| 1985 Northern Iowa Panthers football | |
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GCAC champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal, L 33–40 vs. Georgia Southern | |
| Conference | Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| Record | 11–2 (5–0 GCAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Dennis Remmert (15th season) |
| Home stadium | UNI-Dome |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Northern Iowa $^ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1985 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Darrell Mudra, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the GCAC title.[1] Northern Iowa advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first-round bye, the Panthers defeated Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals before losing to the evenutal national champion, Georgia Southern in the semifinals.
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7 | at Drake* | L 9–24 | 14,718 | ||
| September 14 | at Kansas State* | W 10–6 | 17,550 | ||
| September 21 | at Southwest Missouri State | W 38–17 | 7,750 | ||
| September 28 | No. 8 Delaware State* | W 37–17 | 12,100 | ||
| October 5 | at Western Illinois | W 48–14 | 5,438 | ||
| October 12 | Indiana State |
| W 24–7 | 13,852 | |
| October 26 | Youngstown State* |
| W 50–26 | 14,330 | |
| November 2 | at Illinois State | W 15–3 | 4,847 | ||
| November 9 | Eastern Illinois | No. 5 |
| W 21–20 | 10,875 |
| November 16 | Northwest Missouri State* |
| W 49–0 | 12,107 | |
| November 23 | Northeast Missouri State* |
| W 41–24 | 12,107 | |
| December 7 | No. 11 Eastern Washington* | No. 4 |
| W 17–14 | 6,220 |
| December 14 | No. 9 Georgia Southern* | No. 4 |
| L 33–40 | 12,300 |
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