CEDAR FALLS - Football gave Pat Grace a shot of pain.

Football may also be Grace's best medicine.

Monday, Northern Iowa head coach Mark Farley said the left shoulder injury Grace sustained in the New Hampshire victory will not keep him out of Saturday's game against Richmond.

The Panthers and Spiders meet in the FCS semifinals at the UNI-Dome at 3 p.m. ESPN will televise the first meeting between the two programs, with the winner advancing to the title game in Chattanooga.

The stakes alone should ease any pain Grace might be feeling, suggested Farley.

"Pat will play," said Farley. "He'll be fine. … I don't think anything will keep him out of this football game right now. He's as excited as anybody. Corey Lewis is the same way."

Lewis, UNI's senior running back and career rushing leader, also missed part of the 36-34 quarterfinal win over New Hampshire. He re-injured the ankle that has bothered him for much of 2008. But he's expected to take the field against Richmond.

"I would anticipate, after seeing him yesterday, that (Lewis) will be OK," said Farley. "Pat will be sore, but he's good to go."

Grace hurt his non-throwing shoulder at the end of a third-quarter scramble Saturday night. The junior quarterback missed two series and then returned to finish the game.

"I landed on the shoulder, and it popped out a little bit," said Grace. "But it'll be alright. (The shoulder) went right back in. It's a little bit sore from that. I've got a little bruise on the shoulder. That's it."

Since UNI opened the season at Brigham Young, Grace has been dealing with pain. He took several lethal shots against the Cougars. He missed three games after injuring a knee against North Dakota State.

Despite the shoulder problem, Grace is looking forward to the semifinal game with Richmond. He's well-aware that a national television audience will be watching.

"It'll be big for us and the whole program to get our name up there," said Grace.

The quarterback also knows what UNI could gain with a victory over the Spiders - the Panthers' second trip to the FCS championship game in four years.

"We've been thinking about that since we won on Saturday," said Grace. "We're one of four teams left. But we've still got to go in with the mindset on Richmond and Richmond alone. We've got to get focused this week to go out and execute Saturday."

While Grace and Lewis are expected to play hurt, Farley said the overall health of his football team is relatively good.

"We're getting thin at some positions, but we still have a lot of quality on the field," he said. "As you can see, we're playing very well with the guys we have in there."

Farley expects his Panthers to be challenged physically by Richmond. The Spiders have a quality running back in Josh Vaughn, a rugged, high-percentage passer in Eric Ward and a stout defense.

While UNI and Richmond have never played, Farley sees the outlines of his own program in the Spiders.

"It's similar to watching us play," he said. "I would look at them like our team last year - very big, very strong, very physical up front."

Farley added, "Their defensive ends and secondary are very, very good. That's why I would compare them to last year's offensive football team and a mirror of our defense this year."

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