CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Mark Farley thought he would bring a deep and talented stable of running backs to the University of Northern Iowa’s season opener at Iowa.

Monday, the stable was much emptier.

During his appearance at the weekly press luncheon, the Panthers’ head football coach announced the suspensions of veteran backs Derrick Law and Taylor Brookins. Law, said Farley, is out for UNI’s game at Kinnick Stadium this Saturday. Brookins, he added, has been suspended indefinitely.

“As much as we want to win this game and as much as I want to win this game … we will not compromise our university and our football program to do that,” Farley said. “We just feel that it’s even more magnified in a type of game like this against the University of Iowa.”

Brookins is a junior and a Cedar Falls High graduate. He was arrested Saturday for possession of marijuana in Bremer County. Two 21-year-old men with Brookins, Phillip Clark of Waterloo and Jordan Borcherding of Cedar Falls, were arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Law, a senior from Kansas City who finished high school at Newton, was arrested Saturday. Authorities charged Law with two simple misdemeanors for public intoxication and criminal trespass after he walked into a house about two blocks from his home on North College Street in Cedar Falls.

Law and Brookins brought the number of Panthers suspended recently to five.

Last week, reserve offensive linemen Evan Tecklenburg, of Muscatine, and Misha Danilov were ruled out for Iowa, along with backup quarterback Zach Davis. Tecklenburg was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Danilov drew the same charge and another for possession of marijuana. Davis was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.