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UNI football: Panthers sneak into FCS playoffs, will host Lamar in opening round

Related Topics: Dargan Southard, Panthera, Football

Mark Farley: 'I thought the defense did a tremendous job' Dargan Southard, msouthard@gannett.com

The Panthers are in, barely.

Buoyed by a strong strength of schedule and a few key wins, Northern Iowa snuck into the 24-team FCS playoff field with one of the last at-large bids. The Panthers (6-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley Conference) will host Lamar at 4 p.m. Saturday. A win would send UNI to UC Davis, which received the No. 6 overall seed. The entire field was announced Sunday.

After falling at Youngstown State on Nov. 10, many believed UNI’s postseason fate was sealed given its six-win ceiling.