2003 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

2003 Northern Iowa Panthers football
Gateway champion
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 7–37 vs. Delaware
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 5
Record	10–3 (6–1 Gateway)
Head coach	Mark Farley (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bill Salmon (3rd season)
Home stadium	UNI-Dome

2003 Gateway Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Northern Iowa +^		6	–	1					10	–	3
No. 9 Southern Illinois +^		6	–	1					10	–	2
No. 6 Western Illinois ^		5	–	2					9	–	4
No. 7 Western Kentucky ^		5	–	2					9	–	4
Illinois State		3	–	4					6	–	6
Youngstown State		2	–	5					5	–	7
Southwest Missouri State		1	–	6					4	–	7
Indiana State		0	–	7					3	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2003 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Mark Farley, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, winning the Gateway title. Northern Iowa advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Montana State in the first round before falling to eventual national champion Delaware in the quarterfinals.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30		at Iowa State*		Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA	L 10–17
September 6		Northern Michigan*		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 62–0
September 18	6:30 p.m.	at Stephen F. Austin*		Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	W 38–24	7,841
September 27		No. 11 Northwestern State*		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 43–10	13,102
October 4		at Illinois State	No. 16	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	W 16–7	12,026	[1]
October 11		Indiana State	No. 12	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 22–14
October 18		at Southwest Missouri State	No. 11	Plaster Sports Complex Springfield, MO	W 26–20
October 25		at No. 7 Western Illinois	No. 9	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 38–30	8,302	[2]
November 1		Youngstown State	No. 6	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 47–9
November 8		at No. 12 Western Kentucky	No. 6	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 3–24	7,518
November 15		No. 2 Southern Illinois	No. 11	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 43–40	15,088	[3]
November 29		No. 24 Montana State*	No. 7	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 35–14
December 6		at No. 3 Delaware*	No. 7	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 7–37	11,881
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

[4]

References

1. Gray, Rob (October 5, 2003). "Final flurry saves Panthers". Des Moines Register. p. 6C. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Gray, Rob (October 26, 2003). "Panthers' air game delivers victory". Des Moines Register. p. 6C. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Gray, Rob (November 16, 2003). "Amazing comeback saves UNI". Des Moines Register. p. 1C. Retrieved December 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "2003 Football Schedule". University of Northern Iowa Athletics. Retrieved January 19, 2019.