Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock, left, shakes hands with Northern Iowa head coach Mark Farley, right, after Iowa State won 29-26 in triple overtime of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Ames. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney)

AMES — Zac Kibby wanted nothing more than to walk out of Jack Trice Stadium here Saturday afternoon with a victory for Northern Iowa football.

But while the Panthers were denied in triple-overtime against No. 21 Iowa State, 29-26, Kibby and his teammates proved they could hang with anyone this year.

“I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a team,” Kibby said. “We did a lot of good things on offense, defense and special teams. There will be plenty of things we need to correct, but overall, I feel we played a tough, gritty games — especially the defense.”

Kibby, a former all-stater at Bishop Garrigan, handled punting duties and was part of the secondary rotation. He averaged 39.5 yards on six kicks, with three of those being downed inside the Iowa State 20.

Last year, UNI head coach Mark Farley turned to Kibby to help when injuries hit the Panther punters. He ended up averaging just over 39.5 yards per kick as a redshirt sophomore, appearing in all 13 games on defense and special teams.

“It was such an up-and-down game,” Kibby said. “We had all the momentum one second and then all of a sudden they had it.”

A sellout crowd of 61,500 was announced for the game, with many wearing purple and gold in support of the upset-minded Panthers.

By pushing Iowa State to the brink on multiple instances, Kibby knows Northern Iowa delivered a message to the rest of the Football Championship Subdivision and Missouri Valley Football Conference.

“It was really cool to have a crowd of that size into the game as much as they were until the end,” Kibby said. “As fun as it was, a loss is a loss. However, we just showed that this team can play with anyone.”

Three former Iowa Central players were also part of the UNI defense with Kibby, as Spencer Cuvelier recorded 14 tackles, Roosevelt Lawrence eight and ex-Manson Northwest Webster all-stater Tim Butcher two.

Six of Cuvelier’s 14 stops were solos, as he also broke up a Brock Purdy pass that was almost picked off. Butcher had a tackle for loss.

Northern Iowa will make its home debut next Saturday when they host Southern Utah inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.