CEDAR FALLS - Never say no to Northern Iowa's 2008 football team.

These Panthers know how to win even when the games seem to be one bounce from getting away.

UNI fought its way into the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals and picked up an extra home game as a bonus Saturday night when the Panthers edged New Hampshire, 36-34, in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

Mark Farley's team was tested in every phase. New Hampshire's potent offense lived up to its advance billing, rolling up 342 yards. The Wildcat defense made some huge plays, most notably the 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by John Clements that ended the first half.

And UNI dealt with some self-inflicted wounds. In addition to Clements' pick, the Panthers lost a pair of fumbles. Quaterback Pat Grace missed several series with a left shoulder injury.

And yet, UNI survived and advanced.

"I'm proud of this team," said Farley. "It took every phase to help us win. We knew we had to remain poised, and we did."

The Panther defense forced six turnovers - four interceptions and a pair of fumbles - and stopped New Hampshire's last two possessions of the night cold. UNI racked up 404 yards of total offense despite its own mistakes.

So it's on the semifinals for the second time in four years.

Thanks to Richmond's 33-13 upset of three-time defending champion Appalachian State, the Panthers will host the Spiders Friday or Saturday in the UNI-Dome. Kickoff time has yet to be determined.

The Panthers are a victory away from the title game.

"Having the guys pull it together and everything feels great," said UNI cornerback Terrell McMoore, the author of a key defensive touchdown Saturday. "We're advancing to the … what is it? The seminfals? The quarterfinals? I don't even know. It doesn't matter. It feels great."

Now, the 2008 Panthers find themselves where last year's team was supposed to go. A year ago, top-ranked UNI had a chance to play three home games, but the season ended with a loss to Delaware in the quarterfinal round.

When this year began, questions and doubts surrounded the Panthers. They refused to listen to anyone who said no to the dreams of this team.

"Nobody expected to come out here and have the season we're having," said McMoore. "I think our team plays with a little bit more of a chip on our shoulders. You have a little more of a fire lit under you."

Said Farley, "This game blew us out of the shadows because now they made the statement against a great New Hampshire team in the quartefinals. This one put us in the place you want to be."

Getting to that place meant finishing a long hard journey, especially after New Hampshire grabbed a 27-26 lead on Clements' interception to end the half.

"We knew it would be a dogfight," said linebacker Josh Mahoney, who picked off a pair of passes Saturday.

"There were going to be big plays on both sides. Being down one, we were a little upset with that. But you can't let that affect your focus. We knew there were still two quarters of football to play and we knew we were gonna move the ball. And if we came up with a couple of big plays on defense, we were gonna win the game."

That was the third-quarter recipe.

UNI took the lead for good in the third quarter when Billy Hallgren booted a 35-yard field goal on the opening possession.

Then came the first of three huge defensive plays for the Panthers. Terrell McMoore picked off R.J. Toman's floating screen pass and raced 36 yards for a score with 2 minutes, 26 seconds to go in the third period.

"(The football) did look like a big grapefruit," said McMoore. "I finally took one back to the house. We just told the defense, 'let's put it on our shoulders."

New Hampshire cut the gap to two points, but UNI's defense rose again with the game on the line in the fourth quarter.

"They're just an all-around great defensive team," said Toman, New Hampshire's quarterback. "They just outplayed us."

Linebacker De'Veon Harris, patrolling the middle of the field, tipped a Toman pass to himself at the UNI 44. That was the Panthers' fourth and final interception of the night.

James Ruffin, the Missouri Valley Conference's defensive player of the year, made his biggest sack of the season on New Hampshire's final series. He knocked down Toman for a seven-yard loss on third down, pushing the Wildcats back to their own 38.

Toman then overthrew J.T. Wright on fourth down.

Game Panthers.

"It's the playoffs," said Mahoney. "We knew we'd have to come up with some big stops."

Mahoney's interception was the first big play of the night. That pick set up Grace for a 14-yard touchdown run that began the scoring.

It certainly didn't end there. The Panthers added a safety on a blocked punt, a Hallgren field goal, and TD rushes by Grace again and Corey Lewis.

But UNI missed some chances to score, especially late in the half. Meanwhile, New Hampshire tallied on the ground, through the air on a flea-flicker pass and on defense when Clements went the distance with a Grace throw.

But not a soul in a purple uniform said no.

"I was just as upset as anybody else was," said Farley of his halftime mood.

He added, "That wasn't the time to approach Pat Grace for doing that. In this particular game, it was best to stick to the plan and that's what we've been saying all week. Whatever happens, we have to stick to our plan and stick to our guns because it's going to unfold after four quarters."

Contact Jim Sullivan at (319) 291-1434 or jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com