss by either could eliminate the loser.
The Panthers (4-4 overall, 3-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference) desperately does not want that to be them.
The Panthers and Redbirds (5-3, 2-3) have not played since 2015. Illinois State has won four of the last five meetings against UNI, but have won only twice in Cedar Falls since 2002, and only once under head coach Brock Spack, who is in his 10th season at ISU.