Carl Wilson/FOR THE POST Ohio linebacker Leigh Barbour (51) chases down Minnesota wide receiver Antoine Henderson during Saturday's match-up of the two teams. The Golden Gophers beat the Bobcats 33-7.

The Ohio football team is seeing a slew of new things this season. Last week, the Bobcats' coaching staff got to observe many new faces in the season opener against Minnesota. Saturday night, it takes on a new opponent under a new atmosphere.

Ohio (0-1 overall), will battle the Northern Iowa Panthers (1-0) of the Division I-AA Gateway Football Conference on Saturday for the first time ever. The game will also be the first of three home games played under Peden Stadium's new permanent lights.

The Panthers are a team that makes the Division I-AA playoffs on a consistent basis, including seven times in the '90s, although they have failed to make the post-season in the past two years, finishing with very respectable 7-4 records both seasons.

They will not be an opponent for the Bobcats to quickly dismiss, said Ohio Head Coach Jim Grobe.

"They're close to being the best Division I-AA team in the country right now," he said.

Northern Iowa started off this season on the right foot last week, dropping McNeese State, 41-17.

The Panthers are known for their passing game. Quarterback Ryan Helming, 18th in the nation last year in passing efficiency, is under center. His favorite target is Mike Furrey, an All-American and candidate for the Walter Payton Award, given to the best player in Division 1-AA. Against McNeese State, Furrey caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. He also returned a punt for a score.

Helming was 22-31 in the season opener, but Grobe said he can envision Helming airing it out as many as 50 times against the Bobcats.

To defend this passing barrage, Ohio will use a variety of defensive schemes and formats, with blitzes and coverage changes, Grobe said.

"The amount of blitzing we do will depend on our success at it early in the game," he said. "We'll just have to see how they match up."

The Panthers lack depth at the running back position, although three different backs found the end zone against McNeese State. Tailback Michael Gerrell led the way, posting 68 yards on 16 carries.

However, what may concern Grobe the most about the Panther offense is not the passing game but rather the strength of their offensive line, he said. The line is anchored by All-American candidate center Brad Meester, who reminds Grobe of Ohio's center, Mike Varone.

"He's their guy," Grobe said of Meester. "He runs the show for them."

The Ohio defense is up to the overall challenge presented to it, linebacker Tom Weilbacher said.

"We can't let anybody score 33 points on us," he said "We have a lot to prove this weekend."

Defensively, Northern Iowa will throw anything and everything at the Bobcats, including zone defenses and blitzes, Grobe said. Linebackers Brandon Rutledge, Drew Elmer and All-American Matt Pedersen are the main threats at the linebacker position.

"Their whole football team defensively does a nice job of balancing things out," Grobe said. "They're good against both the run and the pass. I don't see any weak links in that defense."

If there is any weakness to the Panther defense, it would be the size of their defensive backs, in the 5 foot-8 to 5-foot 9 range, Ohio tailback Jamel Patterson said. He said for the Bobcats to beat the Northern Iowa defense, Ohio will have to cut down on mistakes such as penalties.

"As long as we stay away from the penalties, we'll be able to move the ball," he said.

This shouldn't be a problem for the Bobcats, as they learned quite a bit against Minnesota, Grobe said.

"Our players realize we made a lot of mistakes in the opening game," he said. "I think that loss at Minnesota opened our eyes a little bit."