33The message coming out of Cedar Falls, Iowa, is simple: We will not be intimidated.

BYU's offensive line, which averages a whopping 326 pounds per man, has to give Northern Iowa some pause, right? Well, it would, except two of UNI's offensive linemen last year were drafted into the NFL and the whole line averaged 316 pounds per man. And the Panthers' defensive line is deep.

Then there's this: All you have to say is "Appalachian State" and FBS teams come to attention.

Last year, App State went into the "Big House" and upset Michigan, giving all FCS teams added hope of what's possible every time they take on an FBS team.

"We don't need a lot of people to believe we can win, quite frankly," Panthers offensive lineman Bob Swift said at Monday's news conference in Iowa. "We just need the people who are on the field to believe we can win."

BYU doesn't appear to be taking Northern Iowa lightly. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall made a comparison between Northern Iowa and last year's FCS opponent, Eastern Washington, pointing out that both teams made the FCS quarterfinals. Northern Iowa lost to Delaware 39-27 and Eastern Washington fell to eventual champion Appalachian State 38-25.

"I don't think you will see much difference between Northern Iowa and some of the better teams in our league," Mendenhall said. "We consider them a very good opponent."

BYU senior linebacker David Nixon went even further.

"Some people would look at them as an inferior opponent, but to be honest, I think they'll have some of best skill position players we'll face this year," he said.

Northern Iowa is ranked No. 3 in the first preseason FCS Sports Network poll. While the Panthers are breaking in a new quarterback (Pat Grace) and must replace four of their five starters on the offensive line, their other skill position players are talented. Running back Corey Lewis (6-0 197 Sr.) ran for more than 1,500 yards last season and is an NFL prospect. Wide receiver/return man Johnny Gray (16.9 yards per punt return) is dangerous and has been named to several All-American teams.

Defensively, Northern Iowa is deep and has another All-American on the line in tackle Mark Huygens (6-6 277 Jr.).

"If you have to compare them to someone, it would be Eastern Washington," Mendenhall said. "But I'm not sure they're (Northern Iowa) the same team. Northern Iowa has demonstrated over time that they're probably more capable. They are well coached and I think they're a very good opponent. I don't think you'll see much difference between Northern Iowa and some of the better teams in our league."

Northern Iowa head coach Mark Farley called BYU the best team his program has ever played. Most of the preseason hype for the 16th-ranked Cougars has been around an offense that returns nine starters. The Cougar defense, which returned only three, will receive quite a bit of scrutiny on the first Saturday of college football.

"It's kickoff for everyone and we're excited for it," Nixon said. "We're sick of playing against each other and ready to go against a great opponent."

Northern Iowa is getting a big paycheck for the game ($375,000) but has a win on its mind.

"We won't sneak up on anybody, because they'll be well-prepared," Farley said. "I'm not going out there for a show. We're going to go out there and try to win a football game."

• Flip a coin: BYU has scored first in 17 straight home games. If the Cougars win the coin toss, what will they do?

"Today, we'll take the ball," Mendenhall said on Monday. "I'm not saying that's the way it will end up on Saturday, but if I were choosing today, that's what we'd do."

• For all to see: The campus-side of the south scoreboard at LaVell Edwards Stadium received an overhaul this summer. There is a big "Y" logo, with the words "Tradition, Spirit, Honor" and "Championship Football" underneath. Mendenhall said he didn't have any input into the decision to place the team's pillars on the scoreboard.

"I really didn't have a say in that," he said, "but I was sent pictures. It's ironic to me that when I became head coach, the principle questioned most was the spiritual component. I was encouraged not to use that as it would make us a target. Four years later it's on the stadium visible for all to see. That's what our program stands for, not perfectly or that we're above mistakes, which we're not, but I like the identity. I'm not sure any program or business or organization can move forward without a clear vision of what they're after."

No longer will fans in the south end zone need to bring mirrors or turn completely around to see the video screen. The north end zone now boasts a new video scoreboard with three screens.

• Ode to the familiar: The Panthers are very much a home-grown team; 60 of the 99 players on the roster are from Iowa. But there is a Utah tie in the Northern Iowa program. Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery played some high school ball in Salt Lake City at Hillcrest and grew up playing youth football with former Cougar standout Reno Mahe. Montgomery said he had purchased about 50 tickets for friends and family to attend today's game.

• Collie watch: For someone who hasn't taken a single live rep in fall camp, junior wide receiver Austin Collie is getting a lot of attention. Not just because he's the team's top wide receiver but because he has received training at quarterback this fall. A stress fracture kept him out of most of fall camp.

"If you were to ask him, he feels ready to play," Mendenhall said. "A lot of that is based on how we managed his reps going into to it. If I were to trace the history of the injury for you, we met with Austin at the end of spring practice. He wanted an expanded role in the offense and we wanted him to have an expanded role. We told him that the better condition he was in the more he could handle. He took that to heart and possibly it was overuse in the summer that led to the stress fracture."

• Extra points: The Cougars have the longest winning streak in the country at 10 games. ... BYU is 3-0 against Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams, including a 42-7 victory over Eastern Washington last season. ... ... UNI is 20-60-5 against teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and 0-3 against ranked FBS teams. ... Today's game is the 1,000th in Northern Iowa history.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Read his blog on BYU football at cougarblue.com

Northern Iowa at No. 16 BYU

When: Today, 4 p.m.

Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium (64,045)

TV: The Mtn. (Rich Cellini, Jon Berger, Sammy Linebaugh)

Radio: KSL 1160 AM and 102.7 FM (Greg Wrubell, Marc Lyons, Nate Meikle)

Internet webcast: byucougars.com

The Word: This is the first meeting between the two teams. ... Northern Iowa is ranked No. 3 in the latest Sports Network FCS poll.