Our FCS friends to the north had a good 2008 season. The Panthers went 12-3, won the Missouri Valley for the second years in a row, went to the national semifinals, and finished ranked 4th in the nation. They had a respectable offense last year averaging 29.2 points per game and a good defense, giving up only 17.7 points per game while blanking two teams. They should have a good team again in 2009 and are Iowa’s first opponent.
Offense: Key Returning Players
UNI returns 9 starters on offense including QB Patrick Grace who passed for over 2,000 yards and ran for another 618 last year while missing 3 games with a knee injury. Other key returnees include WR Josh Collins who had 750 all-purpose yards, and RB Derrick Law who had 786 yards as the backup. The Panthers will also have a very veteran offense line returning 4 starters who will all be seniors.
Offense: Key Losses
Off of UNI’s roster this year is its leading rusher, Corey Lewis. He was second in the Missouri Valley with 1314 yards on the ground. Also gone is the team’s second most productive receive, Johnny Gray who had 728 all-purpose yards.
Defense: Key Returning Players
Only 6 starters return from a solid 2008 unit. The front 7 will be an experienced group led by senior LB Josh Mahoney who had 139 tackles and 3 interceptions. Joining him at linebacker is Jamar Thompson who also had a good year in 2008 with 110 tackles. The defense line is also solid with 3 senior returns. James Ruffin had 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks last year.
Defense: Key Losses
UNI looses its entire starting secondary from last year. They will need to replace First Team All-Missouri Valley CB Darrell Lloyd, Safeties Curtis Meier and Nick Nelson, and CB Terrell McMoore who had a team leading 4 interception. Also gone is LB DeVeon Harris who had 104 tackles and 3 interception.
For more information on UNI’s 2009 team, check out the spring prospectus.