1986 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

1986 Northern Iowa Panthers football
Conference	Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	7–3–1 (4–2 GCAC)
Head coach	Darrell Mudra (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Dennis Remmert (16th season)
Home stadium	UNI-Dome

1986 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Eastern Illinois $^	5	–	1	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
No. 17 Southern Illinois	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Northern Iowa	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	1
Illinois State	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Western Illinois	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
SW Missouri State	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Indiana State	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1986 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	7:30 p.m.	at Mankato State*		Blakeslee Stadium Mankato, MN	T 16–16	4,000	[1]
September 13	7:00 p.m.	at Kansas State*		KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	W 17–0	28,820	[2]
September 27	1:30 p.m.	Southwest Missouri State		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 45–3	13,000	[3]
October 4	7:00 p.m.	Arkansas–Pine Bluff*		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 36–7	14,852	[4]
October 11	1:30 p.m.	at No. 11 Eastern Illinois	No. 8	O'Brien Stadium Charleston, IL	L 30–31	11,052	[5]
October 18	1:30 p.m.	at Southern Illinois	No. 16	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 24–27	14,200	[6]
October 25	7:00 p.m.	Western Illinois		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 32–30	13,152	[7]
November 1	1:00 p.m.	at Montana State*		Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	L 25–46	5,227	[8]
November 8	7:00 p.m.	McNeese State*		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 55–38	7,575	[9]
November 13	7:00 p.m.	Indiana State		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 45–10	7,102	[10]
November 22	7:00 p.m.	Illinois State		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 22–13	7,452	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

[12][13]

References

1. "UNI salvages 16–16 tie". The Gazette. September 7, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "KSU snoozes through loss against UNI". The Wichita Eagle-Beacon. September 14, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Bears no match for rugged UNI". The Daily Nonpareil. September 28, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Third-quarter barrage gives Northern Iowa a 36–7 victory". The Des Moines Register. October 5, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Late field goal sinks No. 8 UNI". Quad-City Times. October 12, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "UNI playoff hopes injured by 27–24 loss". The Des Moines Register. October 19, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Northern Iowa nips Western". Quad-City Times. October 26, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Montana State picks off 7 UNI passes, wins 46–25". The Gazette. November 2, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Panthers win a 55–38 shootout". The Courier. November 9, 1986. Retrieved March 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Smith's passing sparks Panthers". The Sioux City Journal. November 14, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Northern Iowa finishes season with 22–13 victory". The Des Moines Register. November 23, 1986. Retrieved December 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1986 Football Schedule". University of Northern Iowa Athletics.
13. "1986 Northern Iowa Football". Retrieved February 13, 2024.