By the numbers

[clenz]

Most people determine if they feel a team they aren't real familiar with will do well or not for the coming season based on returning starters on offense and defense. I'm guilty of that as well. However, when I saw UNI only brought back 3 starters I had to look at who they were, because I know we played far more people than to only bring back three starters on offense.

So here is my break down of UNI by the numbers past the starters. Feel free to break your team down.


OFFENSIVE STARTERS (RET.) Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 2009 Stats
Josh Collins WR 5-9 193 Jr. 32 rec., 502 yds., TD, 750 all-purpose yds.*
Ryan Mahaffey FB/TE 6-4 258 Jr. 7 rec., 50 yds., 3 TD
Maurice Turner WR 6-3 205 Jr. 20 rec., 266 yds., TD
*- 2008 stats

If you go strictly by this list we should be garbage this year on offense. Heck, to be honest we should only have two returning starters as Collins missed all of 2009 after blowing out his ACL during camp last fall.

Now, let’s look past the numbers of “returning starters”. When I saw that number I was confused from the start. I think, as is the case with probably every team, that number is very deceiving. I think a better thing is to look at the returning contributors. I also thought it was pretty damn funny we have a preseason All American….that doesn’t fall under the category of returning starter, so he would be overlooked by those just looking at returning starters when doing polls and what not.

Who else does UNI return on offense that did something last year? Well let’s take a look

Carlos Anderson RB 5-8 172 So. 541 rush yds. on 114 attempts (average of 4.8), 4 TD, 15 rec., 110 yds., 1 TD. He isn’t considered a starter yet he only had 9 less carries than the “starter” from last year, and had the second most carries on the team. Oh, and he is the preseason pick for first team all conference.

Zach Davis QB 6-2 215 Jr. 18-37 passing, 230 yds., 2 TD, 78 rush yds. While he didn’t have the big numbers last year, he saw a ton of PT. A lot of the time he was in this past season was handing the ball off though. However, he started 3 games as a freshman (3-0 all on the road) and saw meaningful time in 4 or 5 other games that year. Last year he saw meaningful time in 7 games. For his career he is 61 of 107 for 734 yards and 5 TD’s. He is in a hell of a battle for the starting spot with a JUCO transfer we brought in that set every QB school record at his JUCO, and was a two time JUCO AA.


Schuylar Oordt TE 6-7 246 Sr. 18 rec., 358 yds., 5 TD. For his career he has 42 catches for 824 yards (19.56 yards per catch) and 9 TD’s. The numbers may not be big, but that is because he hasn’t been a “go to guy” until later last season. In his time at UNI, we have saw some of the best WR in school history come through. This, however, should be his year as is clear with all of the preseason awards.


Jarred Herring WR 5-9 170 Jr. 27 rec., 516 yds., 3 TD, 1,088 all-purpose yds. Jarred isn’t a “starter”, but he lead the team in all-purpose yards last season. For his career he has 41 catches for 746 yards, but has been buried behind some pretty big names at UNI. He, Josh Collins, and Maurice Turner should be the top WR. He had 86 rushing yards, 516 recieving yards, 55 pr yards, and 431 kr yards last season. He touches the ball every chance he gets. I believe he is going to be the number 1 returner for punts and kick offs this year. Last year he was the second or third PR and 2nd KR.


Matt Strathman RB 5-11 230 Sr. 39 att., 264 yds., 2 TD. Stats aren’t that great, I admit. He won’t win a foot race with anyone that isn’t a lineman or linebacker probably. However, think of his like a Mike Alstott. The chances he had last year were fun as hell to watch. It took 4 or 5 guys to slow him down. Look for him in short yardage situations this year. Along with Carlos Anderson it is very much a Thunder and Lightning approach.

In terms of what we return on offense/all purpose we bring back 296.3 non passing yards per game of our 518.2 non passing yards per game, or about 58% of our non passing offense. Plus we add a WR/KR back to our line up that had over 500 yards receiving as a freshman.

The only issue we will have on offense is that we lost our offensive line. The rest of the o-lineman on the team average about 6’4-6’5 and 310lbsish.. So we have the size. It will just be a matter of getting them to gel together. Last year we only gave up 10 sacks. We have a great o-line coach and it isn’t like we will be throwing 5 freshman out there. We rotated lineman in during games, so we have 4 or 5 lineman who have saw game action. The crappy part is the first half of the schedule is a bitch, and there isn’t much of a learning curve.




DEFENSIVE STARTERS (RET.) Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 2009 Stats
Darren Branch DL 6-2 250 Jr. 27 tkls. (8 solo), 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, QBH
L.J. Fort LB 6-1 228 Jr. 70 tkls. (30 solo), 4.5 TFL, 3 QBH, 2 INT, 1.0 sack, FF
Andre Martin CB 6-1 203 So. 44 tkls. (26 solo), 3 PBU, 2 INT
Terrell McBride CB 5-9 175 So. 41 tkls. (19 solo), 3 PBU, 2.5 TFL
Garrett Scott FS 6-0 201 So. 25 tkls. (12 solo), 2 TFL, 2 PBU, 1.0 sack
Jamar Thompson LB 6-4 215 Sr. 86 tkls. (37 solo), 3 PBU, 2 INT, 2 TFL, QBH

OTHER KEY RETURNEES Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 2009 Stats
Ben Boothby DL 6-0 253 Jr. 27 tkls. (5 solo), 5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, FF, FR
Tre' Canady DB 5-11 187 Jr. 27 tkls. (9 solo), PBU
James Conley DB 6-1 196 Jr. 26 tkls. (9 solo), TFL, INT, PBU, QBH
Shawn Gerard LB 6-3 236 Jr. 18 tkls. (6 solo), 2 TFL, 1.0 sack
Will Jackson LB 6-0 220 So. 5 tkls. (2 solo)
Jordan Smith LB 6-2 234 Jr. 15 tkls. (4 solo), 1.5 TFL, 1 FR, 1 BK
Varmah Sonie DB 5-9 160 So. 9 tkls. (6 solo)
J.J. Swain CB 6-0 180 So. 5 tkls. (3 solo), PBU

I won’t break defense down nearly as far because the numbers there aren’t quite as deceiving. We lost 2 starting linebackers, a safety and three defensive lineman which hurts us. However, the way we rotate players in, it isn’t like we will be throwing linebackers and a safety out there who have never played before.

The big question on defense, like offense, will be the line. However, if the spring shows us anything we are going to a 3-4 defense, which would make sense as we have about 6 linebackers who have saw pretty good PT and only 2 or 3 lineman who have saw significant PT.






KEY LOSSES 2009 Stats
D.P. Eyman 42 rec., 540 yds., 4 TD

-DP may seem like a big loss, but I did the math and something like 60% of his stats came against St. Francis, South Dakota, and Indiana State. He didn’t do a whole lot after those games (all three of those were in the first 4 or 5 weeks of the season)

Jason Fiacco Made 10 starts at RG, played in 47 games as a Panther on the offensive line\
Nate Herrig Started all 11 games at LG
Austin Howard First-Team AFCA All-America, Third-Team AP All-America, Second-Team All-MVFC
Jordan Limbaugh Made 10 starts on the OL (9 at RT, 1 at RG) as a senior
Austin Steichen Second-Team AP/Sports Network All-America, First-Team All-MVFC
- Yep, that would have been our starting offensive line from last year. That is would will hurt us if anything.


Pat Grace First-Team All-MVFC, 155-of-253 passing, 2,280 yds., 20 TD, 297 rush yds., 8 rush TD
- I wasn’t a huge fan of Pat’s. His stats look gaudy, and he had great accolades but ask almost any Panther fan and they will tell you he cost us more games than he won us. I think he threw 3 or 4 pick six’s in his 2 years starting at UNI…and all of them cost us a game. His stats, like DP’s were very much blown up against St. Francis, South Dakota, and Indiana State


D.J. Hord Hon. Mention All-MVFC, 36 rec., 601 yds., 5 TD
-Another FBS transfer that worked out well for us. Hord came in from Notre Dame and didn’t do much his first season, but last year became a favorite target of Grace.

Derrick Law 714 rush yds., 4 TD, 7 rec., 61 rec. yds.
-Was a good runner. He had a bad attitude at times though and was suspended for the opener of the season last year due to a criminal charge. He was nice compliment to Carlos Anderson.

Chuck Kinney 56 tkls. (10 solo), 6.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 2 PBU, FR, BK
Wes Lane Second-Team All-MVFC, 42 tkls. (18 solo), 16.0 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 2 QBH, FF, FR
James Ruffin First-Team AP All-America, Third-Team Sports Network All-America, 10th in Buck Buchanan Voting
-That would be three of our four starting defensive lineman. Probably the best defensive lineman, or top 3, that UNI has had, and two tackles that clogged the middle like nobodies business.

Elijah Hodge 64 tkls. (23 solo), 6.5 TFL, 3 PBU, 2.0 sacks, QBH
-Only had him for a year, but dang would love to have him back. He was a transfer from Wisconsin

Josh Mahoney Academic All-America, First-Team All-MVFC, William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist
-Leader of the defense. Leadership will be hard to replace.


Quentin Scott First-Team All-MVFC, 49 tkls. (24 solo), 5 INT, 4 PBU, 3.5 TFL, FR, BK.
-Covered the defensive secondary very well. Made it tough for opposing teams to go long.







So, there it is. While UNI’s season may look bleak going by the returning starters, if you go past that number of returning starters it doesn’t look nearly as bleak.


What does your team bring back compared to the number of “starters”?

[andy7171]

The rotating of O-linemen will help tremendously. But it will still be a rough go with all 5 being new. NDSU at home should scare you as much(imagine the sh!t storm that would have cause two years ago), but the next 4 is pretty bumpy road.

[clenz]

The rotating of O-linemen will help tremendously. But it will still be a rough go with all 5 being new. NDSU at home should scare you as much(imagine the sh!t storm that would have cause two years ago), but the next 4 is pretty bumpy road.

Agreed.

I would be our starting 5 will be the following:
60 Brian Palqngi 6’5” 305
59 Austin Zlab 6’5” 301
65 Mark Blessington 6’5”297
72 Jay Teply 6’7” 328
78 Tim Sauer 6’8” 290

Now I know size isn't everything, but imagine standing across from on offensive line that big. The smalled lineman would be 6'5 and just under 300, and he would likely be the center.

We have one of the better o-line coaches in the country and have put numerous o-lineman into the pros the last couple years. We have the size, it will just be a matter of getting them to gel together and play together.

[andy7171]

Players are outrageously large these days. In 1993, we had what was considered a large o-line..
LT - 6-4 285lbs
LG - 6-2 270lbs
C - 6-3 275lbs(me )
RG - 6-2 275lbs
RT - 6-5 290lbs

There were less than a dozen 300#ers in the NFL. In a five years after, it was odd to see an o-lineman that wasn't over 300.

[clenz]

Players are outrageously large these days. In 1993, we had what was considered a large o-line..
LT - 6-4 285lbs
LG - 6-2 270lbs
C - 6-3 275lbs(me )
RG - 6-2 275lbs
RT - 6-5 290lbs

There were less than a dozen 300#ers in the NFL. In a five years after, it was odd to see an o-lineman that wasn't over 300.

These are all of our OL that were listed in the spring media guide

55 Dan Kruger 6-5 303 OL R-Fr.
59 Austin Zlab 6-5 301 OL Sr.
60 Brian Palangi 6-5 305 OL So.
61 Kaleb Admire 6-3 298 OL Jr.
62 Justin Wissler 6-6 320 OL Jr.
63 Jake Boll 6-6 297 OL So.
65 Mark Blessington 6-5 319 OL R-Fr.
70 Jake Gonnering 6-5 312 OL Sr.
72 Jay Teply 6-7 328 OL Jr.
73 Dan Snitker 6-5 290 OL R-Fr.
74 Misha Danilov 6-7 300 OL So.
75 Josh Johnson 6-8 286 OL R-Fr.
76 Spencer Hicks 6-6 295 OL Fr.
77 Mitch Houk 6-5 296 0L Jr.
78 Tim Sauer 6-8 291 OL So.
79 Ben Ryder 6-8 270 OL Fr.

That gives our o-lineman a total of 4812 lbs for an average size of 6'5.3'' 300.75 lbs.


I'm willing to bet there are bigger lines out there in the FCS though.

[ASUG8]

ASU only has 5 guys over 290, the biggest being DL Chris Aiken at 6' 1" 310. We have 13 between 270-280 - I think our lack of size on the line was evident at Montana last year, although we tend to sacrifice some size for speed.

[Silenoz]

71 Verlanic, Alex SR OC 6'2" 282 Drummond, Mont.
63 Brauer, Brett FR OG 6'2" 260 Missoula, Mont.
57 Burton, Charles SO OG 6'5" 310 Long Beach, Calif.
77 Hendrickson, JakeJR OG 6'3" 285 Gilbert, Ariz.
78 Kmet, Kyle SO OG 6'5" 271 Bonita, Calif.
68 Sabin, Stephen JR OG 6'4" 305 Chandler, Ariz.
66 Piette, Russell SR OL 6'4" 310 Vancouver, Wash.
61 Raynock, Jake SO OL 6'2" 255 Billings, Mont.
65 Rogers, Ty SO OL 6'2" 240 Missoula, Mont.
70 Arndt, David JR OT 6'5" 280 Highlands Ranch, Colo.
79 Hofmann, Kyle FR OT 6'4" 280 Orcas Island, Wash.
76 Kistler, Danny FR OT 6'8" 335 Seattle, Wash.
60 Lebeau, Blake SO OT 6'5" 285 Union City, Calif.
74 Opperud, Jon JR OT 6'7" 305 Milwaukie, Ore.

average = 286
Jeez, our incoming Missoula kids are tiny

[Wedgebuster]

Size of offensive linemen is over rated here boys. Much more important is the athleticism on the part of the lineman coupled with a great line coach. A much undersized defense can have a field day against a huge and immoble offensive line.

O-Linemen that are big, agile, fast, and athletic coupled with great academics, and you have a FBS player in a BCS conference. Next stop NFL. In our world here, you can get the guys with all the same positives but he will most likely be about two inches shorter, and 30 or 40 pounds lighter.

Everybody can keep their toads, I will go with the athletes.

[Green Laser]

71 Verlanic, Alex SR OC 6'2" 282 Drummond, Mont.
63 Brauer, Brett FR OG 6'2" 260 Missoula, Mont.
57 Burton, Charles SO OG 6'5" 310 Long Beach, Calif.
77 Hendrickson, JakeJR OG 6'3" 285 Gilbert, Ariz.
78 Kmet, Kyle SO OG 6'5" 271 Bonita, Calif.
68 Sabin, Stephen JR OG 6'4" 305 Chandler, Ariz.
66 Piette, Russell SR OL 6'4" 310 Vancouver, Wash.
61 Raynock, Jake SO OL 6'2" 255 Billings, Mont.
65 Rogers, Ty SO OL 6'2" 240 Missoula, Mont.
70 Arndt, David JR OT 6'5" 280 Highlands Ranch, Colo.
79 Hofmann, Kyle FR OT 6'4" 280 Orcas Island, Wash.
76 Kistler, Danny FR OT 6'8" 335 Seattle, Wash.
60 Lebeau, Blake SO OT 6'5" 285 Union City, Calif.
74 Opperud, Jon JR OT 6'7" 305 Milwaukie, Ore.

average = 286
Jeez, our incoming Missoula kids are tiny

Not to mention few!

[Silenoz]

Well, not really. I don't know how many Missoula kids we've had over this last decade but it isn't more than a few a year. I think a few years ago the Palmer twins were the only ones on the roster.

[Wedgebuster]

Well, not really. I don't know how many Missoula kids we've had over this last decade but it isn't more than a few a year. I think a few years ago the Palmer twins were the only ones on the roster.

It is obvious to me the main problem with that roster is there is nobody from Iowa on it.

[grizzaholic]

Well, not really. I don't know how many Missoula kids we've had over this last decade but it isn't more than a few a year. I think a few years ago the Palmer twins were the only ones on the roster.

It is obvious to me the main problem with that roster is there is nobody from Iowa on it.

I thought Iowa passed a law where all Iowegians stay in Iowa as to keep the rest of the world safe from the sheer awesomeness?

[Wedgebuster]

It is obvious to me the main problem with that roster is there is nobody from Iowa on it.

I thought Iowa passed a law where all Iowegians stay in Iowa as to keep the rest of the world safe from the sheer awesomeness?

That's all fine and good, however because they are the center of the Universe, and all weather related events as well have to originate there, and because they have yet to come up with a method to contain their Iowa weather events, we are all still at risk.

As for their offensive linemen, I'm sure they are the most offensive of all linemen anywhere.

[grizzaholic]

I thought Iowa passed a law where all Iowegians stay in Iowa as to keep the rest of the world safe from the sheer awesomeness?

That's all fine and good, however because they are the center of the Universe, and all weather related events as well have to originate there, and because they have yet to come up with a method to contain their Iowa weather events, we are all still at risk.

As for their offensive linemen, I'm sure they are the most offensive of all linemen anywhere.

Reppies

[clenz]

Size of offensive linemen is over rated here boys. Much more important is the athleticism on the part of the lineman coupled with a great line coach. A much undersized defense can have a field day against a huge and immoble offensive line.

O-Linemen that are big, agile, fast, and athletic coupled with great academics, and you have a FBS player in a BCS conference. Next stop NFL. In our world here, you can get the guys with all the same positives but he will most likely be about two inches shorter, and 30 or 40 pounds lighter.

Everybody can keep their toads, I will go with the athletes.

I agree that size of offensive lineman is overrated, but our guys are big, stupid and slow.

I would have to do some research here, but I'm willing to bet we have had more all conference offensive lineman than any school in the conference the last couple years, and have had more lineman that are currently in NFL camps than any other MVFC team.


Doing some quick research shows that in the history of the MVFC UNI does have the most with Missouri State being the only school even all that close. It's not like we don't have a history of offensive lineman at UNI. The one thing the state of Iowa is able to produce in terms of football year in and year out is offensive lineman.

I hate the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they are known for their offensive line being big, strong, and good every year. This year 12 of their 17 offensive lineman are from Iowa.

Our o-line coach is among the best in the business. I put some of his bio in the spoil if you would like to see some of what he has done while coaching at UNI since 2000.

Spoiler: show

Rick Nelson is entering his 21st year as an offensive line coach in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. In 2009, the Panther offense ranked 10th in the nation in scoring, 13th in total offense and 14th in rushing offense on their way to racking up 417.3 yards per game. UNI also ranked seventh in the nation and first in the MVFC in sacks allowed per game.

Offensive tackle Austin Howard was recognized on the AFCA FCS All-American team under Nelson's tutelage and center Austin Steichen was named a second-team All-American by both the Sports Network and the Associated Press.

In 2008, he had a pair of tackles drafted in the National Football League Draft. Chad Rinehart went in the third round to the Washington Redskins, while Brandon Keith was selected in the seventh round by the Arizona Cardinals.

Under Nelson's guidance in 2007 the Panther offensive line cleared the running lanes for Corey Lewis, who set a school record with 1,513 rushing yards, while also picking up blockers and creating throwing lanes for Eric Sanders, who finished second in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award. Nelson has coached nine linemen who have gone on to play in the NFL, 12 all-conference selections and four all-Americans at UNI, including Ben Deike, who was named a first-team College Sports Report.com all-American, second-team by the Associated Press and The Sports Network, in 2003. Luke Stigler was a first-team all-conference pick in 2004. Chad Rinehart was a first-team all-Gateway pick in 2005 and 2006, while Joe Lobdell was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2005 and earned second team honors in 2006. Brad Harms was an NFL free agent in 2000.

Our lineman, like I said, aren't dumb and slow. Our players train with strength and conditioning coaches:
Jed Smith

Spoiler: show

Jed moved to Cedar Falls in 2005, and is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Northern Iowa. After graduating from the University of Minnesota and receiving his B.A. Degree in Psychology in 1995, Jed went on to earn his M.S. in Strength and Conditioning at Hamline College in Minnesota in 2003. Before moving to Iowa, Jed served as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Jed is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, a USA Track and Field Level 1 Coach, and he has a USA Weightlifting Regional Coach Certification.

and Jianping Ma

Spoiler: show

Jianping is the Head Strength Coach at USA. Originally from China, Jianping is a former Chinese National Weightlifting Member (1978 – 1988), he competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. This was the first year that China competed in the Olympic Games. In addition, Jianping also competed in four World Championships and World Cups, receiving a silver and two bronze medals. After competing, Jianping acted as a Provincial and National Level Coach. Some of his former athletes have won World Championships as well as breaking World Records. Jianping was also the Head Coach for the Seychelles National Team (Africa) and the USA World University Team. Prior to coming to United Sport and Athlete, Jianping was the Head Weightlifting Coach for the USA Olympic Education Center (USOEC) housed at the University of Northern Michigan. Jianping received his Master’s degree in Exercise Science at Xian Institute of Physical Education in 2007. In addition to his coaching duties at United Sport and Athlete, Jianping is also an instructor at the University of Northern Iowa teaching classes in weightlifting.

There is a reason I don't buy the UNI won't win more than 7 games this year crap. We do lose our entire o-line, but it isn't like we haven't had to replace 2 or 3 All Americans in one year before.


Seriously though, no one else wants to break their team down past the number of returning starters?

[pantherrob82]

Size of Oline depends on the offense you run. Not surprised to see Appy or Montana with smaller lines.

[houndawg]

Size of offensive linemen is over rated here boys. Much more important is the athleticism on the part of the lineman coupled with a great line coach. A much undersized defense can have a field day against a huge and immoble offensive line.

O-Linemen that are big, agile, fast, and athletic coupled with great academics, and you have a FBS player in a BCS conference. Next stop NFL. In our world here, you can get the guys with all the same positives but he will most likely be about two inches shorter, and 30 or 40 pounds lighter.

Everybody can keep their toads, I will go with the athletes.

That describes last year's SIU/UNI game pretty well. Everybody wants to blame Grace for the loss but I think his O-line was equally at fault, if not more.

[houndawg]

Size of offensive linemen is over rated here boys. Much more important is the athleticism on the part of the lineman coupled with a great line coach. A much undersized defense can have a field day against a huge and immoble offensive line.

O-Linemen that are big, agile, fast, and athletic coupled with great academics, and you have a FBS player in a BCS conference. Next stop NFL. In our world here, you can get the guys with all the same positives but he will most likely be about two inches shorter, and 30 or 40 pounds lighter.

Everybody can keep their toads, I will go with the athletes.

I agree that size of offensive lineman is overrated, but our guys are big, stupid and slow.

I would have to do some research here, but I'm willing to bet we have had more all conference offensive lineman than any school in the conference the last couple years, and have had more lineman that are currently in NFL camps than any other MVFC team.


Doing some quick research shows that in the history of the MVFC UNI does have the most with Missouri State being the only school even all that close. It's not like we don't have a history of offensive lineman at UNI. The one thing the state of Iowa is able to produce in terms of football year in and year out is offensive lineman.

I hate the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they are known for their offensive line being big, strong, and good every year. This year 12 of their 17 offensive lineman are from Iowa.

Our o-line coach is among the best in the business. I put some of his bio in the spoil if you would like to see some of what he has done while coaching at UNI since 2000.

Spoiler: show

Rick Nelson is entering his 21st year as an offensive line coach in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. In 2009, the Panther offense ranked 10th in the nation in scoring, 13th in total offense and 14th in rushing offense on their way to racking up 417.3 yards per game. UNI also ranked seventh in the nation and first in the MVFC in sacks allowed per game.

Offensive tackle Austin Howard was recognized on the AFCA FCS All-American team under Nelson's tutelage and center Austin Steichen was named a second-team All-American by both the Sports Network and the Associated Press.

In 2008, he had a pair of tackles drafted in the National Football League Draft. Chad Rinehart went in the third round to the Washington Redskins, while Brandon Keith was selected in the seventh round by the Arizona Cardinals.

Under Nelson's guidance in 2007 the Panther offensive line cleared the running lanes for Corey Lewis, who set a school record with 1,513 rushing yards, while also picking up blockers and creating throwing lanes for Eric Sanders, who finished second in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award. Nelson has coached nine linemen who have gone on to play in the NFL, 12 all-conference selections and four all-Americans at UNI, including Ben Deike, who was named a first-team College Sports Report.com all-American, second-team by the Associated Press and The Sports Network, in 2003. Luke Stigler was a first-team all-conference pick in 2004. Chad Rinehart was a first-team all-Gateway pick in 2005 and 2006, while Joe Lobdell was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2005 and earned second team honors in 2006. Brad Harms was an NFL free agent in 2000.

Our lineman, like I said, aren't dumb and slow. Our players train with strength and conditioning coaches:
Jed Smith

Spoiler: show

Jed moved to Cedar Falls in 2005, and is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Northern Iowa. After graduating from the University of Minnesota and receiving his B.A. Degree in Psychology in 1995, Jed went on to earn his M.S. in Strength and Conditioning at Hamline College in Minnesota in 2003. Before moving to Iowa, Jed served as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Jed is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, a USA Track and Field Level 1 Coach, and he has a USA Weightlifting Regional Coach Certification.

and Jianping Ma

Spoiler: show

Jianping is the Head Strength Coach at USA. Originally from China, Jianping is a former Chinese National Weightlifting Member (1978 – 1988), he competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. This was the first year that China competed in the Olympic Games. In addition, Jianping also competed in four World Championships and World Cups, receiving a silver and two bronze medals. After competing, Jianping acted as a Provincial and National Level Coach. Some of his former athletes have won World Championships as well as breaking World Records. Jianping was also the Head Coach for the Seychelles National Team (Africa) and the USA World University Team. Prior to coming to United Sport and Athlete, Jianping was the Head Weightlifting Coach for the USA Olympic Education Center (USOEC) housed at the University of Northern Michigan. Jianping received his Master’s degree in Exercise Science at Xian Institute of Physical Education in 2007. In addition to his coaching duties at United Sport and Athlete, Jianping is also an instructor at the University of Northern Iowa teaching classes in weightlifting.

There is a reason I don't buy the UNI won't win more than 7 games this year crap. We do lose our entire o-line, but it isn't like we haven't had to replace 2 or 3 All Americans in one year before.


Seriously though, no one else wants to break their team down past the number of returning starters?

Wish I could but we'll be getting our first look at Lennon's recruits this year. We're supposed to have landed a stud NT from UK, and keep an eye on DE Kyle Russo who had seven sacks last year while mostly not starting.

[clenz]

Size of offensive linemen is over rated here boys. Much more important is the athleticism on the part of the lineman coupled with a great line coach. A much undersized defense can have a field day against a huge and immoble offensive line.

O-Linemen that are big, agile, fast, and athletic coupled with great academics, and you have a FBS player in a BCS conference. Next stop NFL. In our world here, you can get the guys with all the same positives but he will most likely be about two inches shorter, and 30 or 40 pounds lighter.

Everybody can keep their toads, I will go with the athletes.

That describes last year's SIU/UNI game pretty well. Everybody wants to blame Grace for the loss but I think his O-line was equally at fault, if not more.

How is this the O-Lines fault? This is the play that ended UNI's chances.

Before you watch I want you to keep an eye on a couple things. Look at the size of the pocket and where the nearest d-lineman is at the point of Pat starting to run. THEN look at where the nearest UNI receiver is compared to where Pat throws the ball.

[youtube][/youtube]


Here, I'll even point out what I was talking about. Pause at second 4 as Pat starts to run. Notice he still has a good pocket and a couple yards of protection on all sides. He steps up into the pocket, one or two steps would have been fine. However, he RUNS through the pocket allowing it to collapse on him.

Then pause at second 6 when he releases the ball. Look where Carlos is running the crossing patter, look at the 4 defenders around him, and then watch where the ball ends up going compared to where Carlos is. Yeah...blame that on the o-line.


We allowed 10 sacks ALL SEASON last year, and ONE in the SIU game for a THREE yard loss. I believe UNI also averaged about 4.5 yards per rush.


I also believe it was the New Hampshire quarter final game in 2008 where UNI was on the +5 yard line (give or take) with something like 10 seconds left in the first half and Pat Grace threw into quadrouble coverage at the goal line on a crossing pattern, and that was returned for a pick 6 as time expired in the half. Luckily we still won that game, but had we even taken a FG going into half that is a +10 swing there, then we got a FG to start the second half...that was a -13 point swing for us. In a 2 point win, we were lucky as hell to win that game.


UNI currently has former O-lineman Chad Rinehard, Brandon Keith, Brad Meester, Austin Howard (Eagles fans start watching for him, he will be a good one) currently on NFL teams.

[houndawg]

That describes last year's SIU/UNI game pretty well. Everybody wants to blame Grace for the loss but I think his O-line was equally at fault, if not more.

How is this the O-Lines fault? This is the play that ended UNI's chances.

Before you watch I want you to keep an eye on a couple things. Look at the size of the pocket and where the nearest d-lineman is at the point of Pat starting to run. THEN look at where the nearest UNI receiver is compared to where Pat throws the ball.

[youtube][/youtube]


Here, I'll even point out what I was talking about. Pause at second 4 as Pat starts to run. Notice he still has a good pocket and a couple yards of protection on all sides. He steps up into the pocket, one or two steps would have been fine. However, he RUNS through the pocket allowing it to collapse on him.

Then pause at second 6 when he releases the ball. Look where Carlos is running the crossing patter, look at the 4 defenders around him, and then watch where the ball ends up going compared to where Carlos is. Yeah...blame that on the o-line.


We allowed 10 sacks ALL SEASON last year, and ONE in the SIU game for a THREE yard loss. I believe UNI also averaged about 4.5 yards per rush.


I also believe it was the New Hampshire quarter final game in 2008 where UNI was on the +5 yard line (give or take) with something like 10 seconds left in the first half and Pat Grace threw into quadrouble coverage at the goal line on a crossing pattern, and that was returned for a pick 6 as time expired in the half. Luckily we still won that game, but had we even taken a FG going into half that is a +10 swing there, then we got a FG to start the second half...that was a -13 point swing for us. In a 2 point win, we were lucky as hell to win that game.


UNI currently has former O-lineman Chad Rinehard, Brandon Keith, Brad Meester, Austin Howard (Eagles fans start watching for him, he will be a good one) currently on NFL teams.

You're right, he shouldn't have thrown that ball, especially with somebody hanging on him. And while the o line did get 4.5 ypc, it was the smaller Saluki line that dominated on both sides on the crucial 4th down plays that went SIU's way.
It was a classic size vs. speed matchup with speed getting the edge this time.

[catbob]

68 Conrad Burbank OG 6-4 280 Jr. Reno, NV
50 Leo Davis OL 6-4 271 Jr. Billings, MT
56 Shaun Sampson OL 6-0 249 So. Helena, MT
57 Casey Dennehy OL 6-1 270 Jr. Butte, MT
61 Alex Terrien OL 6-4 285 Jr. Auburn, WA
62 Ben Tauanuu OL 6-4 317 So. Santa Ana, CA
70 Killian Fitzpatrick OL 6-8 285 Rf. Beaverton, OR
71 Jesse Hoffmann OL 6-4 286 Sr. Helena, MT s
73 Tyler Potter OL 6-4 305 So. Corona, CA
75 Andrew Verlanic OL 6-4 276 So. Drummond, MT
79 Quinn Catalano OL 6-5 240 Rf. San Diego, CA
64 Andy Austin OT 6-3 278 Rf. Billings, MT
72 Mike Person OT 6-5 295 Sr. Glendive, MT

Average of 279, skewed by a couple 240 pounders haha. Bolded are my best guess at who is gonna start. Potter was just signed as a JC, he might fight Davis for his spot...

[houndawg]

That describes last year's SIU/UNI game pretty well. Everybody wants to blame Grace for the loss but I think his O-line was equally at fault, if not more.

How is this the O-Lines fault? This is the play that ended UNI's chances.

Before you watch I want you to keep an eye on a couple things. Look at the size of the pocket and where the nearest d-lineman is at the point of Pat starting to run. THEN look at where the nearest UNI receiver is compared to where Pat throws the ball.

[youtube][/youtube]


Here, I'll even point out what I was talking about. Pause at second 4 as Pat starts to run. Notice he still has a good pocket and a couple yards of protection on all sides. He steps up into the pocket, one or two steps would have been fine. However, he RUNS through the pocket allowing it to collapse on him.

Then pause at second 6 when he releases the ball. Look where Carlos is running the crossing patter, look at the 4 defenders around him, and then watch where the ball ends up going compared to where Carlos is. Yeah...blame that on the o-line.


We allowed 10 sacks ALL SEASON last year, and ONE in the SIU game for a THREE yard loss. I believe UNI also averaged about 4.5 yards per rush.


I also believe it was the New Hampshire quarter final game in 2008 where UNI was on the +5 yard line (give or take) with something like 10 seconds left in the first half and Pat Grace threw into quadrouble coverage at the goal line on a crossing pattern, and that was returned for a pick 6 as time expired in the half. Luckily we still won that game, but had we even taken a FG going into half that is a +10 swing there, then we got a FG to start the second half...that was a -13 point swing for us. In a 2 point win, we were lucky as hell to win that game.


UNI currently has former O-lineman Chad Rinehard, Brandon Keith, Brad Meester, Austin Howard (Eagles fans start watching for him, he will be a good one) currently on NFL teams.

Actually, after further review, Grace was about out of time at 4 sec., nobody open, and at 6 sec. two guys have their paws on him. So mostly a coverage sack.

[clenz]

How is this the O-Lines fault? This is the play that ended UNI's chances.

Before you watch I want you to keep an eye on a couple things. Look at the size of the pocket and where the nearest d-lineman is at the point of Pat starting to run. THEN look at where the nearest UNI receiver is compared to where Pat throws the ball.

[youtube][/youtube]


Here, I'll even point out what I was talking about. Pause at second 4 as Pat starts to run. Notice he still has a good pocket and a couple yards of protection on all sides. He steps up into the pocket, one or two steps would have been fine. However, he RUNS through the pocket allowing it to collapse on him.

Then pause at second 6 when he releases the ball. Look where Carlos is running the crossing patter, look at the 4 defenders around him, and then watch where the ball ends up going compared to where Carlos is. Yeah...blame that on the o-line.


We allowed 10 sacks ALL SEASON last year, and ONE in the SIU game for a THREE yard loss. I believe UNI also averaged about 4.5 yards per rush.


I also believe it was the New Hampshire quarter final game in 2008 where UNI was on the +5 yard line (give or take) with something like 10 seconds left in the first half and Pat Grace threw into quadrouble coverage at the goal line on a crossing pattern, and that was returned for a pick 6 as time expired in the half. Luckily we still won that game, but had we even taken a FG going into half that is a +10 swing there, then we got a FG to start the second half...that was a -13 point swing for us. In a 2 point win, we were lucky as hell to win that game.


UNI currently has former O-lineman Chad Rinehard, Brandon Keith, Brad Meester, Austin Howard (Eagles fans start watching for him, he will be a good one) currently on NFL teams.

Actually, after further review, Grace was about out of time at 4 sec., nobody open, and at 6 sec. two guys have their paws on him. So mostly a coverage sack.

Even as a coverage sack there was no sack. A sack would have been great. However he blew the game for us right there. He was giving 4 seconds of great protection with 2 more seconds before being touched. That throw was 10 yards from Anderson, who was the only one within 15 yards of the throw.


SIU only ran for 4.7 yards per rush. I would hardly call either side dominant

[andy7171]

Grace panicked. There was no need to step up into the pocket. He should have thrown it away. Good coverage no one was open.

[clenz]

Grace panicked. There was no need to step up into the pocket. He should have thrown it away. Good coverage no one was open.

That was our QB in a nutshell for the last two years.


He put up good numbers, and was All Conference...TWICE.

However, since the theme of this is going past just the numbers let's look at Grace's numbers vs teams like St. Francis, Indiana State, and USD, then the rest of the season.


Grace started the season real strong against Iowa. He was 23-37 for 270 and 1 TD.
That continued against South Dakota as he was 24-32-0 for 445 and 4 IN THE FIRST HALF...he didn't play the second half. UNI won that game 66-7 and was up 45-7 at half.
The next game was.
He put up pretty good numbers in the St Francis game...only playing a half, and against NDSU and Missouri State. Yep, Missouri State was the best team we played the first half of the season (outside of the FBS game of course) Of course Grace was going to eat those teams alive...he should have.


Let's look at what he did against SIU and SDSU...you know, the other top teams in the conference that we need to beat at least one of to have a chance in the conference.

SDSU - 21-38 for 215 yards with 0 TD and 2 int's.
SIU - 13-28 for 219 yards. He did throw 2 TD's (1 and 3 [this one came after the pick 6 that sealed the game for SIU] yards respectively), and that game costing pick 6.


I wasn't the only Panther fan shocked he was first team all conference last year. If you go by numbers, yep he was all conference caliber. However, if you look at his actual performance he wasn't.