CEDAR FALLS – The UNI-Dome is getting prepped for spring football season. The turf is being rolled out in preparation for the first practice Friday. The spring game will be played Friday, April 25.
OFFENSE
UNI’s offense will look to continue momentum built off of ending the 2013 season on a three-game winning streak. The Panthers have several veteran players that will look to get snaps this spring, but the offensive staff is excited to see the younger players step in and make plays.
“We want to see those younger guys step in so that we feel comfortable subbing them in, but I also want to see players like David Johnson get better too,” associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator Bill Salmon said.
“To improve the offensive football team it isn’t just about the guys stepping in, but everyone getting better including guys like David, Sawyer, Brion, Chad and Kevin. Everyone needs to continue to improve and that will improve our offense.”
With 20 seniors on this years’ team, the Panthers will have no shortage of experience on the field, especially with nine of those seniors playing on the offensive side of the ball. Headlining the senior class will be starting running back Johnson.
The Clinton, Iowa native is now tied for fourth all-time in career rushing touchdowns, seventh all-time in career points and fourth all-time in career rushing yards with 3,129. He closed out the 2013 season with 1,286 yards on the ground and finished 11th in the FCS in all-purpose yards, adding his 393 yards through the air.
He is just one of three players in UNI history to rush for 1,000 yards and receive for 1,000 yards in a career. Johnson is also just the sixth running back at UNI to rush for 1,000 or more yards in two seasons.
Johnson was joined in the backfield by senior Evan Williams and sophomore Tyvis Smith. Both Williams and Smith will look to get snaps in behind Johnson this spring, along with redshirt freshman J’Veyon Browning out of Kansas City, Kan.
“What we would like to see out of spring practices is someone to step up behind Johnson,” Salmon said. “Evan did a little bit last season but was dealing with some injuries and Tyvis Smith stepped in as well, but we want to see if some of the new kids can step in there and do it.”
The Panthers had two quarterbacks handing the ball off to the running back corps last season with junior two-year starter Sawyer Kollmorgen and senior transfer Brion Carnes. The combination of Kollmorgen’s strong arm and leadership along with Carnes’s quick feet and explosive ability proved tough for teams to cover.
Kollmorgen is now seventh all-time at UNI in career touchdown passes. He has played in 21 games in his career at UNI and has thrown 35 touchdowns. He is now ninth all-time in passing yards with 4,284, finishing the 2013 season with 1,824 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Carnes started the last three games for the Panthers after Kollmorgen suffered a concussion against Illinois State, leading UNI to three wins in a row. He finished the season with 438 yards and two touchdowns, along with being the second highest rusher for the Panthers with 226 yards on the ground.
“Having Sawyer and Brion makes defenses try to defend and prepare for both of them,” Salmon said. “I don’t know if they are as different compared to maybe what we thought going into last year. So now I think we kind of have an idea that maybe they are more similar.”
“Instead of preparing for two offenses, which I think hurt us a little bit last year, we will try to make it so that everyone can do everything. And Brion has another year of experience which should really help him and he will be more familiar with what we are doing.”
Kollmorgen and Carnes were only sacked a total of 16 times last season, crediting a young but strong offensive line. The line will only lose one starter with all-conference honoree Dan Kruger graduating. Anchoring the offensive line this spring will be senior Jack Rummells, who started every game last season.
Joining Rummells will be senior Ryan Bingaman, who also saw some starts on the line for the Panthers. Rummells and Bingaman were part of the 2013 offensive line that finished the season in the top-30 in the FCS in tackles for loss allowed.
“The thing about the offensive line is we played some pretty young kids considering we had a redshirt freshman starting,” Salmon said. “Those kids will continue to get better. Having that experience and now knowing that they can do it will be a big benefit for us. We will lose Dan Kruger and we will miss Dan, but we have some young kids that can step in there. Jack is obviously our mainstay. He is as good of a player as we have had here.”
The Panthers will also return an experienced group of receivers to the offensive unit this spring, including junior Kevin Vereen Jr. and senior Chad Owens. Vereen was one of the most acrobatic wide receivers in the MVFC this past season, reaching out for several key one-handed catches to put UNI in scoring territory.
“Kevin did a great job last year,” Salmon said. “I have coached that position a few years with Kevin. He has worked hard to get where he is and now we kind of know what we have with him, which is a good thing. We will be able to use him more and put him in situations that will take advantage of opposing personnel.”
The junior finished with a team-leading 750 yards during the 2013 season after returning from an injury he suffered during the 2012 season. He averaged 14.4 yards per catch for four touchdowns on the season.
Owens started in 11 games at wide receiver last season for UNI, racking up 595 yards through the air. He led the receivers in touchdowns with five. Both Vereen and Owens were named to the 2013 MVFC all-conference team and will be leaders for a young group this spring.
“Chad has really worked hard,” Salmon said. “He has done really well, but those guys are seniors now and they need to step up. We need to develop someone behind them. We want to see some of the young kids like Jarred Edmonds, Xavier James and Markell Colemon along with Isaac Lintz and Kreston Caldwell because we need some depth at that position and they will get their chance.”
Along with an experienced group of players will come an knowledgeable group of coaches. Salmon, offensive line coach Rick Nelson and co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco have been at UNI a combined 67 years.
Salmon will enter his 28th year at UNI at the start of the 2014 season while Nelson will start his 25th. Verduzco joined the staff in 2001 after coaching at Rutgers from 1996-2000.
Salmon, who played quarterback for UNI from 1972-76, has been a part of every post-season game from 1975 to present at UNI as either a player, graduate assistant or coach. Nelson also played football for the Panthers from 1980-83, earning the “Oil Can Award” in 1983, given to the player showing ability, performance, attitude and leadership as a Panther.
Todd Blythe is the newest Panther offensive coach, taking the reins of the UNI wide receivers last season. He started at UNI in 2012 as the running backs coach after having a stellar career as a receiver at Iowa State from 2003-2007. He also saw time with the New Orleans Saints and the Iowa Barnstormers before finding his way to UNI.
Although the UNI offense has had a steady group of coaches, Salmon emphasized that they are always looking to add something new to their offensive scheme, and this spring will take a different approach to that side of the ball.
“Three of us have been here quite a while and throughout the years we have tried to change things and adapt to our personnel,” he said. “This spring we will take a step back and look at the big picture and see how we can make it so when the freshmen come in, they can understand it.
“It is easy for me, I have been involved in three or four different offenses since I have been here. Everybody copycats everybody in college football. So we have looked at that and started to go backwards and start over a little bit. We think we have some really talented kids coming in and we want to give them a chance to perform this year and help us.”
Most college football players were used to being the stars on their respective high school teams, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t go back to the basics to improve. One of the goals for the spring season for the offensive corps will be to focus on details to make themselves better as individuals and a group.
“The basic thing this spring for me will be technique work,” Salmon said. “It is not so much the plays you run, it’s the kids using the right technique to get things accomplished. We will do a lot of individual work that you don’t get to do as much of in the fall.”
DEFENSE
Out of the 20 seniors competing and practicing this spring, 10 of those are on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers lost standout linebackers Jordan Gacke and Sam Tim along with defensive linemen Chris Jepsen and Collin Albrecht to graduation, but will return a group of experienced players ready to step in and get the season going.
“We are looking to get better and more consistent,” defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeremiah Johnson said. “Our young players showed signs last year that they were turning the corner and we are going to build off their improvement and try to get our defense to take the next step.”
Xavier Williams will anchor the Panther defensive line during his senior campaign this fall and will look to improve this spring after a strong 2013 season. The Grandview, Mo. native finished the season third on the team in tackles with 74, also notching 5.5 sacks.
Williams has started in 27 games at UNI, earning 2013 All-MVFC first team honors and 2013 Beyond Sports Network All-America honorable mention recognition. Williams only missed one game during the 2013 season, with junior Isaac Ales stepping in for the start.
Ales played in 11 games for the Panthers during the 2013 season, grabbing 23 tackles, 4.5 for loss of yards and three sacks. Along with Ales, Johnson is expecting several other players to step in and take on larger roles on the defensive side of the ball.
“We are expecting big things out of Isaac this spring,” Johnson said. “Also, both Blake Willson and Nate Shaw have had tremendous off seasons and we are counting on them to continue to grow as we move through the spring.”
Three of the 10 seniors on the defensive team were newcomers last season after transferring from various universities and junior colleges. Tate Omli, Ray Mitchell and Joe Feldpausch all made immediate impacts on the UNI defensive corps with Omli and Mitchell both receiving MVFC All-Newcomer credit.
Omli started at the free safety position for the last four games of the season, finishing with 59 tackles and two interceptions. He notched a career-high 17 tackles and both of his interceptions against Missouri State, earning National Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Mitchell, a transfer from the University of Kansas, started in 10 games at strong safety, notching 56 tackles and a team-leading four interceptions. Like Omli, Mitchell had one of his best games late in the season, notching two of his interceptions against Western Illinois, setting a new UNI-Dome record for his 116 interception return yards.
The Panther defense finished the season ranked eighth in the FCS in scoring defense and in the top-20 in team sacks and total defense. UNI will look to continue improving and gaining more momentum this spring, heading into the 2014 season.
“We have a great bunch of guys that work very hard to achieve the best results for our football team,” Johnson said. “We will build off that enthusiasm and desire to be great and the work ethic of our guys.”
Joining Omli and Mitchell as newcomers on the team last season was Maryland transfer Makinton Dorleant. Dorleant started all 12 games at the left corner, racking up 54 tackles, one interception, four pass breakups and one forced fumble.
After his first season as a Panther, he earned All-MVFC second team and All-Newcomer team honors. Dorleant quickly stepped into a leadership role along with junior Deiondre’ Hall, who was one of the more versatile players on the field last season.
Hall started the first half of the season as a rover/linebacker and finished the season as the right corner. He notched 57 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, five pass breakups and one blocked kick. One of his interceptions led to his first career touchdown as a Panther.
Jake Farley stepped into the spotlight this season after transferring from Kansas prior to the 2012 season. He started in the first five games for the Panthers before suffering a season-ending injury against North Dakota State. The senior still finished sixth on the team in tackles with 56, averaging 11.2 tackles in those first five games.
When Farley was injured against the Bison, Max Busher was called into the game as his replacement and quickly found his rhythm as the new starting linebacker. Busher finished the 2013 season second on the team in tackles with 74, also grabbing two sacks and two pass breakups.
Along with a strong defensive corps this spring, the Panthers will be bringing a veteran group of coaches to the field that know the players and each other inside and out. With the turnover rate in college football coaching staffs on the rise, Johnson feels it is important when a staff can stay consistent.
“We are very excited about the staff and the fact that everyone has been here for at least a year,” he said. “The continuity that we have as a staff is second to none. We work very well together and each of us have different strengths and attributes we bring to the team. Together we can continue to help build one of the best defenses in FCS football.”
Johnson will begin his eighth season with UNI this fall and has recently been promoted to defensive coordinator along with his linebackers coach duties. He has seen recent players such as Jordan Gacke, Sam Tim, Farley and Busher finish their seasons as some of the top-tacklers on the team.
Recently named assistant head coach of defense Brandon Lynch enters his second season as a Panther. He spent last season coaching the UNI defensive backs prior to serving as an assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne University. He also spent time playing in the NFL and was part of the Super Bowl championship Colts team in 2006.
Lynch was one of 12 coaches selected to take part in the NCAA and NFL Coaching Academy in Dallas in 2012. He also was part of the Bill Walsh Minority Internship in 2013 where he worked closely with Leslie Frazier, the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He was in charge of coaching the defensive backs during the program.
Bryce Paup, defensive line coach and now in charge of player development, is also in his second season with the Panthers after starting last spring. Paup had an 11-year career in the NFL, winning the NFL Defensive MVP in 1995. Prior to UNI he posted a 43-21 record as the head coach at Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wis.
Rounding out the UNI defensive coaching staff is third year coach Daniel Bullocks. Bullocks coached primarily the safeties during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Prior to UNI he was playing for the Detroit Lions in the NFL for five seasons, earning the Ed Block Courage Award and the Chuck Hughes Most Improved Player in 2008.
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