CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2016 Northern Iowa

5–⁠6 (4–⁠4 Missouri Valley Football Conference).

Schedule and results

Northern Iowa in 2016, game by game: won at Iowa State 25–20; lost vs. Montana 14–20; lost at Eastern Washington 30–34; won vs. Southern Illinois 42–21; lost at South Dakota 25–28; lost at Youngstown State 10–14; won vs. Missouri State 61–7; lost vs. North Dakota State 20–24; won at Indiana State 39–6; won at Western Illinois 30–23; lost vs. South Dakota State 24–45+54−21Won 25–20 at Iowa State+5Iowa StateLost 14–20 vs. Montana-6MontanaLost 30–34 at Eastern Washington-4Eastern Washing…Won 42–21 vs. Southern Illinois+21Southern Illino…Lost 25–28 at South Dakota-3South DakotaLost 10–14 at Youngstown State-4Youngstown StateWon 61–7 vs. Missouri State+54Missouri StateLost 20–24 vs. North Dakota State-4North Dakota St…Won 39–6 at Indiana State+33Indiana StateWon 30–23 at Western Illinois+7Western IllinoisLost 24–45 vs. South Dakota State-21South Dakota St…
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3atIowa StateW 25–⁠2042%
Sep 10vsMontanaL 14–⁠2063%
Sep 17atEastern WashingtonL 30–⁠3451%
Oct 1vsSouthern IllinoisW 42–⁠2170%
Oct 8atSouth DakotaL 25–⁠2867%
Oct 15atYoungstown StateL 10–⁠1442%
Oct 22vsMissouri StateW 61–⁠775%
Oct 29vsNorth Dakota StateL 20–⁠2433%
Nov 5atIndiana StateW 39–⁠658%
Nov 12atWestern IllinoisW 30–⁠2349%
Nov 19vsSouth Dakota StateL 24–⁠4556%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to South Dakota State 45–⁠24; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

In program history: The 13th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 89 on file).

Record
5–⁠6
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 4th in Missouri Valley Football Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
320–⁠242
Coach
—
Elo
1422 −13 this season
SP+ rating
—
SRS
−6.6 No. 6 of 125 in FCS
Recruiting class
No. 142
Offensive coordinators
Bill Salmon and Ryan Mahaffey
Defensive coordinator
Jeremiah Johnson
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

Leaders

Passing yardsAaron Bailey QB135 yds
Passing touchdownsAaron Bailey QB1 TD
Rushing yardsAaron Bailey QB114 yds
Rushing touchdownsAaron Bailey QB1 TD
Receiving yardsTyvis Smith RB43 yds
Receiving touchdownsTyvis Smith RB1 TD
TacklesJared Farley LB8 tkl
SacksHezekiah Applegate DL1 sacks
InterceptionsCharles Brown WR1 INT

Top recruits in the 2016 class

Christian Ellsworth PRO★★★No. 1897
Desmond Chapple WDE★★★No. 1935
Isaiah Weston WR★★★No. 2057
Marcel Minniefield DT★★No. 2381
Markail Williams OLB★★No. 2990

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2016 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.810
Receivers22.50.784
Defensive line22.50.799
Linebackers22.00.767
Defensive backs22.00.748
Athletes and specialists22.00.734
Whole class112.30.771

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

2016 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
North Dakota State8–⁠112–⁠2
South Dakota State7–⁠29–⁠4
Youngstown State6–⁠212–⁠4
Illinois State4–⁠46–⁠6
Northern Iowa4–⁠45–⁠6
Western Illinois3–⁠56–⁠5
South Dakota3–⁠54–⁠7
Missouri State2–⁠64–⁠7
Indiana State2–⁠64–⁠7
Southern Illinois2–⁠64–⁠7

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.