TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Barren and weather-beaten, Memorial Stadium looked 100 yards short of festive Saturday.

Northern Iowa still uncovered several reasons to celebrate.

The Panthers clinched a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title and racked up consecutive shutouts for the first time in 37 years by beating Indiana State, 28-0, before a sparse crowd on a wet and windy afternoon here.

Thus, UNI reached some significant milestones. The Panthers won their 14th MVFC crown, easily the most by any member school. For Mark Farley, it's the first back-to-back title run during his tenure as a head coach. UNI hadn't won two in a row since Terry Allen got there in 1995 and '96.

Doubt surrounded UNI when 2008 began. Could it repeat? The Panthers provided an emphatic answer Saturday.

"Everybody was just ecstatic," said senior running back Corey Lewis. "From the beginning of the year, we knew we could be where we're at right now. But it was like we were the only ones who thought we could get it again. We just came out here and played our game."

And as a final reward, Farley got the customary Gatorade and water bath at game's end. He didn't seem to mind. Instead, he savored an MVFC crown during a season when the league added North Dakota State and South Dakota State as full-fledged members.

"I'm probably more pleased with this (championship) than any other," said Farley. "This football team wasn't expected to play for the title."

Farley added, "I credit this whole season to the team. They're the ones who brought this team together. We just tried to get in the right place to win some games."

Then there was UNI's defense. It mined a statistical nugget buried since 1971.

During that season, the Panthers shut out South Dakota State, 23-0, and then beat South Dakota, 8-0, the next Saturday.

In this century, UNI blanked Missouri State, 42-0, a week ago. Then came Saturday's whitewashing of Indiana State.

The 2008 Panther defense hasn't given up a touchdown in 12 quarters.

"We've just been setting our goals and attaining them," said middle linebacker De'Veon Harris.

Said Farley, "I'm very proud of our defense and how they're playing right now."

The Panthers walked into Terre Haute without two players. Wide receivers Johnny Gray and Victor Williams are indefinitely suspended in the wake of their arrests Friday for possession of marijuana.

"I think it was difficult," said Farley. "There was no question it was on everybody's mind. We talked about it as early as this morning."

Quarterback Pat Grace, meanwhile, suited up Saturday and then watched the game from the bench.

Using some trusted spare parts and a few old reliables, UNI gathered strength as the minutes progressed and methodically sent Indiana State on the way to its 24th consecutive defeat. It's the longest losing streak in college football, regardless of division.

Pitching in relief of Grace, quarterback Zach Davis started for the third time in 2008. He tossed a 21-yard screen pass to Lewis for a touchdown just before halftime, beating a Syacmore blitz in the process and staking UNI to a 21-point lead.

Lewis also rushed for a score in the first quarter and another in the fourth. When he didn't dent Indiana State's defense, Derrick Law battered the Sycamores with his straight-ahead running. The duo combined for 167 yards on 36 carries.

Josh Collins filled in for Gray on the punt return team. He set up the first two Panther touchdowns with runbacks of 16 and 29 yards.

"We had to play this game like it was for the title," said Farley. "It didn't matter who we played. It was gonna have to be for the title. When you recruit these guys, you hope that when they get their opportunity, they take advantage of it."

The Panthers did just that in miserable weather conditions - early rain, persistent wind and temperatures in the 40s.

Yet it felt festive to UNI.

"It was cold as hell, " said Lewis. "But we had to get past that, stay focused. It was kind of sloppy, but we got the win."

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