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In comparison to the majority of college football, the Falcons run a unique style of offense — the flexbone — which specializes in the triple option.

According to Farley, it’s the program’s experience with the flexbone system that makes it such a potent and dangerous unit to face.

Retired head coach Fisher DeBerry initially introduced the triple option attack as an offensive adviser in 1981 before taking over as the head coach of the program in 1985.

“Coach Fisher has been there longer than I have been here,” Farley said. “This offense has been there the entire time.”

Highlighting the Panthers’ experience on defense, Farley pointed out that Air Force will not be the only beneficiaries of experience.

“Cuvy (Spencer Cuvelier) will be able to adjust and adapt very quickly,” Farley said. “Even the … defensive line, in that first tier, will be able to adjust. (Bryce) Flater will be able to adjust, (Benny) Sapp will. We can make adjustments too. … It is not like it is a new game for these guys. They just have not played this offense.”

Additionally, Farley emphasized his personal experience in going up against triple option style offenses and the general experience of UNI’s coaching staff.

“That experience goes both ways,” Farley said. “We will be able to adjust very quickly on the sidelines … that we should be able to do some things on the field as the game unfolds.”

As the defense prepares for a unique challenge, the Panthers offense continues a transition into a new offense under co-offensive coordinators Bodie Reeder and Ryan Clanton.

Earlier this month, during UNI Media Day, Farley said he was not pleased with where the offense was in its installation.

On Monday, Farley provided an update and said he “feels good about the offense” and its progress since fall training camp.

“It will be interesting what the offense does,” Farley said. “I think Theo is confident. I think our offense is confident. We have the experience that we need. Now, it comes down to, do we have the rhythm that we need with bringing everything together?”

Farley continued that the newness of the offense remains the one of the unknowns heading into the season opener.

“That would be the one you would throw out there because there is some newness there that is inexperience,” Farley said. “But, the inexperience is probably a little bit easier to solve because you have your coaches adapting more so than your players. I feel confident that way, but you will not know until you play.”

Farley also addressed the status of wide receiver Logan Wolf and tackle Nick Ellis and said they will be key to the offense in 2022.

“Both [Logan Wolf] and Ellis are critical to our team,” Farley said. “There are a lot of things we need to be aware of for those two. … Those two are definitely guys you target and watch.”

According to Farley, Ellis, an Aplington-Parkersburg product, has been penciled in as a starter on the offensive line as long as he remains on a positive trajectory in a return from season-ending labrum surgery.

“Each week we give him a little bit more workload,” Farley said. “I think we have to be conscious, early in the season, how much workload he can have.”

Of Wolf, Farley said the junior wide receiver has the potential to impact the offense if he can remain on the field.

“Logan has been here multiple years,” Farley said. “He could be just as effective a receiver for us. We have ramped his workload up as well. He needs time throughout the season to continue that ramping up and not just be thrown in the fire.”

Beyond Ellis and Wolf, Farley said UNI plans to have all projected starters and impact contributors available come Saturday.

“We should be alright with everybody going out there,” Farley said. “I foresee everybody — the starters — hitting the field.”

“Those are two young players for that I think are doing an excellent job,” Austin said. “Harrison Bey-Buie reminds me of Terrance Freeney and Josh Jenkins reminds me of David Horne. Those are the two running backs we had when we went to the National Championship.”

Bey-Buie, a product of Bettendorf high school, flashed onto the scene in his senior season with the Bulldogs. A workhorse back, Bey-Buie powered Bettendorf to the Class 4A semifinals with 2,034 yards and 32 touchdowns on 220 carries.

“Harrison Bey-Buie…has a little shiftiness to him,” Austin said. “Harrison is very quick.”

Out of high school, Bey-Buie attended Eastern Illinois, starting nine games for the Panthers and leading the team in rushing yards with 479 with three touchdowns.

After two season with Eastern Illinois, Bey-Buie transferred to UNI this summer.

Earlier this month during football media day, head coach Mark Farley also noted the transfer flashed once UNI started practice with pads.

“He showed up…when we went live because he is thick,” Farley said. “He is strong. You had better have both shoulder pads buckled up when you hit him because he is a force coming through.”

As for Jenkins, the true freshman joins UNI fresh off a massive senior season for Lincoln High School in Des Moines. In 2021, Jenkins led the Railsplitters with 1,113 yards and 17 touchdowns. His touchdown total and 8.2 yards per carry both led Class 5A, last season.

“If you remember David Horne, he was very flashy, very mobile, could move very quick,” Austin said. “Josh has those same type of movement skills where he can move and make people miss and he is agile. That is what I am really excited about.”

However, despite his big senior season, praise-worthy physical abilities and a top 40 ranking in the state of Iowa, Jenkins flew under the radar recruiting-wise.

“I do not compare my process to anybody else’s or my journey to anyone else’s,” Jenkins said. “But, I definitely felt like I should have been higher recruited than I was, but it all shook out pretty well and I ended up at a place that I really like, I like the guys and I like the scheme that we run.”

Going under recruited does not affect Jenkins, he just uses it as motivation.

“I have high expectations for myself,” Jenkins said. “Once I learn the offense and once I really start to grasp the concepts, then all I have to do from there is play. When I am doing that, I feel like I am in my element… I am ready to show everybody that they missed. They missed out on a guy that is going to be the first one into practice and the last one to leave”

As exciting as his current description may be, Austin said Jenkins may still have more untapped potential.

“Adding Josh Jenkins to the room has been awesome,” Austin said. “I cannot wait to get him the weight room with Jed Smith and see how he develops here over this next year. I think by January he is going to be 10-15 pounds heavier, really strong and be even that much better than what he is now.”

While Panther fans may need to wait a little while to see the similarities between a one-two punch of Bey-Buie and Jenkins and Horne and Freeney, Austin already likes what he sees in his young duo.

“Their movement skills are very similar to those two guys,” Austin said. “It is exciting for me to have guys like them on the team again.”

Cuvelier also understands all the double and triple team blocks that Brinkman ate up allowed him to do his job and life at middle linebacker may be a touch tougher early on in 2022.

When UNI takes the field September 3 at Air Force, Cuvelier won’t see the familiar No. 44. Brinkman, along with fellow standout defensive tackle Tim Butcher, have graduated.

New names and numbers will be playing in front of Cuvelier and the senior says he has all the confidence in the world in Khristian Boyd, Jack Kriebs, Ethan George, Dylan Boles and the rest of their gang of defensive linemen.

He is confident in saying that because Brinkman and Butcher were not only good players, but excellent leaders for that group learning that trait from positional coach and new UNI assistant head coach Bryce Paup.

“We are going to be good overall. I understand they are not going to be Jared Brinkman, but they are going to work their tails off just like he did,” Cuvelier said. “I think those guys (Brinkman and Butcher) did an excellent job of teaching the younger guys. They are going to be tougher than nails.

“I’m really excited about what we got going on up front.”

Fellow senior, defensive back, Benny Sapp concurs with Cuvelier.

“There are a lot of new faces, but those guys have bought in, especially the young guys who have done well adjusting to the pace. It is a huge gap, but they are closing it every day so I’m proud of those guys.”

Boyd, a junior, is the most seasoned of the bunch as he appeared in 10 games a year ago and recorded 20 tackles, including 3 ½ for loss and two sacks. Kriebs saw action in six games and recorded six tackles.

Those three join three additional veteran defensive ends – Caden Houghtelling, Devin Rice and Sean Wendel. Houghtelling, preseason all-conference pick by Phil Steele, ranked fifth in the MVFC in sacks with 7 ½ and his three fumble recoveries ranked third in the nation. He also had an interception. Rice chipped in 19 tackles, including five for loss.

UNI head coach Mark Farley also dipped into the transfer portal and brought in Iowa State transfer Cordarrius Bailey and Winona State transfer Colin Klatt, a Cedar Falls native.

“Devin, Caden, Khristian, those are three good, established defensive linemen,” Farley said. “They are proven. They need to continue to improve to go to another level.”

Farley said guys like Bailey and Boles, players he described as mature, and redshirt freshman Cannon Butler, a Columbus Catholic graduate, are three players who need to step up and establish themselves this season to provide additional depth.

“You don’t replace guys like Brinkman and Butcher,” Farley said. “You don’t replace them, you just try to get back to what they were because they brought a lot to our team.”

That has changed in Farley’s opinion this past summer and on into preseason practice.

“Tremendous kicker, tremendous person and a tremendous leader,” Farley says of Cook, a Cedar Falls native. “What he did this summer and what he did in the weight room not just with the kickers, but as a leader … not very often will I say a kicker has taken that kind of role, but Matthew Cook has done that and has done a great job.

“He exemplifies a UNI football player in my opinion. I would throw him in the same context of a person as Spencer Brown, Trevor Penning and Spencer Cuvelier. All different position (players) but that personality of what a UNI football player is.”

Farley noted that since Cook arrived on campus in 2019 he has went from a walk-on kicker to a scholarship player to an all-American.

“That is because of how hard he works and the time he puts in,” Farley adds.

Cook enters the 2022 season as a COVID-junior and the returning first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference is poised for not only a big season.

Coming off a year where he connected on 19 of 22 attempts and went a perfect 33-of-33 in point-after-touchdown attempts, Cook has pushed all in to get better.

“It starts with the weight room and with Jed (Smith),” Cook said. “He’s a big impact on my life and I’ve been kind of buying in with him.”

When you go that hard in the weight room, Cook, who in 2019 weighed 175 and is now a solid 199, said it was important that he retained flexibility and again he went with a Jed Smith recommendation.

“I’ve been doing a lot of yoga and stuff like that,” Cook said. “A lot of hip opening, hamstrings, quads and stuff like that. Nothing like ‘Hot Yoga’, but just a lot of work on flexibility.”

After his big year, which included a career-long 55-yard kick against South Dakota State, Cook is on the precipice of becoming the all-time best in UNI history.

Cook is 53 of 66 for his career, and needs just 11 makes this fall to match Billy Hallgren (64 of 95 from 2007-10) for most field goal makes in school history.

Cook will face a challenge this year as he is working with a new long snapper (Drew Clauson) and a new holder, former Cedar Falls teammate Cael Loecher.

“Yeah, working with a new snapper and holder and just trying to get some chemistry with them, and then I got to work with the young guys, too,” Cook said. I’ve got four younger guys underneath me that I have to show how to play in a game, how to prepare, show some of my technique. They have a lot of potential.”

The rookie kickers under him are Casey McGhee. Calvin Jaworski, Eric Lensing and freshman punter Noah Pettinger.

Cook feels fairly comfortable with Loecher, who replaces his holder of the last two seasons, Nate Murphy.

“It is awesome,” Cook said. “I’ve known him since I was a young guy. It is good to be with another CF alum.  That chemistry is already there.

“I have been working with his holding. He has had his struggles, but he has improved a lot and that is all I can ask for. He works hard,” continued Cook. “He was the No. 2 last fall, and Murphy was probably the best teacher, holder I know. He has met up with us a few times”

Cook says that he and Loecher work on a variety of things during practice sessions from getting the ball on the right spot, the tilt and even different weather conditions where Cook will squirt the ball with a water bottle to simulate wet conditions.

“IF you take a week off you fall two steps behind,” he said. “We will keep working at it and there are no days off.”

Loecher also is running currently as UNI’s starting punter.

“Working hard to get consistency there, but he can bang it,” Farley said.

Vance, the middle brother, originally attended Saint Xavier University, an NAIA program in Chicago. After redshirting for the 2017 season, Vance broke out as the starting running back for the Cougars in the 2018 season. While with the Cougars, he amassed 2,516 rushing yards and led the team in rushing yards all three seasons.

At the same time his older brother started finding success, Deion started making a name for himself as a talented wide receiver for the Panthers. As a freshman in 2018, Deion nabbed 36 catches for 482 yards and two touchdowns to earn All-MVFC All-Newcomer Team honors. After an injury cut his season short in 2019, Deion carved out a consistent role in the offensive game plan at UNI.

With both brothers experience success, Vance decided to team up with Deion in Cedar Falls and achieve their original goal of playing together at the Division I level.

“I have been trying to come here for three years,” Vance said. “I want to play with my little brother.”

According to Deion, he campaigned to get Vance into the purple and gold for his entire career in Cedar Falls.

“We were talking about that for a long time—it was like two years,” Deion said. “When that rule came out during COVID that they could transfer, we took him as soon as we could.”

Vance made the move to UNI in time for the fall 2021 season with two seasons of eligibility as a redshirt junior.

With both McShane’s on the field for the first time since both suited up for the Freeport (IL) High School Pretzels in 2015, the duo combined for 848 yards and seven touchdowns for the Panthers.

Ahead of the 2022 season, the senior season for both brothers, Panthers head coach Mark Farley mentioned Vance and Deion when discussing their plans on offense.

“They bring speed, athleticism, great work ethic on the practice field—very talented,” Farley said. “They have something about them. If you got out to the practice field, you want other guys to see the way they run. If you turn on the film, Deion runs 100 mph whether it is the first play of practice or the last play…Vance is the same way. Vance…is excited because he made the move here to play here. This is his year.”

Both their position coaches paint a similar—if not more in-depth—picture of the duo.

UNI wide receivers coach Joe Ganz described Deion as a player with all the physical attributes a wide out needs and someone who plays unselfishly.

“His physical abilities are great,” Ganz said. “What I love about Deion is how unselfish he is. He is a great teammate. He plays hard…He goes in there cracking linebackers, safeties—doing everything I ask him to do—as an unselfish. My big thing is compete without the football as a wide receiver and he takes that to heart.”

Clocking in at 5-foot-9, 171 pounds, Deion’s strength and hard-to-tackle nature also come to mind according to Ganz.

“I remember watching play in crossover games,” Ganz said. “He is really good after the catch…His ability to make the first guy miss…That is the unique ability about him.”

According to UNI running backs coach Atif Austin, Vance brings the same high level work ethic as Deion.

“From day one, he has put in the work,” Austin said. “The funny thing about Vance is he comes to work every single day. He is in our meeting rooms, he is taking notes every single day. When he comes on the football field, he is the first one out here and one of the last to leave. I love working with him.”

In terms of his physical traits, Austin described Vance’s unreal movement skills as being in the ‘Barry Sanders category.’

“Vance is probably the shiftiest back that we have,” Austin said. “Vance has that quickness, that great balance, really good speed and really good hands…I love watching him play.”

As UNI transitions to a different style of offense under Bodie Reeder, the McShane’s know how important they can be and how big of a role they can have in the Panthers’ offense.

“Playing with your brother, you get bigger opportunities,” Deion said. “This year is big for us. We have been working hard…We sacrificed a lot when we were younger…whenever you get a chance In life—you get that opportunity—you have to go take it. When it is up for grabs, go get yours.”

“Points. That is the simplest question of the day,” Farley said. “It is all about points.”

The need for points provided the driving force for overhauling the UNI offense under Reeder and Ryan Clanton.

“We wanted to make it for UNI instead of keep grabbing words from other systems,” Farley said. “The plays are not that much different. Plays are plays, but how you teach them and how you can comprehend them is a big difference. I think, with what we did, our players have a better understanding of it. They will understand it better, they are more confident in it. Thus, they should play faster and that is how you score points.”

During UNI football media day Wednesday, Farley used the strength of the Panthers’ schedule — UNI plays five teams ranked in the preseason top 25 — to hammer home the importance of points.

“We brought Bodie Reeder in to score points,” Farley said. “We brought in wide receivers to score points. We are going to have to win games in two-minute offense. We are going to have to win games with a field goal. We are going to win games by seven points or less.”

The importance of scoring also displays itself in the ongoing competition for the starting job at the most important position on the field — quarterback.

With redshirt junior Theo Day and redshirt sophomore Matt Morrissey continuing to split reps with the first team offense, the decision on who will be under center in week one depends on which player will lead the offense to the most points, according to Farley.

“The quarterback has to make decisions to score points,” Farley said. “Which quarterback will drive the field in a two-minute offense? … Who is going to make those drives? Who is going to be able to take the field with that kind of demeanor to win the game? That is what will determine if we picked the right quarterback and if we got the quarterback to do that.”

Last season, Day was that quarterback, piloting the Panthers’ to a 6-5 record and a berth in the FCS playoffs after joining the team weeks before the start of the season.

In his second season at UNI, Day said he finds himself more comfortable in his environment after what he described as a “tough transition” transferring from Michigan State.

“I am doing well,” Day said. “I have that experience behind me. It is something I did not really have before. That gives me some confidence going forward.”

Beyond last season, Farley emphasized the importance of Day experiencing a full offseason in Cedar Falls.

“Theo Day showed up in our room right before the season started,” Farley said. “Now, he is with us all summer long. … Theo got to go through the offseason with what do in the weight room, with what we do in ‘The Sand,’ what we do all day long. He got to experience that which pulls you together as a unit. … That is more important to me with how he will handle a huddle and the team on game day.”

The Panther coaching staff remains undecided on which quarterback will start, but Day started camp as the first quarterback to play with the first team, according to Farley.

“They are getting equal reps with equal players,” Farley said. “It is not time to pick the quarterback this early in camp. It is time to find the players because it is more about the continuity and chemistry of the team than it is just the quarterback.”

However, Farley revealed that the decision regarding who will take over the majority of the first team reps may come as early as Monday.

With the importance of points thoroughly established and the quarterback battle nearing its conclusion, the focus shifts to the installation of Reeder’s offense.

Tasked with producing points in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, a gauntlet home to six of the top 50 defenses in terms of total defense in 2021, the Panthers’ offense faces the same herculean task as it does every season.

According to Quan Hampton, UNI’s leading returning receiver despite only playing in eight games, the new offense under Reeder allows for greater freedom on the field.

“I know if I get a double-team that means one of my boys is open,” Hampton said. “The creativity of this offense is all about avoiding those situations and being able to put somebody into a different situation to get them open.”

Hampton expanded on his early impressions of the new offense and how it compares to previous seasons.

“A lot of these offenses are the same, but I like the creativity of it,” Hampton said. “Knowing how to use different pieces … that is what I love about it. [Panther fans] can expect a lot of explosive plays. … This year they can expect an explosive fast offense that is putting up points. That is for sure.”

Day also discussed the new offense and how it has impacted the quarterback position for the Panthers.

“I feel like I am picking it up pretty well,” Day said. “There were some bumps in the spring, but now, in the fall, the whole room has a better understanding of it. … The speed of the play, the number of RPOs we have on runs and the downfield shots are the biggest differences.”

However, Farley provided a more nuanced perspective on the continued evolution of the Panthers’ new-look offense.

“I am okay with where we are at, but I am not pleased with where we are at,” Farley said. “Because I know where we need to get to. They have done nothing wrong. They have just not gotten there. … I know what is coming and they do not. They are excited because they are getting ready to play. … [Am I] happy with where [we] are at? Absolutely not. We will not be there until the end of the season. Hopefully, we will get there sooner than later.”

Panthers announce six captains for 2022 season Farley announced Spencer Cuvelier, Benny Sapp III, Nick Ellis, Erik Sorensen, Dom Williams and Quan Hampton as the captains for the 2022 season.

Farley said the captains, a blend of homegrown Iowans and out-of-state players, exemplify Panther football.

“They are UNI football with how they practice, how they play and what is instilled in them,” Farley said.

Bryce Paup promoted to assistant head coaching position On Wednesday, Farley announced defensive line coach Bryce Paup received a promotion to assistant head coach.

Paup joined UNI for the second time in his coaching career in July 2018 and enters his ninth overall season with the Panthers.

“Bryce has a great demeanor off the field as much as on the field,” Farley said. “That direction and mentorship is very important to our team and our coaches. … He is UNI football. He understands what we do.”

Talented freshman studying under senior defender Dewaun Mack joined UNI as a highly sought-after defensive back prospect out of Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

A three-star according to 247Sports, Farley said he expects Mack to be “a heckuva football player” for UNI in the future.

To continue growing Mack as a player and nurture his talent, the UNI coaching staff tasked the freshman with learning from MVFC Preseason First Team defensive back Benny Sapp III.

“We put Dewaun Mack behind Benny Sapp,” Farley said. “I told him to learn from Benny Sapp. I told him to watch him practice. That is how you practice. … If we bring the right guys in and we put them behind the right person … then you will learn from that player.”

It is a huge honor for the sixth-year offensive linemen from Parkersburg.

It is also a huge deal for Ellis because injuries have kept the 6-foot-4, 333-pound guard off the field each of UNI’s past two seasons.

“James Madison. 2019 (FCS playoff quarterfinal). I played only six snaps in that game before I went out,” Ellis answers of when the last time he played significant snaps for the Panthers.

Since last playing, Ellis has twice had labrum surgery on his right hip, the second last August. Unable to be with his teammates during preseason camp and unable to travel with the team during the season because he was in a hip brace, Ellis decided to take a brief step away from the program as he mentally dealt with what was his second significant injury in as many years.

But friendships and wanting to finish what he started in 2016 has former Aplington-Parkersburg multi-sport star back in pads. 

“The hip surgeries really took a toll on me mentally and physically,” Ellis said. “The second surgery was really harsh. They took a lot of bone out, took a lot of scar tissue out. It was all meshed inside there.

“But, honestly, it was the guys who kept in touch with me,” Ellis adds of what brought him back for one last season. “They were the ones that were really pushing me to come back.”

Farley is excited to have Ellis in his offensive line mix, a group that returns five players – Erik Sorensen, Jared Penning, Justin Peine, Matthew Vanderslice and Tristan Roper --with starting experience, but a group that also lost NFL first-round draft pick Trevor Penning, its leader. 

“I don’t know,” said Farley of what kind of impact he hopes Ellis can have to that group. “It was 2019 (when he last played). He always just gets out there and just gets healthy, he’s an impact player, and then it is an ankle, a shoulder or a hip. He has always gets nicked up right when he really gets good, too.

“I just hope he can have the best season of his life because he really hasn’t had it yet. If he can do that he will bring a tremendous amount to our team. Man, I want to get him on the field so he is out there for 12 football games.”

After redshirting in 2016, Ellis made a single start in 2017 before starting the first four games of the 2018 season. He played in 12 games in 2019 at guard, earning honorable mention all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors and then the injury bug hit him.

Ellis missed the COVID 2021 spring season and all of last season. An honor student who has already graduated with a business degree, Ellis says he feels healthy.

“It is a brand-new hip,” Ellis exclaimed. “It is holding up well. We are going to give it a go. I’m expecting to go out there, win 11 games and go deep in the playoffs.

"When I first came here the goal was to finish at a high level, and I just didn’t want to quit. I’ve never been a quitter. Just coming back and finishing what I started has motivated me."

Following the announcement of the move by USC and UCLA to join the Big Ten last month, the rapidly changing landscape of college football moved to the forefront of most college football discussions.

Viverito noted the changes since the introduction of new NIL legislation, one-time transfer rules and the latest round of realignment.

“In my 40 years working in college sports, I have never witnessed so much uncertainty in the collegiate sports landscape,” Viverito said. “We have the continuing pandemic. We have a transformation committee that is working on issues that surround our transfer rules, our name, image and likeness rules … we have legal threats too numerous to mention.”

Recent changes in the college football landscape forced MVFC and the other FCS conferences to reconsider their expectations for the future of the subdivision, according to Viverito.

“Conference realignment continues to be destructive to FCS overall,” she said. “Last year at this time, we were speculating that we would have more FCS leagues, more automatic bids, less at-large teams. At this point in time, I think contraction in the FCS -- the number of conferences -- is just as likely as not.”

Status of MVFC

With the MVFC’s status as a top league in the FCS, the conference managed to avoid losing valuable members during the previous round of realignment in the early 2010s.

Viverito believes the conference’s geographic footprint played a major role in its ability to maintain its members while other FCS conferences lost key members.

“Being located in the upper Midwest has certainly helped shelter the Missouri Valley Football Conference from the realignment madness both past and present,” Viverito said. “If our schools were located in the south, there is no doubt in my mind we would not look the way we look. We are somewhat protected given our geography.”

According to Viverito, the MVFC also benefits from rivalries inside and outside the conference.

“The biggest benefit for The Valley is that our most important rivalries are within our league,” Viverito said. “Our biggest challenge on the national front is each other. As long as we stay together and committed to this level of football, I think our future is bright. … It is also really important to have a really worthy rival in the Big Sky Conference. That makes the nonconference competition really important to our fans.”

Viverito capped off the discussion by stating the conference would continue holding to its mission statement as its "North Star."

“It means that we will do everything in our power to strive for NCAA football championship no matter what form that takes,” Viverito said.

Continued success

As the new season approaches, the MVFC continues to hold a place among the top leagues in the FCS.

According to Viverito, national polls featured four MVFC teams in the top seven teams, and seven teams appeared in the top 25.

Viverito also took a moment to highlight the successes of the conference as a whole and by individual members. She first pointed to South Dakota State’s 42-23 win over Colorado State in September.

“Despite that ongoing upheaval, we did not just get through the 2021 season, we had unprecedented success,” Viverito said. “We set the tone early with an FBS win in week one. … Our MVFC teams have combined for 47 all-time wins against FBS schools in our history.”

Viverito added that she is excited for the 11 games scheduled by member schools against FBS opponents this season. Success against FBS opponents also was highlighted.

“Last season, Missouri Valley Football Conference teams went 25-5 against nonconference FCS teams,” Viverito said. “Those wins were highlighted by yet another win in the Big Sky Challenge Series, which we have won every year since its inception in 2017. Even more importantly, the Missouri Valley Football Conference has had the edge in the playoffs against Big Sky schools, going 8-3 against those teams in the past four seasons.”

According to Viverito, the nine MVFC players taken in the 2022 NFL Draft marked the most in an individual draft in the history of the league.

“We also set records with the NFL Draft in the offseason,” Viverito said. “Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning was a first-round pick and the highest Panther that has ever been selected, and he is our third first-round pick since 2016.”

Former Illinois State linebacker Boomer Grigsby also made history as the first player from the MVFC to be inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

Grigsby holds the record for most career tackles in the FCS and was a three-time MVFC Defensive Player of the Year.

Familiar face

When Northern Iowa takes the field in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for its conference-opener on Sept. 10, a familiar face will line up across from the Panthers.

North Dakota head coach Bubba Schweigert said the Fighting Hawks’ coaching staff likes the work ethic former UNI running back Tyler Hoosman has shown since joining the program.

“He has been really awesome this summer,” Schweigert “We are really pleased with him. He will have opportunity to compete for a lot of carries.”

After joining the Panthers in 2017, Hoosman amassed 1,034 yards on 255 carries and 12 touchdowns. Following the 2021 season, Hoosman entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer with one season of eligibility.

Hoosman’s experience in the MVFC also will be a valuable asset, according to Schweigert.

“It is always an advantage when a guy has played college football,” Schweigert said. “He has played against conference opponents so he knows the intensity of these games and the quality of play in these games. That gives him an advantage preparing for games.”

Preseason All-Americans

Two Panthers appeared on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Teams, according to a press release from the school Monday.

Senior placekicker Matthew Cook received first team honors after nailing 86.4% of his field goal attempts and 100% of his PATs in 2021. The Cedar Falls native also averaged 58.3 yards per kickoff.

Redshirt senior linebacker Spencer Cuvelier landed on the second team after an injury-shortened season in 2021. Despite only appearing in eight games, the Cresco native earned First Team MVFC Defense honors.

Stats Perform named a first, second and third team with representatives from all 15 FCS conferences and 57 schools.

A 6-foot-4, 256 pound prospect with experience on both sides of the ball, Reth said for now he thinks UNI sees him as an offensive lineman, but ‘it is up in the air at the moment.’

Although his positional fit remains uncertain, there exists little doubt about his fit in Cedar Falls.

“After going on an unofficial visit and going to a camp this summer, I have gotten to meet all the coaches and be able to get coached by them,” Reth said. “I really felt it was a good fit. Getting on campus also helped...Playing at the UNI-Dome has kind of been a dream to me”

Reth emphasized the relationship with the staff at UNI as the main deciding factor in choosing the Panthers over interest from other schools.

“I really like the campus,” Reth said. “I did like how it was really close together…Facilities are facilities. There are nice, but my thing is it is not about the facilities. It is about the people in the facilities and I really liked everybody there.”

UNI offensive line coach Ryan Clanton served as the primary recruiter during the process and won over the entire Reth family with his straightforward honesty throughout the process—a recurring theme among UNI recruits.

“Coach Clanton, the main guy I have been talking to, is a pretty open guy,” Reth said. “He has been straight forward with me the entire time which I really like. As the O-line coach, I feel like I fit in really well with him. The parents approve of him too which is always a plus.”

He added familial ties and proximity to his home both factored into a feeling of comfort with the school.

‘I also have relatives who went to UNI,” Reth said. “I have buddies that go to UNI right now too and they all love it. It felt like home to me honestly…It was a really big part in making decision—being close to family. It is just right down the highway.”

With a 530 squat max and 405 bench press max, Reth and the Panthers’ coaching staff believe he possesses all the tool to be a playmaker in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Tools which UNI knows how to develop into next level talent with alumni Trevor Penning, Spencer Penning and Jackson Scott-Brown finding success in the NFL and USFL.

“For them to be able to show they can produce NFL linemen was huge,” Reth said. “It was almost a no-brainer.”

The eighth known commitment to the 2023 class for UNI, Cline mentioned both his Panther fandom and the coaching staff as reason he chose to commit before his senior season.

“Both my parents went to UNI,” Cline said. “So, I grew up a UNI fan since I was very little…I felt like UNI was the fit for me.”

Cline continued and pointed to the talks he had with the coaching staff during a visit to Cedar Falls further confirmed to him that this was the right decision.

“When I went on my first visit back in February, I could tell the coaches loved me right away,” Cline said. “I have loved UNI since that very first visit.”

With reported interest from Power 5 schools as an offensive lineman, but the length, speed and awareness to play on the defensive side of the ball, Cline’s positional fit at the next level is up in the air at the moment—even for the UNI coaches. However, one thing is clear according to the 6-foot-5, 250-pound athlete.

“They did not know what position they wanted at,” Cline said. “Bryce Paup wants me at D end. Ryan Clanton wants me at center. They are not sure if they want on offense or defense yet, but they know they want me on the line.”

With 40-yard dash dipping into the 4.7s and a squat of 440, Cline’s skillset makes him uniquely capable on the gridiron.

“I am really fast,” Cline said. “Because I am on the lighter side right now, my speed helps me. I am at 250 and that is pretty light for O-line…My speed helps me a lot because I fire off the ball…I can also get to the second level really fast…For defense, I can read the quarterback pretty well. In our defense, we have to make a lot of reads. We cannot go rogue. I also am really lengthy.”

No matter which side of the field Cline lines up on when he takes the field in Cedar Falls, he said he knows it will be the right place for him to accomplish his professional football dreams.

“I trust 100% in the coaching staff at UNI,” Cline said. “I know they are great…That is really encouraging to me. I know I have a chance to go where I want to go because that is the goal for me. That is my dream. That is another huge reason I chose UNI.”

Cline continued that despite interest from Iowa State and Nebraska, he knows that he made the right choice in picking UNI.

“I am going to choose the place that is right for me,” Cline said. “I know that, if I stuck it out longer, I could have got a preferred walk-on or an offer from them, but, in the end, I knew UNI was the right place for me. I do not need to go Power 5 to show my talent.”

From the outset, Cooreman said UNI handled his recruitment differently than every other school that had interest in him.

“UNI has always been very welcoming for me,” Cooreman said. “The first time I went down to Cedar Falls, the first thing I did was meet with the head coach—me, my dad and coach Farley—for about half an hour. To me, that was huge. Getting to know to him, listening to him talk about the program, was awesome for me to form that connection.”

North Dakota State, North Dakota, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth all showed interest in the versatile, 6-foot-4, 210 pound athlete, but the Panthers set themselves apart from the rest of the pack.

“A bunch of other schools recruited me, but I did not get the opportunity to meet with the head coach right away,” Cooreman said. “I felt that UNI brought out the best in forming a personal connection.”

According to Cooreman, that personal connection did not stop after his half hour-long meeting with head coach Mark Farley.

“Then, they took us to a different room where we talked with Coach Clanton and Coach Paup, Coach BK, Coach Austin,” Cooreman said. “We formed a really good connection right away and it was very personal. They all made me feel very welcome and they all made me feel like they wanted me.”

After meeting with more of the coaches, the linebacker said he and the other visitors got to watch the Panthers in action. According to Cooreman, it was during this two-hour long opportunity to watch practice that he saw something that really helped him in committing to the Panthers.

“I loved watching the players and seeing the bonds they all had with each other,” Cooreman said. “That was one big thing as well…I could tell they all had a great relationship with each other.”

The camaraderie of the players again demonstrated an aspect of the UNI football program which, according to Cooreman, did not appear on visits to other schools.

“On some of these other college visits, you do not see that,” Cooreman said. “You do not see the connection the players have with each other. It is all me, me, me at some of these other places. At UNI, it felt like the connection the players had amongst themselves was second to none.”

Since that visit, Cooreman said he could feel a pull to Cedar Falls.

“They were always a frontrunner from the very start,” Cooreman said. “Ever since that first visit…I knew there was special about that [program].”

In addition to the connections with coaches and the camaraderie of the players, Cooreman said he feels UNI provides him the best opportunity to get a good education and become the best athlete he can be.

“I feel like I can do big things at UNI,” Cooreman said. “One thing I can bring to the team is 110% effort every play. You are always going to get 110% out of me on that field. I am going to bring good character. I am going to bring good leadership and good companionship…I have always had a different type of passion for football. Being able to play at the Division I level was always a dream for me.”

Coming in at 6-foot-1 ½” and 200 pounds, Reddinger spent time at running back, outside linebacker and safety during his junior season at Morris Community High School.

Reddinger expanded on what makes him capable of player a number of positions on the football field and what Panther fans can expect from him in the near future.

“I am fast,” Reddinger said. “Another thing that helps a lot in making tackles is my length. My ability in pass coverage, I am decent in pass coverage for a linebacker. So, that helps a lot for being moved around. I am a physical football player. I am smart on the field…I can make adjustments in the middle of the play if I have to. I know my reads. I just fly around.”

Despite his ability to play on both offense and defense, Reddinger said he thinks, after his conversations with the UNI coaching staff, UNI sees him making an impact on the defensive side of the ball.

“I have heard they have looked at outside linebacker or kind of a nickel position,” Reddinger said. “Not safety. I played a little safety in high school, but not like a true safety.”

For Reddinger, this will not be an issue as he said he prefers playing defense.

“I prefer defense a lot more,” Reddinger said. “I like laying the big hit, making plays and scoring touchdowns on defense.”

To his credit, Reddinger showed the ability to be an impact playmaker on defense during his junior season on the Morris varsity football team.

The future Panther gave fans a look at what he could do last season with 62 tackles (19 solo 43 assisted), 4 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries and 2 defensive touchdowns.

The versatile playmaker earned his offer to UNI during one of the North Central football clinics which took place at the beginning of June.

“I had talked to coach Randall McCray before,” Reddinger said. “He came into my school a couple months ago. Then, I was at North Central camp and he was there. After all the testing was when he said he was going to offer me.”

Despite testing well—4.55 40-yard dash, 11’ 3” broad jump and 41” vertical—, Reddinger said he did not expect UNI’s offer when it came.

“UNI was my first official FCS offer,” Reddinger said. “I did not expect to get offered right there. It was really nice to know that someone wanted me and I did not have to wait as long as I thought I would.”

Following an official visit last week, Reddinger said he knew UNI was the right place for him, highlighting the facilities and campus as key selling points.

“The facilities are awesome,” Reddinger said. “I loved the weight room. Something, I really liked about it—which is kind of weird—is their underwater treadmill. I just think it is really dope...The weight room was big for me. It had new stuff. I spend a lot of time there. So, I want a nice one.”

He also added that the new practice field and team meeting room helped separate UNI from Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, North Dakota and Illinois State where he also visited.

When asked if the Panthers recent success in sending players to the NFL had any role in his decision, Reddinger said that it did not, but shows a lot about the coaching staff’s ability to develop players.

“I did not realize how many NFL players they had,” Reddinger said. “They have had a lot. That shows they know what they are doing there. They have two linemen in the NFL now. It is cool. They know what they are doing producing players.”

“I feel like right away when I got there, it felt like home,” Ling said. “The community—I could tell that they backed up the college and put a lot into the college. It is a really great fan base. It seems like a great community to live in.”

Ling doubled down on the fit at UNI, stating that the relative proximity to his hometown did not play a role in choosing the Panthers.

“It was not really a factor,” Ling said. “4.5 hours is still pretty close to home…That is just where fit me best.”

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Ling said he knew he wanted to play football at the next level from an early age.

“Ever since I was kid,” Ling said. “Right when the ball got in my hands, I knew I wanted to keep pursuing the path to play in college.”

Without any relatives who have participated in college athletics, Ling said he takes pride in becoming the first member of this family to make it to that next level.

“I think it will be nice,” Ling said. “My parents wanted to push me to be my best as well as my siblings, my grandparents and honestly everyone in the family. I think it will be pretty cool to be the first person in my family to play collegiate sports.”

A recent uptick in Division I football talent in the Lincoln area allowed Ling to improve his game against other high quality players.

“It made for way better competition,” Ling said. “Going up against them, you can base your skillsets off of them. You can work off of them and see where you need to get better.”

Demonstrated by his 45 tackles, four sacks, one interception and forced one fumble as a junior at Lincoln Southwest High School, Ling said his the biggest thing he brings to UNI is his football IQ and his ability to help make his teammates better.

“I feel like my smarts, my instincts for reading keys as well as speed,” Ling said. “Outside linebacker, for us, is a big position. You have to keep outside contain…I made sure to keep the running back in all the time. It helped our defense a ton not letting the running backs get to the outside.”

He also added that he took care of covering opposing tight ends in addition to his containment responsibilities.

With eight linebackers currently on the roster, including two seniors, Ling joins a position group with a chance to earn playing time early.

Nonetheless, that defensive pedigree will be put to the test when the Panthers open their season Saturday against the Air Force Falcons in Colorado Springs.

In 2021, the Falcons went 10-3 with a win over Louisville in the Servpro First Responders Bowl.

The Falcons also scored in bunches with 31.0 points per game and finished as the top overall rushing attack in Division I-A with 327.7 rushing yards per game.

UNI head coach Mark Farley highlighted the Falcons’ explosive offense last season when discussing the Panthers upcoming matchup.

“They put up 40-some odd points on Louisville in the bowl game that is the one that stands out most,” Farley said. “You are watching Boise on tape, Wyoming on tape, Reno on tape — who won the league. You are going ‘Okay, these teams are getting scored 40-some odd points against Air Force. What are they doing right and what are they doing wrong?’ or ‘What can we do better?’ Because we are going to face the same thing.”

According to Farley, the Panthers need to be disciplined and detailed against the Falcons’ flexbone, triple option attack.

“What makes this so good is you have got dive, quarterback, pitch every down,” Farley said. “Unless you can handle those phases of the game, something is going to break free. We give Air Force a lot of credit. … They are very precise, they keep coming at you and it is made off of the error of the defense.”

Farley said he hammered home the precise and grinding nature of Air Force’s offense when addressing his team about the honor of playing a service academy.

“I told [the football team] this is precision, it is toughness, it is tough football where they come out you and they wear and tear on you,” Farley said. “That is our military. That is the wear and tear and the precise way they play. What they do in their daily lifestyle … carries over to the football field. It is a privilege to play against an academy school, but it ain’t easy.”

Projected to finish second in the Mountain West Conference, Air Force returns six players on offense who started more than six games in 2021. An additional three of the Falcons’ projected starters started at least four games last season.

Air Force’s returning starters on offense include a pair of Preseason All-Conference Team honorees: running back Brad Roberts and offensive lineman Isaac Cochran.

Roberts toted the football more than any player in program history as a junior, rushing for 1,356 yards and 13 touchdowns on 299 carries.

Additionally, 2021 starting quarterback Haaziq Daniels returns after posting 1,184 yards and seven touchdowns through the air with 734 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.

With experienced playmakers at nearly every position on offense, Farley said, the Panthers’ defense will need a systematic method to stop Air Force on Saturday, but expects it to pay dividends throughout the season.

“When you have to play with discipline and detail that you have to put into an academy school, that is what you better have for the rest of the season if you are going to play well,” Farley said. “It is probably a double-edge sword that is good for us because we learn for the entire season and not just for one game. ... It is good for us that we have to learn this and be this detailed … and take this kind of time into the first game.”

On defense, the Falcons return seven players who started in over half of their games last season, including one Preseason All-Conference Team honoree: linebacker Vince Sanford. The Falcons’ four other projected starters all appeared in at least five games last season.

With Colorado Springs nestled at 6,035-feet in the Rocky Mountains, Farley said he understands the elevation will impact the game. However, he added there is “really nothing” UNI could do to prepare for it, and it will not be an excuse.

“It is what it is,” Farley said. “You are going to go out there and you are going to play. I am sure they have elevation signs all over the place so you know how high you are. To me, the field is flat. If it is a flat field, we have a chance.”

“It is not the result that we want in terms of winning or losing,” Reeder said. “But, our guys competed. We moved the ball. We just need to finish drives and not shoot ourselves in the foot.”

A false start on one drive, a fumble inside the five-yard line and an interception all cut promising drives short during first half in Colorado Springs, but promising drives do not win games.

Clanton highlighted the positives in UNI’s loss while pointing out they still did not accomplish their job against the Falcons.

“We drove the ball well, but we have to score points. That is the bottom line,” Clanton said. “We have an experienced group of guys up front and really the whole offense. They all know that we need to score points. That is the big issue that we have. … I am proud of those guys. They did a good job, but not good enough to win. They just have to score points. That is the key.”

The players shared the coaches’ dissatisfaction after failing to record a touchdown until midway through the fourth quarter, he said.

“They are frustrated with themselves as a whole offense,” Clanton said.

Reeder noted many of the Panthers’ mistakes had little to do with their opposition.

“It is efficiency,” Reeder said. “We can spend all this time worrying about scout cards and scout team, but it does not matter. It is about what we do, and that is what showed up on Saturday. We did not even need a defense out there to make those mistakes.”

Both coaches thought the Panthers need to improve their ground game.

With only 119 yards on 24 attempts, UNI struggled to establish the run until the game was well within Air Force’s grasp.

Reeder wants to use the run game to set up the play action, but noted ‘‘you have to call plays for the way the game is going” in response to the Panthers falling behind early.

Clanton, the Panthers offensive line coach in addition to his co-offensive coordinator duties, said he knows the offensive line can do more for its running backs, regardless of the situation.

“Those guys can run block better,” Clanton said. “We have to learn and grow from the experience. They know the standard that has been set. We have had multiple NFL offensive lineman since I got here. You have an older group of guys that knows what they need to do, and I think it will motivate them for the next game.”

Senior Nick Ellis, one of UNI’s starting tackles, said the offensive line did not play to its best ability despite allowing no sacks on Saturday.

“That is our standard. You do not want to have any sacks, any pressures,” Ellis said. “In the run game, we had less than 120 rush yards. That is not our standard. We need to have closer to 150-200 yards for us to win. We did not do our thing to win.”

The passing game featured was one area that shined for the Panthers in the loss.

Quarterback Theo Day completed 20 of 32 pass attempts for 286 yards and two scores with one interception. Eight Panthers recorded receptions. Senior wide receiver Deion McShane led UNI with 6 receptions for 106 yards and was on the receiving end of the longest play of the game — a 40-yard pitch and catch in the fourth quarter.

“Theo was accurate,” Reeder said. “No sacks, the ball was out on time, the wide receivers made plays. … I was pleased with the way we threw the football.”

The Panthers get their first chance to rebound on the road against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Last week, UND played at Nebraska and played the Huskers tough for three quarters before losing 38-17.

The Hawks allowed the Huskers to amass 437 yards of total offense (244 rushing, 193 passing) and managed only 306 yards of offense (175 rushing, 131 passing).

The Hawks finished last season with a 5-6 record, but the record does not tell the story of the 2021 North Dakota football team.

With all five conference losses coming by a combined 23 points, the Fighting Hawks finished the season 3-5 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but with a plus-11 point differential.

UND returns six starters on offense and four starters on defense.

Returning offensive starters include quarterback Tommy Schuster, who completed 65% of his passes in 2021 for 2,493 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Schuster’s 65% completion percentage led the MVFC. Schuster continued his efficient play last week with 24 completions on 37 attempts for 131 yards and one touchdown.

The Hawks also return Schuster’s top target from a season ago in wide receiver Bo Belquist. Belquist put up 535 yards and five touchdowns on 52 receptions, leading UND in receptions and receiving yards in 2021. He led UND with six receptions and 40 receiving yards Saturday.

Running back Isaiah Smith also returns after putting up 356 yards and two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2021. Smith amassed 109 yards on 10 carries against Nebraska. Spelling Smith, UND also features Northern Iowa transfer running back Tyler Hoosman.

On the offensive line, UND returns left tackle Donny Ventrelli and left guard Easton Kilty from a unit that allowed only eight sacks last season. Despite their youth on the right side, the Hawks only allowed two sacks in their loss to Nebraska in week one.

Defensively, UND fields a group of players with little starting experience. But the Hawks defense held Nebraska to only seven points in the first half. Locking down the middle of the field, All-MVFC honorable mention linebacker Devon Krzanowski, UND’s leading tackler in 2021, is the most experienced player with 18 career starts.