I could just start and finish this preview right now by saying that "UNI is really good and is the favorite to win the conference." While the above does pretty much sum up the passerby's view of the Panthers, I wouldn't be doing UNI justice. The Panthers are the conference's defending champions but found themselves on the wrong end of a 14-7 decision in the first round of the FCS playoffs last year at the UNI-Dome. With 18 returning starters, UNI has some unfinished business to take care of if they want to be more than just a footnote in conference history.
 |
| UNI quarterback Tirrell Rennie |
Offense
Life is not rough for the Panther offense right now, especially since nearly everyone returns from an offense that averaged 382 yards per game last year. Tirrell Rennie starts at quarterback and he is a terrific dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 1,291 yards and 15 touchdowns and passing for 1,526 yards and eight touchdowns in 2010. To show Rennie's importance, UNI ran 760 plays last year and the quarterback either threw it or carried it 400 times. Running back Carlos Anderson helps to form solid duo in the backfield and with four of last year's five offensive linemen returning, both of these players should be effective in moving the UNI ground game. Leading receiver Jarred Herring will likely be the primary target after catching five touchdowns last year.
It should be noted that UNI finished 7-5 last year, so what went wrong? The Panthers were actually pretty bad once they got inside the 20 yard-line. UNI scored on 30 of their 45 trips (67 percent) to the red zone last season, which is fairly low and opponents scored 84 percent of the time last year when inside the 20 against UNI. The Panthers scored touchdowns 17 of 45 red zone possessions in 2010 and UNI will have to be better than that this year.
 |
| UNI safety Andre Martin |
UNI loses its leading tackler from 2010, linebacker Jamar Thompson but with the Panthers returning 10 starters, the defense should remain stout. Darren Branch, Ben Boothby, and Will Eilert return to form the defensive line, with Boothby leading the line with 9.5 sacks last year. L.J. Fort had 92 tackles last year and will likely lead the linebacking corps and safety Andre Martin, who had 77 tackles as a freshman last year will do the same in the secondary.
UNI could afford to be a little more consistent on defense. In their two MVFC losses last year, UNI gave up 45 points in an overtime loss to Southern Illinois and lost 30-14 to Western Illinois in the regular season finale. It may be nitpicking when UNI gave up an average of 21 points per game last year but it's not a stretch to say that the best teams will play consistently from week to week.
Outlook
For all that's been said about UNI and how great they could be, there's a decent chance that they start the season at 0-2. The Panthers will head to Ames to take on in-state rival Iowa State, following that up by partaking in a rematch with Stephen F. Austin. The Leathernecks beat UNI, 22-20 in Cedar Falls last year and this will likely be a premier non-conference matchup in the FCS.
The pressure is squarely on UNI to win the conference and they will be the going away preseason favorite when the poll is released. Considering the relative parity in the Valley, I would expect at least one loss for the team that wins the conference, UNI or not. Without question, this team has the potential to do all of that and be in the running late in the year for a national championship. The difference will mean that the Panthers will have to handle crunch time better than last year.
Up Next: Southern Illinois (No South Dakota St. preview. More can be read on the Jackrabbits in the coming weeks.)
All photos by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
No comments:
Post a Comment