Spring 2021: UNI Preview

The 2019 version of the UNI Panthers was their usual stout self finishing 10-5 overall and 6-2 in the MVFC.  They lost plenty of stars but also return plenty of experienced and talented players.  They averaged 21 points per game and only surrendered 18 per game in route to being the 11th best defense in the country. 

Offense

The UNI Panthers return plenty of fire power on the offensive side of the ball.  #2 Will McElvain (5-11, 200) was the spark plug for the 2019 offense at QB.  He completed 53% of his passes for 2,778 yards, and 20 TD; in addition he tossed 7 interceptions.  He was also a threat to make plays with his legs rushing for 630 yards gained (372 net) and 1 additional TD.  McElvain was just a redshirt freshman when he made all of these plays so I would expect him to have taken another step and be even more in command of his offense.

The Panthers did lose leading rusher Trevor Allen but return #32 Tyler Hoosman (6-0, 215) who in 9 games rushed for 388 yards and 4 TD.  Hoosman is a powerful back who loves to grind down a defense. #23 Sam Schnee (5-10, 200), and #33 Nick McCabe were also called on to carry the ball in 2019. Schnee had 33 attempts for 128 yards and a TD while McCabe had 34 attempts for 93 yards and 1 TD.  A new player to watch is #7 Dom Williams, a grad transfer from Kansas.  Williams was a former 4-star recruit who had 126 attempts, 470 yards, and 3 TDs over three years (Freshman, Sophomore, 4 games junior year).  We'll see what he can do at UNI.   

When McElvain drops back to pass, he'll have plenty of weapons to throw to.  His leading man is All-American #80 Isaiah Weston (6-4, 210) who finished 2019 with 43 receptions for 1,053 yards and 10 TD in only 12 games.  #1 Deion McShane (5-9, 175) is an electric playmaker who battled injuries throughout 2019 but still racked up 25 receptions for 220 yards and 1 TD.  Redshirt freshman #17 Logan Wolf  (6-4, 200) played in four games and finished with 5 receptions for 99 yards and 1 TD.  He is a tremendous athlete who also played basketball for the Panthers his freshman year.  The group is also joined by another Kansas transfer #4 Quan Hampton (5-8, 180) and #0 Kenden Robinson Jr (6-3, 190) a juco transfer.  Hampton, a former 3-star recruit, had 28 receptions for 223 yards and a TD over two and a half seasons at Kansas.  Robinson Jr. had 50 receptions for 746 yards and 9 TDs in 2019 for City College of San Francisco.     

At TE the Panthers lost Briley Moore to transfer but did get a grad transfer from Western Kentucky in #42 Kyle Fourtenbary (6-4, 245).  Fourtenbary got a lot of attention because he was a Mackie Award Watchlist member in 2019 and has 53 receptions for 506 yards and 3 TD throughout his career.  #84 Jayden Scott (6-5, 255) is the only other TE with any statistics from 2019 (4 rec. 22 yards).  #81 Jacob Coons (6-3, 245) is a transfer from Iowa and former 3 star recruit.  He didn't play at Iowa but could be a contributor at UNI.        

The UNI offensive line will look a little different after graduations from 2019 and the departure of Spencer Brown. #70 Trevor Penning (6-7, 321), #77 Matthew Vanderslice (6-8, 325), and #73 Mason Neisen (6-5,317), and #71 Nick Ellis (6-4, 320) all have game experience.  I would expect #75 Jared Penning (6-6, 338), #78 Tristan Roper (6-5, 305), and #76 Antione Frazier (6-5, 300) to be in the mix to either start or serve a meaningful reserve role.  UNI's offensive line is always big, physical, and a little bit chippy.  I'd expect this group to be no different in 2021. 

Defense

Like the offense, the Panthers lost PLENTY of great players from their stout 2019 defense.  However, I don't anticipate this group to have any fall off from their usual level of play.  Gone are Elerson Smith (Draft), Chris Kolarevic (Nebraska), and Xavior Williams (Iowa) but this group still has 3 pre-season All-Americans. Crazy.

The defensive tone is set upfront by #4 Jared Brinkman (6-2, 290).  Brinkman is nasty and plays with an edge.  He finished 2019 with 83 stops, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks.  83 tackles is a crazy amount for a NG/DT. #91 Brawntae Wells (6-3, 260), #94 Tim Butcher (6-2, 300), and #93 Caden Houghtelling (6-6, 255) are massive men who have a wealth of experience. Wells had 55 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 6 sacks, and an INT in 2019 while Butcher and Houghtelling added 37 (10 TFL) and 11 tackles (2 sacks) respectively.      

At linebacker they are also loaded with tackling machine #22 Bryce Flater (6-1, 230)  and #41 Spencer Cuvelier (6-3, 245) returning to their starting lineup.  Flater finished 2019 with 143 tackles (tops in the MVFC), 8 TFL, 1 INT, and 4 breakups.  Cuvelier was 5th on the team in tackles with 79 and added 6.5 TFL, 2 sacks, and an INT.   I would expect #47 Riley Van Wyhe (6-3, 230) who had 14 tackles in 2019, Utah transfer #45 Trennan Carlson (6-3, 245), and #40 Alfonzo Lambert (6-1, 220) to battle it out for the remaining spot.

The corner back group is led by All-American #24 Omar Brown (6-1, 200).  Brown proved himself to be a playmaker in 2019 forcing 6 interceptions and 2 fumbles along with 77 tackles.  Brown was a great commit for UNI as he held a Big10 offer from Indiana.  Opposite him is a bit of an unknown.   #27 Austin Evans (6-1, 190) had 73 stops on the year along with 2.5 sacks and 2 INT.  #26 Isaiah Nimmers (5-9) has some playing experience. The team could also go with someone new like Central Michigan transfer #3 Demarcus Governor (5-11, 186), redshirt freshman #34 Edwin Dearman (5-11, 200) or true freshman #19 Stefan Black II (6-0, 180) who earned offers from a few FBS programs. 

The safety position is in a bit of transition with the graduation of Roosevelt Lawrence and Christian Jegen who both had nice careers for the Panthers.  However, they do return #5 Korby Sander (6-1, 215) from the injury list after he missed all of the 2019 season.  In 2018 he had 93 tackles and 3 interceptions.  #8 Spencer Perry (6-4, 195) had 39 tackles and 1 INT, #20 Jevon Brekke (6-3, 200), and #38 Zach Kibby (6-0, 210) have also spent plenty of time on the field, making 21 and 14 stops and will likely play a role this season for the Panthers.  In addition, the Panthers added #9 Benny Sapp III (6-1, 205) to the roster after he spent the previous two seasons making plays on the special teams units for Minnesota.     

Special Teams

The Panthers return both of their punters and their kicker from the 2019 season.  #97 Matthew Cook handled the place kicking and kickoff duties while #63 Nate Murphy handled some punting along with reserve safety #38 Zac Kibby.  Cook went 19-24 on his field goals with a long of 50 yards. On kickoffs he averaged 58.8 yards per attempt, had 11 touchbacks but also kicked 3 out of bounds.   Kibby is no longer listed as a punter on the roster but had 67 attempts for a 39 yard average while Murphy had 27 attempts for a 37 yard average. Maybe hoping to see greater production from their punter, UNI added Drake transfer #90 Ross Kennedy who held a 40 yard average in 2019 and also had a 63 punt against SDSU.  

The return game will feature new faces in 2021 with the loss of Xavior Williams and Trevor Allen.  I'd expect Deion McShane or Quan Hampton to both factor into this discussion.  Regardless UNI will likely be solid in this area too.

Prediction

I'm sticking with my prediction from the podcast, Jackrabbits win 24-17.  I think this will be another slugfest. 

Viewing Options

It appears that Keloland will have multiple viewing options available. (Update) Sam Herder shared on Twitter that the game will also be on ESPN+ as will all MVFC games this spring. 

Go Jacks!