Congratulations to Northern Iowa

[Kill'em]

There have been a lot of threads dedicated to App. St, and rightfully so, but I wanted to take the time to send congratulations to UNI. You had a heck of a road to get to the finals and really gave App. St all they could handle. After they played us I thought they would roll to the championship. I was wrong. As young as y'll seem to be you might just be back next year.

[blackfordpu]

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[Hansel]

I didn't give UNI much of a shot in the playoffs (had them losing first round) but they seem to play quite well as a team and almost pulled it off :)

[JohnStOnge]

To me as a I-AA fan there's no feeling worse than seeing the team get to the championship game and losing. Don't know if it's worse to get there and lose a close one as UNI did last night and McNeese did in 1997 or for the team to be really good but lay an egg like McNeese did in 2004.

There's pride in it after a time but it sure sucks big time for a while after it happens. Opportunity lost.

[ravens]

I didn't give UNI much of a shot in the playoffs (had them losing first round) but they seem to play quite well as a team and almost pulled it off :)


UNI gave it a great run but in the end Appy's massive D and the curse of the drama punter was too much to overcome :cool:

[*****]

Very big congrats to UNI and their program, their fans and their continued success in I-AA. :bow: :bow: :bow:

[PapaBear]

I want to see a game in the UNI Dome and I want our team to face the challenge that a bunch of tough, corn-fed Midwestern boys can pose. (Wouldn't hurt UNI to see what they can bring against a bunch of cold-hardened, smash-mouth Mainers, either.)

Great run in the playoffs, Panthers. With as young as your team is, you'll be a force for some time.

[OL FU]

To me as a I-AA fan there's no feeling worse than seeing the team get to the championship game and losing. Don't know if it's worse to get there and lose a close one as UNI did last night and McNeese did in 1997 or for the team to be really good but lay an egg like McNeese did in 2004.

There's pride in it after a time but it sure sucks big time for a while after it happens. Opportunity lost.
John, you are right. I think, at first, it is worse to get there and lose, but as time goes on you realize that not many get there and the pride comes back. So in the long run it is better to get to the NC game.

[bandl]

Very big congrats to UNI and their program, their fans and their continued success in I-AA. :bow: :bow: :bow:

I definitely agree...I didn't know much about UNI, or their fans, before this playoff run. I was very impressed for the most part, to say the least. Best of luck in the future...

:hurray: :hurray:

[Appdad]

John, you are right. I think, at first, it is worse to get there and lose, but as time goes on you realize that not many get there and the pride comes back. So in the long run it is better to get to the NC game.


OL FU,

You are absolutely correct. The pain of the loss will lessen over time. The UNI players, family, coaches and school should be extremely proud of their excellent season and effort they gave in the NC game. It was outstanding to be a spectator in the stadium.

[Reed Rothchild]

Thanks for the praise of UNI. It was a lot of fun to watch this team. The next 2 years with Eric Sanders at the helm should be even better.

[tralfangar]

Just want to reiterate the praise for UNI! Overall (and I stress overall), your fans were very pleasant and genial. Your team was very, very talented and frankly I was surprised we were still in the game after the first half. From what I saw last night your QB Sanders is going to be a force to be reckoned with the next two years. He was throwing perfect passes...and I mean PERFECT. If you pick up ANY receivers who can break big plays, your team will be close to unstoppable.

Also, I was truly impressed with the noise and dedication of your fans. To travel that far is admirable and should be applauded, and then to be as loud and vocal as you were at the game was amazing. Ahh..I'm rambling...excellent game UNI, you have much to be proud of!!!

[*****]

...I was truly impressed with the noise and dedication of your fans. To travel that far is admirable and should be applauded, and then to be as loud and vocal as you were at the game was amazing. Ahh..I'm rambling...excellent game UNI, you have much to be proud of!!!Man, so was I!! In the last half of the fourth quarter I looked at their stands and those folks were jumping up and down going crazy for their defense when App had the ball (and the lead)!!!! I was completely impressed. In 2005 the UNI team and fans never gave up. :bow: :bow: :bow:

[igo4uni]

We got back from Chatty late last night after a 13 hour drive. What a fun time. Great Game, too. I was impressed with the number of UNI fans that made the game, considering the long drive. Good game App. State.

[Pantherpower]

I cherish the experience I had in Chattanooga. The outcome was tough to take, but was completely worth it. ASU's defense impressed me so much. If those two DE's are not on NFL rosters next year, something is terribly wrong. They never allowed our offense to get in a rhythm and that's a real credit to them. I thought the DB's were outstanding, too. Congrats to Appalachian State (pronounced Appa-Latchin) Enjoy the title and I enjoyed meeting many of the ASU fans during my trip. Freaking awesome experience!

[CanuckPanther]

As I UNI alum, I was thrilled to get the chance to fly from British Columbia to Chattanooga for the game. I had a wonderful time (except for the final score LOL) and I think Chattanooga did a great job of hosting.
I, too, was proud to be in the stadium to watch that game. My seat happened to be in the middle of AppState fans, and they were great people. They cheered wholeheartedly for their team and I cheered for UNI. It was fun. I talked to several AppState fans who were great people, and great fans.
I congratulate ASU on their championship! And I also am proud to hear the nice comments from their fans about UNI's team and fans! Many thanks!
It is that type of thing which makes it fun to have gone to such a game, win or lose.

[Kill'em]

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it. That's what it's all about.

[Black and Gold Express]

As I stated in my thread originally, UNI deserves a lot of credit. Both their players and fans. I underestimated them and they gained a lot of respect in my book.

[APPST '93]

I cherish the experience I had in Chattanooga. The outcome was tough to take, but was completely worth it. ASU's defense impressed me so much. If those two DE's are not on NFL rosters next year, something is terribly wrong. They never allowed our offense to get in a rhythm and that's a real credit to them. I thought the DB's were outstanding, too. Congrats to Appalachian State (pronounced Appa-Latchin) Enjoy the title and I enjoyed meeting many of the ASU fans during my trip. Freaking awesome experience!

One problem...Murrell #44 will be back.

[asumatt]

I must say that neither team played exceptionally well on offense in this game. I don't think that we got a good look of what UNI had to offer and vice versa (no disrepect to either defenses). I was however impressed with the fans and players of the panther football team. It is a very good program that Farley is running and I am sure that you will get your championship soon.

[HiHiYikas]

UNI definitely deserves a lot of credit for their trip to the Championship game. You guys knocked off some real giants at every round, and won games despite losing some statistical battles. That's overcoming at it's finest, and it made you a lot of fun to watch and follow.

It looked like you guys were well-represented in Chattanooga. Lots of purple in the stands, and lots of Panther faithful out tailgating. I wish I had met a few of you. We'll make plans to meet up at the championship rematch next year in Chattanooga.

Besides ASU's defensive display in the 4th, one of my favorite parts of the game was the outstanding play of Brian Wingert. That kid has some real TNT in those thin legs, and he got to show it off. I knew that first field goal was impressive, but I didn't appreciate it fully until I re-watched the game on TiVo. That thing would have been good from 70 yards. Plus, it shut up those ESPN dopes who thought a field goal try was a bad idea. It was one of those priceless "hey, these kids can play football, too" moments for ESPN.