From 2003 to 2005, Northern Iowa was 0-3 against Iowa’s “big two,” Iowa and Iowa State, and was outscored 85-31 in the three games.

Five years later, though, the Panthers can’t be overlooked.

In its last three games against the two Bowl Subdivision schools in the state, Northern Iowa — a member of NCAA Division I’s Championship Subdivision — has gone 1-2, losing by one point each time.

“They’ve got nothing to lose,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads on Monday. “They’re not expected to win, so they come in playing loose and relaxed, giving it all they’ve got.”

Rhoads said with in-state matchups like this one, players on the side of the underdog may have a “chip on their shoulder,” feeling slighted by the bigger school that passed on recruiting them.

However, even in games played by out-of-state opponents, the gap between the top two tiers of Divison I football has seemingly shrunk.

This season though, there have already been six FBS teams lose to FCS foes. Eight cross-divisional games during the first three weeks of the season were decided by seven points or less.

“I think it’s increasingly narrowing as football moves forward,” Rhoads said.

Rhoads pointed to early scholarship offers to high school players that can leave late-developing talents without a FBS team to call their own. FCS schools then can come in and pick up the leftovers that weren’t available in the past. The Championship Subdivision gives out 22 less scholarships than their Bowl counterparts.

ISU quarterback Austen Arnaud, an Ames native, said the high number of UNI players from the state of Iowa makes the game more interesting because of existing relationships with opposing players.

Northern Iowa’s success during the past decade that has included five appearances in the FCS playoffs: 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. In 2005, the Panthers finished second with a loss in the FCS championship game.

“They’ve earned enough in the last 10 years to be thrown in the hat with us and Iowa,” Arnaud said. “To us and to them, they know they can compete.”

Arnaud’s last performance against Northern Iowa is one to forget.

In 2007 — the Cyclones’ first year under then-head coach Gene Chizik — the Panthers came to Ames and left a 24-13 winner.

Arnaud, a freshman playing behind quarterback Bret Meyer, completed two of his four pass attempts for 15 yards in his first action at Jack Trice Stadium.

“Last time they came here, they beat us. That speaks for itself,” Arnaud said. “They’re a good team and they’ve been good for a long time, so we’re expecting a dog fight when they come in on Saturday.”

The UNI defense will be in the spotlight against an ISU offense — led by Arnaud — that has been criticized for its production. The unit features six juniors and two seniors.

“They run around really, really good,” Herman said. “They fly around and make a bunch of plays. They’re very quick and fast, and they’re good tacklers, too.”

The Panthers will start the game in a base 3-4 set, but will switch to different formations and looks throughout the game to create what Herman called “confusion by disruption.”

Herman said the offense will need to quickly identify the formation and understand what the defense intends to do in order to be successful.

“Their technique is good and they’re well coached. Their current defensive coordinator has been there awhile, so the players know what to do and what to expect,” Arnaud said.

Northern Iowa started a freshman and sophomore at cornerback in its last game, a 22-20 loss to Stephen F. Austin, but Herman doesn’t expect the inexperience in the secondary to change the game plan at all.

The Panthers also start a sophomore and a junior at safety.

“We certainly need more production out of our passing game, that’s for sure,” Herman said, “but we’re going to do what we do best.”

Herman said the ISU offense would challenge Northern Iowa in the running game despite the fact the UNI defense is second in the FCS against the run, allowing only 19.5 yards per game.

However, the Panthers are 109th against the pass, giving up 301.5 yards per game.

“We run the football pretty good and we’ll continue to do that, but we definitely need some production down the field in the throwing game,” Herman said.

Earlier in the week, coaches discussed creating more explosive plays on offense.

While Herman said there may be opportunities to stretch the field through the air against Northern Iowa, the ISU offense will have to choose its spots to take risks.

“You’ve got to be able to predict what the defense is dictating to you and be able to stretch the field based on that,” he said. “Hopefully through being able to formation them into a certain front or a certain coverage that is favorable for that, we’ll certainly try to do that.”

The UNI offense is also different schematically than the last time Iowa State saw it.

Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said the ISU defense has had a good week of preparation for the UNI offense, a unit that runs a triple-option system.

At the helm of the multi-threat offense is quarterback Tirrell Rennie. The 6-foot-2-inch senior has racked up 228 yards and a touchdown on the ground along with 334 yards and a touchdown passing the ball this season.

Burnham said that stopping the UNI offense centers around stopping the run. With the triple-option attack, most of Northern Iowa’s passing opportunities come from the shotgun formation, making it easier for the ISU defense to focus in on the pass.

“We can’t let them run the ball and play actions,” Burnham said. “We’ve got to get them in the shotgun and make them throw the football.”

To stop the run, the ISU defense will have to improve from its performance during the first three weeks.

The Cyclones’ rush defense is ranked No. 112 in FBS, allowing 231 yards per game. The UNI offense, though, has accounted for 238 yards per game on the ground, 11th in FCS.

“They run it really well,” said ISU linebacker A.J. Klein. “They’ve got two really explosive players at quarterback and running back, and we have to be able to stop them to get a victory.”

In the backfield with Rennie on most plays will be senior running back Carlos Anderson. Anderson, a Blue Springs, Mo., native, has 239 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ first two games this season.

Despite their success with the run game, the UNI offense is not one dimensional.

The Panthers have four receivers with 80 yards or more in their first two games, including junior Jerred Harring who has four catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.

“Speed, speed, speed,” Burnham said about the UNI receivers. “They can run, they can catch, they can do all of those things that good receivers do. The fastest receivers we’ve seen.”

The speed of the UNI receivers presents another challenge for the ISU defense, forcing them to focus on the deep threats on nearly every down.

“It’s going to be tough to shut them down, but we have to do it,” Klein said.

Iowa State will be playing near full strength on Saturday night, as well. Arnaud’s bruised shoulder shouldn’t limit his play at all against the Panthers, but Rhoads said defensive lineman Bailey Johnson is doubtful going into the game.

The game kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on Mediacom in central Iowa.