CEDAR FALLS - The pace will pick up, said Northern Iowa head coach Mark Farley.

Saturday, Northern Iowa's run through the 2009 season slowed briefly to a 30-minute jog.

The Panthers encountered a few roadblocks at the UNI-Dome, some self-made. By the end of the afternoon, though, UNI owned a 30-0 decision over Saint Francis before a crowd of 10,981.

Derrick Law gained a career-high 139 yards, including 133 in the final 30 minutes. Quarterback Pat Grace connected with D.J. Hord for a pair of touchdown passes.

UNI's defense held Saint Francis to a single first down in the decisive third quarter en route to its first shutout of 2009. And Jarred Herring gave the crowd a seven-point jolt before the game was 15 seconds old.

It all added up to a victory, as the Panthers improved to 2-1 overall. But the effort lacked the intensity UNI brought to the Iowa game. The performance level fell short of the mark set in the blowout of South Dakota.

"The number one thing is we're just pleased to get the win," said Farley.

"It didn't happen the way we thought it would happen, but we did get the win and we did come out in the second half and put (Saint Francis) away."

Up next for the Panthers is the meat of the regular season - the Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule. Missouri State and former Panther player and coach Terry Allen await UNI's arrival in Springfield for the league opener Saturday.

That's when the stakes go up, along with the team's pulse rate.

"Now we have to go back to the highest level," said Farley.

Added Panther linebacker Josh Mahoney. "We can put all this stuff to bed and focus on the Missouri Valley. That's why we play the season."

The last nonconference game of the season looked like it was going to be very easy in the opening five minutes.

First, Herring raced 88 yards with the opening kickoff for a touchdown. It was the first time a Panther had run one back for a score since Terrell Allen tallied on a 97-yarder against Drake in 2006.

The Panthers made it 14-0 in fastbreak fashion on their initial offensive series. Hord caught a 2-yard TD strike from Grace, and the blowout seemed imminent.

It didn't quite work that way. An illegal forward pass penalty negated another Grace touchdown pass. The senior quarterback threw his first interception of the year. A holding call derailed another threat.

Meanwhile, the Red Flash kept the ball for nine minutes on their best drive of the day, only to miss a 45-yard field goal.

"I think when you come into your last non-conference game there was a danger that we'd have … a little less energy and enthusiasm than when you're playing Iowa," said Mahoney.

The tempo changed in the third quarter. Law, running behind an offensive line that didn't have tackle Austin Howard and his bad knee, set up two Billy Hallgren field goals with his battering-ram carries.

The biggest offensive play belonged to Grace and Hord. Beating a Saint Francis blitz, the UNI quarterback found Hord deep down the left sideline. Hord, who had adjusted his route upon seeing the blitz, caught the pass between two defenders and completed the 57-yard scoring play.

"(Grace) threaded the needle on that one," said Hord. "Somehow, he got it in there perfectly, I caught it on the run, and I was gone."

So, for that matter, was Saint Francis. Law's 28-yard gallop in the fourth quarter led to Hallgren's final 3-pointer of the night and set the final score.

Thus, UNI trotted across the finish line as a winner, hoping to pick up the pace in seven days.

"We'll shore up our mistakes, look where we can get better and correct our errors," said Mahoney. "The games are gonna get more and more important as the season progresses, starting next week."