VERSATILE QB RENNIE FUELS ROUT

Mark Farley took a chance last season when he tweaked Northern Iowa’s traditional West Coast offense to fit quarterback Tirrell Rennie.
Now everyone can see why.

Rennie ran for three touchdowns and passed for two others Saturday as the second-ranked Panthers drubbed Western Illinois 38-10 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener before 16,059 appreciative fans in the UNI-Dome.

Northern Iowa quarterback #10 Tirrell Rennie, right, was helped up by #74 Misha Danilov, left, after Rennie drove hard into the end zone to score UNI's first touchdown against Western Illinois. / BILL NEIBERGALL / REGISTER PHOTO

Northern Iowa (2-1, 1-0) enjoyed great success in the West Coast offense, which featured a precise passing attack, but Farley realized he had a special talent with Rennie.

Rennie showed all his skills against the Leathernecks (1-3, 0-1). He carried the ball 12 times for 106 yards and completed 10-of-14 passes for 142 yards.

The days of UNI featuring a pocket passer like Eric Sanders are in the history books. Now it’s the Tirrell Rennie Show, running and throwing the ball effectively.

Farley likes the results, even though it meant tampering with the playbook a little.

“I don’t think it was a gamble. It was a pretty good gamble, if it was,” he said, smiling. “He’s a dynamic player. He’s always got a chance to make something happen for you.”

Rennie matched his high by accounting for five touchdowns in one game. He also did it last year when he ran for four touchdowns and passed for another against Illinois State.

Rennie had touchdown runs Saturday of 2, 12 and 35 yards. His TD passes covered 30 yards to David Johnson and four yards to Darion Howard as the Panthers built a 38-3 cushion in the third quarter.

Western Illinois coach Mark Hendrickson was impressed with Rennie, saying he gives UNI an extra dimension.

“As long as he can pull it down and gain 12 yards in a hurry, that really makes them tough to defend,” Hendrickson said. “And that was our experience today. Somebody is going to have to play very well to beat them.”

Rennie accounted for 248 yards of offense on just 26 plays.

“It was even funner to see the scoreboard, saying that we won,” he said. “Stats are always nice, and they make you look good sometimes and they can also make you look bad sometimes.”

Rennie said he feels more comfortable in the offense this year. He joined the Panthers last season after playing at Ellsworth Community College.

“It was just me having to be more consistent in the playbook,” he said.

Northern Iowa linebacker L.J. Fort is glad he doesn’t have to tackle Rennie in games. It was bad enough in preseason practice when the first-team defense scrimmaged against the first-team offense.

“We had a formation one time where the two backs were David (Johnson) and Carlos (Anderson) with Tirrell in the same backfield, and good luck stopping that,” said Fort, who led UNI with 12 tackles.

Johnson had another strong game at tailback. He rushed 21 times for 132 yards and caught three passes for 46 yards. The redshirt freshman from Clinton has five touchdowns in three games.

“I’ve been saying this since David got here: David is a freak,” Rennie said. “If you guys haven’t seen it yet, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Johnson has played more than he expected with Anderson bothered by a sprained ankle. Anderson returned to action Saturday and carried the ball three times for 28 yards, but reinjured his right ankle in the second quarter and did not return.

Johnson has excelled in his place.

“He’s so smooth,” Farley said. “He looks like he’s just playing in the back yard.”

The Panthers scored their five touchdowns in a hurry, with drives that took only 1:31, 1:30, 2:20, 1:25 and 3:01.

Northern Iowa trounces WIU

Western Illinois' defense found out what everyone else is likely going to find out this season.

Saying you're going to stop Northern Iowa quarterback Tirrell Rennie is a lot different than actually doing it.

Rennie played a part in all five touchdowns - he threw for two and ran for three - in the Panthers' 38-10 win over the Leathernecks on Saturday afternoon at the UNI-Dome in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams.

Rennie threw for 142 yards and rushed for 106 as the Leathernecks had plenty of problems bringing him down.

Then again, so did Iowa State and Stephen F. Austin in the first two games of the season.

"Our game plan was good," Western Illinois coach Mark Hendrickson said. "But when it's their quarterback running behind their pulling guard, it's something that's hard to simulate in practice."

Reality is much, much different when it comes to Rennie.

"He's a dynamic player," UNI coach Mark Farley said. "He can make things happen."

Rennie struggled at times last season in the Panthers' offense. But Farley said his maturity in his role has been a big factor in what the Panthers can do offensively.

"I think we fit him into the offense," Farley said. "But we've tweaked some things that we do."

"Honestly, not much has changed," Rennie said. "It's just me being more persistent in the playbook."

Nothing the Leathernecks did this week could resemble the fury of the Panthers' offense in the early part of this game, although Western Illinois certainly played a big role in its demise.

Terrell Sinkfield's block of Michael Shroble's first punt gave the Panthers (2-1) the ball at the Western Illinois 12 on their first possession of the game. Four plays later, Rennie sneaked into the end zone from two yards out, and UNI led 7-0.

Jordan Smith's interception of a tipped pass from Western Illinois' Josh Hudson gave the Panthers the ball at the Leathernecks' 46 on the next possession. Five plays later, Rennie scored on a 12-yard run, and UNI led 14-0.

"We gave them a short field, that makes things tough on the defense," Hendrickson said.

It got tougher after UNI made it 28-3 heading into halftime. Rennie threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open David Johnson down the right side with 6:56 to play in the half, and then Rennie scored on a 30-yard run with 3:14 to play.

"You might think you have the right scheme," Hendrickson said. "But they can do so many different things."

Rennie threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Darion Howard midway through the third quarter for a 35-3 lead.

The Leathernecks had 312 yards of offense, but didn't get into the end zone until Caulton Ray scored on a 1-yard leap with 2:49 to play in the game.

The Panthers came into the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in both Football Championship Subdivision polls. Hendrickson said before the game that he was a believer in that ranking after watching them on tape, and he reaffirmed that after the game.

"Certainly the best team won the game today," he said.

Rennie wasn't even the leading rusher in the game. Johnson rushed for 132 yards, his first 100-yard game of his young college career.

"He's so smooth," Farley said. "He looks like he's playing in the backyard."

"David is a freak," Rennie said, laughing. "He runs hard. He brings another dimension to the offense."

Johnson returned the compliment, although not with such descriptive language.

"It's hard for defenses to key on one guy," the freshman from Clinton said.

The Panthers, conference champions last season, got off to the start they wanted.

"It's a wonderful feeling," Rennie said. "We started off just the way we needed to."

"We made a big statement," Johnson said. "We want to keep making those statements."

Northern Iowa 38Western Illinois 10

WIll NI

First downs 15 19

Rushes-yards 31-105 43-275

Passing 207 142

Comp-Att-Int 18-32-1 10-14-0

Return Yards 3 70

Punts-Avg. 6-43.2 3-40.7

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1

Penalties-Yards 6-47 4-31

Time of Possession 30:21 29:39

W. Illinois 0 3 0 7 -1 0

N. Iowa 14 14 7 3 - 38

First Quarter

NI-Rennie 2 run (Sievertsen kick), 12:00.

NI-Rennie 12 run (Sievertsen kick), 5:49.

Second Quarter

WIll-FG Smith 20, 13:48.

NI-Johnson 30 pass from Rennie (Sievertsen kick), 6:56.

NI-Rennie 35 run (Sievertsen kick), 3:14.

Third Quarter

NI-Howard 4 pass from Rennie (Sievertsen kick), 8:19.

Fourth Quarter

NI-FG Sievertsen 23, 7:43.

WIll-Ray 1 run (Smith kick), 2:49.

A-16,059.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-W. Illinois, Ray 18-79, Morgan 1-16, Flowers 5-8, Lunt 3-6, Patterson 1-(minus 1), Hudson 3-(minus 3). N. Iowa, Johnson 21-132, Rennie 12-106, Anderson 3-28, Cutkomp 6-10, Team 1-(minus 1).

PASSING-W. Illinois, Lunt 11-20-0-110, Hudson 7-12-1-97. N. Iowa, Rennie 10-14-0-142.

RECEIVING-W. Illinois, Crump 8-131, Ray 5-19, Chestnut 3-49, Patterson 1-6, Daughtry 1-2. N. Iowa, Johnson 3-46, Sinkfield 2-35, Owens 1-26, Collins 1-14, Vereen 1-12, Herring 1-5, Howard 1-4.

Panthers crush Western Illinois in home opener

Tuba section members of Northern Iowa’s band wandered around the concourse of the UNI-Dome during the third quarter of Saturday afternoon’s football game.
They stopped as they got to the north end zone, letting loose with a short, sudden blast from their horns that startled fans standing along a railing in front of them. It was almost as startling as quarterback Tirrell Rennie’s performance.
Almost. Bottom line is that five touchdowns, three rushing and two passing, in a 38-10 win over Western Illinois in the home opener before 16,059 fans is worth blowing your horn about.
“It was more fun to see the scoreboard, seeing that we won,” he said with a bright smile. “Stats are always nice, and they make you look good sometimes and bad sometimes. But at the end of the day, this year all we’re worried about is that scoreboard. We got the ‘W,’ and that’s all we can think about right now.”
UNI (3-1) won its Missouri Valley Conference opener by immediately putting away an opponent that was crushed last week by FBS member Missouri, 69-0. Terrell Sinkfield blocked a punt to give the Panthers the ball for the first time on the WIU 12, and Rennie eventually ran in on a shotgun option play from 2 yards out.
“They play a more normal-style punt (formation),” UNI Coach Mark Farley said. “There are some flaws in that one, so we thought we could expose those.”
An interception by linebacker Jordan Smith off a tipped pass set up another Rennie option touchdown from 12 yards to make it 14-0. He connected with running back David Johnson for a 30-yard TD pass in the second quarter, spun and sprinted his way down the sideline 35 yards to make it 28-3 at halftime and hit tight end Darion Howard for a 4-yard touchdown pass early in the third.
Just another day’s work for the senior from Florida.
“We started off just the way we need to,” said Rennie, who ran for 106 yards and completed 10 of 14 passes for 142. “We got the first win in conference. From here, it’s conference in and conference out. This game was bigger than Iowa State, bigger than Stephen F. Austin, our first two games.”
Johnson, a talented freshman from Clinton, scored for the third time in three college games, finishing with 132 yards rushing on 21 carries. He started for Carlos Anderson, who tweaked his sprained right ankle on a first-half carry.

UNI’s big man loves life out of spotlight

Northern Iowa offensive lineman Jay Teply, speaking to reporters during media day at the UNI-Dome in August, enjoys life out of the spotlight. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

By Nancy Justis, correspondent
CEDAR FALLS – Jay Teply is a big man on campus. Literally.
The University of Northern Iowa’s 6-7, 330-pound starting offensive tackle says his size was noticeable beginning as early as kindergarten.
“I’ve always been taller than everybody else since about kindergarte
n,” he said, “but from third or fourth grade I started putting weight on faster than everybody else. I just kept getting bigger and bigger.”
Growing up in Cedar Rapids, he began his athletic career as a basketball player.
“I was the youngest age you could possibly be and they told me I would be playing in the older group because I was heavier than everybody else,” Teply said. “When I was a fifth grader I was playing with the seventh graders. I kept playing basketball through middle and high school.”
He was good enough to earn second team all-state honors at Xavier High School. Playing center, of course, he averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds.
“I loved basketball growing up,” Teply said. “Basketball is a fun sport to play because it’s an easier sport to play. Not high contact. Being this big made it easy for me. I didn’t have to be that great at it to be successful. I really wasn’t that great, I was just big.
“I’ve loved football since the day I played it. It’s a different kind of love. I always knew I wanted to play it in college.”
In middle and high school he played on both sides of the ball.
“If you’re big, you’re going to be big on defense because it takes so much to block you,” he said. “But I knew from day one that if I played in college it would never be defense because, number one, I’m not that good at it. I just took up space, so I always knew offense was in my future.
“I actually enjoy offense more where you score the points. (Playing in the offensive line there’s) no glory. That’s definitely fine with me.”
Teply never has minded the lack of stardom.
“In basketball I started getting attention,” he said. “It feels good but in football it’s kind of nice to hide out behind the scenes and not be in the spotlight. When your running backs compliment you in the paper, it’s just as good as getting an interview. My running backs have always been really good at it. I don’t need my name in the paper to be proud. If UNI scores higher than the opponent, then I’m happy.”
The coaching staff tried Teply out at guard during spring ball. They moved him back to tackle this fall.
“I’ve been playing football close to 15 years and I played guard for one year, the very first year I played,” he said. “This spring was a rough transition for me but if that’s where the coaches think I’ll have success, that’s where I’ll play. I’ve always been taught to do what the coach says. That’s for the best interest of the team.”
Teply says UNI always was kind of under the radar for him. He went to both the Iowa and Iowa State camps hoping the participation would spark some interest in him. His father attended ISU. UNI, however, was the only school he officially visited.
“Recruiting was a short process,” he said. “Soon after my senior year was over UNI came down and talked with me. One night I got invited to come here for a visit and I told them I couldn’t because my sister had something down at Indian Hills (Community College) that I wanted to go to.
“My (high school) head coach called me up and said ‘don’t turn this down’. I called (UNI) back. I loved the campus. It wasn’t a far distance from home. I loved its success. That night sitting in my hotel room I told my mom I really liked this place and I would love to play here.”
Teply, a preseason all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, and his family are very close. Neither his father or mother miss a game, home or away. His older sister, Amanda, is “my biggest fan. She always wears one of my jerseys to the games. If she can’t get to a game, she’s heartbroken.”
He says he’s really surprised how close he and his teammates are this season.
“This summer, we had some of the hardest workouts we’ve ever gone through,” he said. “There were a lot of guys here. We grew together. It’s really crazy how close we are. During games and stuff you have guys that bicker but this year we’ve been in tough spots and I never once have seen an ounce of negativity from anyone.”
UNI offensive line coach Rick Nelson said “Jay is a very hard worker on and off the field. As good as a football player Jay is, he is even a better man. He is a quiet leader. He is not vocal but is very respected by his teammates. The NFL is taking a good, hard look at him. He fills a door way up, for sure.”

Hansen: Tragedy leaves Panthers' Rennie without his No. 1 fan

Chase Walsh, Tirrell Rennie's half brother, is pictured with Dawn Rennie. Walsh died Aug. 15 during an incident involving gunshots with Atlanta police. / Special to the Register

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University of Northern Iowa quarterback Tirrell Rennie is leading the No. 2-ranked Panthers while dealing with a family tragedy, the death of his half brother in Atlanta. / Justin Hayworth/ The Register

Tirrell Rennie had just finished one of those wildly popular two-a-day summer practice sessions when he checked his phone messages. The no-nonsense voice in his ear told him to call home immediately.
If that weren’t alarming enough, people were crying in the background. A 22-year-old senior from the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area, Rennie is the star quarterback for the second-ranked University of Northern Iowa football team. On fall Saturdays he spends his time running and passing for big yardage and dodging menacing tacklers.

But there was no running from this. On Aug. 15, less than three weeks from UNI’s opening game at Iowa State University, Rennie’s half brother, Chase Walsh, 28, of Atlanta, died of a gunshot wound to the head.
When Rennie got off the phone with his cousin, there was Mark Farley, the Northern Iowa coach, coming down the UNI-Dome stairs. He’d already heard the news.
Farley likes Rennie — likes his leadership qualities, his positive personality, his emphasis on team as family. He doesn’t mind Rennie’s game-breaking speed and agility, either.
But now UNI’s most important player would be hopping on a plane to Florida for the funeral, leaving his Iowa family for a few days to say goodbye to his No. 1 fan. That’s what Chase Walsh called himself, and he wasn’t shy about reminding the object of his affection.
He even made sure that’s how he was listed on Rennie’s cellphone directory.

Tense moment turns tragic

Walsh had never seen Rennie play a college game in person, but he was coming to Ames to root for the Panthers. The plans were set. The oldest sibling, Desmond Walsh, his wife and their 2-year-old son would be there, too.
Everyone was looking forward to Sept. 3. Then everything changed.
A month later, the family still isn’t sure what happened the night Walsh died. They say the police report produced more questions than answers.
Squad cars responded to “an altercation involving a weapon,” the police department wrote in an email to The Des Moines Register. Walsh was running from a house, holding a handgun. When an officer on the scene left his vehicle and ordered Walsh to halt, Walsh raised the gun, fired a shot into the air and pointed his weapon at the cop.
An officer fired twice at Walsh. According to the officer, Walsh “crouched down, put the pistol to the right side of his own head” and fired.
By all indications, it was a domestic dispute involving Walsh and the mother of his children, ages 7 and 8. After that, the facts get fuzzy. An Atlanta TV station reported that Walsh had three wounds, including one to the buttocks.
Sitting in the UNI-Dome stands this week, waiting for a football meeting, Rennie talked about how losing his half brother broke his heart.
“I’d been with him since I was born,” he said. “He took care of me when my mom and stepdad were working.”
Rennie still leaves messages on Walsh’s cellphone. He says he will as long as the line remains open.
He can’t bring himself to believe it was a suicide. No way, he says, would Walsh leave his two children without a father.
“Those two kids were his world. There’s not a chance he’d ever do something like that. He was selfless, the ideal brother. He never asked for anything, never wanted anything. He did whatever he could to meet his family’s needs.
“He’d never throw that out the door, whether he thought it through or not.”

Mother: 'This tears my heart out'

Rennie’s mother, Dawn Rennie, 47, is certain Walsh was bringing money for the kids when he and their mother got into an argument at her home in southwest Atlanta.
Walsh had served time on domestic violence charges before, Tirrell Rennie acknowledged, but that doesn’t change the fact that he loved those kids. Lawyers advised the family to hire an outside firm to conduct the autopsy, but Dawn Rennie wanted a prompt, proper burial, and that was that.
“It’s really, really sad,” she said from her home in Florida. “He was a great father. He wasn’t involved in drugs or gangs. He was only there to give money to his kids. I visit him and pray for him every day. We’re a strong family, we believe in God and we’re hoping he’ll carry us through this.”
They’re a family that seems to emphasize education. Natalie Rennie, 21, attends South Carolina State University; Terrence Rennie, 20, is a football player at Virginia Union University; Desmond Walsh, 30, wrestled at Olivet College in Michigan.
Tirrell Rennie majors in criminal justice and hopes to work with troubled kids when his football days are over. He said Chase Walsh was a decent student, too, but never wanted to go to college and was working in an Atlanta warehouse managed by his stepfather.
“My whole life, my mom and stepdad preached academics, academics,” Rennie said. “My mom migrated here from Jamaica. She never graduated from high school, but they both told us kids we could have everything in the world if we had an education.”
His mother agrees with her son. She isn’t handling anything really well at this point.
“This tears my heart out,” she said. “Tirrell is strong. He’s been that way since he was little, but I’m falling apart.”
She tries not to let it show, but Rennie can see it. “It kills me to see her so brittle and weak,” he said. “There she is, giving me encouragement, when I should be giving it to her.”

Rennie 'grateful' for support

Heading into Iowa State week, Rennie didn’t know whether he’d be emotionally ready by game time. He kept his emotions inside until the plane landed in Florida. Then he broke down.
The last thing Walsh told him, he remembered, was to fight for his family.
“It still hurts,” Rennie said in the UNI-Dome. “It’ll continue to hurt, but the guys on my team, my new Iowa family, the coaching staff and even a lot of the fans have been very supportive helping me through this. Even when they don’t say anything, I know they’re behind me.
“That support, I need it and I’m grateful for it.”
When it finally came time to play ISU, he was ready. In front of almost 55,000 people, Rennie ran for 127 yards, passed for 181 more. He was the player of the game until his Iowa State counterpart, Steele Jantz, slipped into the end zone with 40 seconds to play to give the Cyclones a 20-19 victory.
“Tirrell Rennie,” Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said afterward, “... what a remarkable player.”
Farley knows what he has, on and off the field.
“The thing about Tirrell,” he said, “is he’s such a good-natured person. He’s always positive.”
The following week in Nacogdoches, Texas, Rennie kept it positive by helping the Panthers avenge last year’s loss to Stephen F. Austin State University. He ran for 126 yards and passed for another 151 to lead the Panthers to a 34-23 victory over another highly ranked team in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
Lots of college quarterbacks pass better than Rennie. Some even run better. But you won’t find many better at both.
In his junior season after transferring from Ellsworth Community College, Rennie was named the Missouri Valley Conference newcomer of the year. He’s one of the main reasons the Panthers are picked to win the MVC title this season.
Every Saturday this time of year, we watch them play football. We listen to what they say before and after the games. We know more about our favorite college football players than we do most of our elected officials.
But what do we really know about their lives off the field? Not nearly as much as we think.

Valley Football Announces Players of the Week

MVC VIDEO

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UNI's Tirrell Rennie led the Panthers to a 34-23 win at No. 16 Stephen F. Austin

This week's Missouri Valley Football Conference Players of the Week are QB Tirrell Rennie of UNI; LB Jordan Smith of UNI; RS Leonard Riston of Indiana State; and RB David Johnson of UNI.

Offensive Player of the Week
QB Tirrell Rennie, UNI
6-0, 201, Sr., North Lauderdale (Fla.) Coconut Creek High/Ellsworth CC
Rennie led the Panthers to a 34-23 road victory at No. 16 ranked Stephen F. Austin, leading UNI both on the ground and through the air. He rushed for 126 yards on 19 carries, marking his eighth 100-plus rushing performance in 14 career games as a Panther. Rennie also found the endzone twice, moving him into a tie for 10th place all-time at UNI with 17 career rushing touchdowns. He passed for 151 yards on nine completions against SFA – an average of 16.8 yards per completion.

Defensive Player of the Week
LB Jordan Smith, UNI,
6-2, 223, Sr., Humboldt (Iowa) High
Smith racked up 16 tackles and an interception in the Panthers’ 34-23 road victory over No. 16 ranked Stephen F. Austin. Trailing 7-0, Smith intercepted SFA quarterback Brady Attaway at the UNI 29-yard line on the Lumberjacks’ second offensive drive of the game.

Newcomer of the Week
RB David Johnson, UNI
6-3, 214, R-Fr., Clinton (Iowa) High
Johnson served as the workhorse of the Panther offense in a 34-23 triumph at No. 16 Stephen F. Austin, carrying 31 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson scored on a one-yard run with 22 seconds remaining before halftime to give UNI its first lead at 13-10. He found the endzone from one yard out again on the opening play of the fourth quarter, putting the Panthers ahead 27-16.

Special Teams Player of the Week
KR Leonard Riston, Indiana State
5-11, 180, So., Cincinnati (Ohio) Withrow High
Riston returned three kickoffs for a total of 156 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown in the second quarter as the Sycamores downed Butler at Memorial Stadium. Riston’s 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the Sycamores’ first since the 2005 campaign when Cornell Johnson had a 97-yarder against Western Illinois.

FCS Huddle

Give a college football coach a choice between having a returning starting quarterback and a new offensive line, or vice versa, and he likely would go with the veteran group in the trenches.

But the fact remains many of us are enamored with our favorite team having a veteran quarterback.

Look at the scenarios among last year's FCS finalists. Delaware's fickle fans no longer have the feeling of comfort that Pat Devlin gave them the last two years. Eastern Washington fans love that Bo Levi Mitchell is back to lead the defending national champion Eagles.

Sometimes it's easy to forget college football teams have four, five, six quarterbacks on their roster. The starter isn't necessarily the only signal- caller capable of leading a successful season.

New Hampshire fans basically only heard the names Ricky Santos and R.J. Toman for years, only to find out how good fifth-year senior Kevin Decker is in playoff action last season and through two strong starts (he's 44 of 62 for 492 yards and four touchdowns) this season.

"It's made my life easy, the last six or seven years around here," UNH head coach Sean McDonnell said after Saturday's 48-41 overtime win over Lehigh. "When Santos left, we had a quarterback, and then Toman came in. And Toman beat out Decker by that much (he holds two fingers an inch apart), guys. It was that close."

UNH coaches persuaded Decker not to transfer from the CAA Football school when he pondered a move. After his long wait in the wings, he's paying dividends this season.

This year, plenty of other schools were faced with having to replace their offensive leader. The early results are mixed, but the transition is well underway.

Five teams are replacing the 2010 offensive player of the year in their respective conferences. The list includes Devlin and the top two finishers for the Walter Payton Award (sponsored by Fathead.com), winner Jeremy Moses of Stephen F. Austin and runner-up Matt Barr of Western Illinois.

Trevor Sasek, who backed up Devlin last season, injured his right knee in Delaware's season opener. Junior Tim Donnelly, a former walk-on, managed a good game in Saturday's 28-17 win over Division II West Chester, but the position is far from settled as the Blue Hens rev up for their CAA Football schedule.

Brady Attaway is at the controls of SFA's offense and has a rifle for an arm. After tearing into Division III McMurry in the opener, he threw three interceptions in a loss to No. 4 Northern Iowa. But Attaway is known to shake off bad plays, and he will need to considering the two-time defending Southland Conference champion Lumberjacks go to Baylor on Saturday.

At Western Illinois, junior college transfer Josh Hudson has gained the upper hand on Wil Lunt in replacing Barr, the Missouri Valley Conference's finest QB last season. Hudson has thrown for four touchdowns, including a 92-yarder, without an interception through two games.

Bethune-Cookman's Jamarr Robinson, a Maryland transfer, is replacing MEAC Offensive Player of the Year Matt Johnson. After a dominant game against Prairie View A&M, he followed up with a four-interception performance against South Carolina State.

At Dayton, Will Bardo is replacing two-time Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Year Steve Valentino. Bardo is a composed redshirt freshman, but has completed only 49 percent of his passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, with 93 rushing yards, in the Flyers' 1-1 start.

Other quarterbacks who are off to solid starts in replacing veteran quarterbacks include Northern Arizona's Cary Grossart (Michael Herrick was the 2010 starter), Colgate's Gavin McCarney (Greg Sullivan), Missouri State's Trevor Wooden (Cody Kirby), Elon's Thomas Wilson (Scott Riddle), Weber State's Mike Hoke (Cameron Higgins) and Southern Illinois' Paul McIntosh (Chris Dieker).

Quarterbacks who are off to lesser performances and are trying to instill continuity in their teams include Coastal Carolina's Aramis Hillary (Zach MacDowall), Massachusetts' Brandon Hill and Kellen Pagel (Kyle Havens), Prairie View A&M's Jonathan Troast (K.J. Black), Sacred Heart's Luke Wischnowski (Dale Fink), South Carolina State's Derrick Wiley (Malcolm Long), Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Benjamin Davis (Josh Boudreaux) and Villanova's Dustin Thomas (Chris Whitney).

LAST TWO CHAMPS STRUGGLING

Villanova's struggles aren't particularly surprising considering the Wildcats lost the most talented senior class in the FCS after last season.

But the 2009 national champions have some company that nobody foresaw -- 2010 FCS champion Eastern Washington also is off to an 0-2 start.

While Villanova should reverse Saturday's 31-10 clunker at Towson next weekend against visiting Monmouth, EWU can't dwell on its 30-17 stunner at South Dakota on Saturday, as well as the fact it will relinquish the top spot in The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25.

The Eagles have back-to-back Big Sky games against Montana (Saturday in Missoula) and Montana State (Sept. 24 in Cheney, Wash.) in the next two weeks. A conference title, maybe even the possibility of returning to the playoffs, could vanquish if they don't right the ship.

"It's disappointing," EWU head coach Beau Baldwin said. "There is no question we are capable of a lot more. We all have to do a better job this week and respond from this loss. That's where we are. We don't like the situation we're in, but we have to learn from this and step up, including myself.

"This is a tough spot we're in -- it's never easy to dig out of an 0-2 hole. But the only possible chance we have is to grind it out a practice at a time and a game at a time. All our energy needs to go toward playing Montana."

WHO'S THE NEW NO. 1?

No. 2 Georgia Southern seemingly stands to claim the nation's top ranking on the heels of its 62-21 thrashing of Division II Tusculum and Eastern Washington's loss.

The Southern Conference could control the top two spots in the national poll after No. 3 Appalachian State rolled to an expected blowout of North Carolina A&T, 58-6 on Saturday.

But Stephen F. Austin coach J.C. Harper begs to differ about the top spot after No. 4 Northern Iowa made the difficult trip to Nacgdoches, Texas, and came away a 34-23 winner over the Lumberjacks behind quarterback Tirrell Rennie (126 rushing yards and two touchdowns; 151 passing yards).

"When you play a team as good as Northern Iowa, you can't make mistakes," Harper said. "I believe UNI is the No. 1 team in the country, but we really hurt ourselves tonight."

BETTER THAN IT LOOKS

You might say all 20 FCS teams took a swing and a miss in falling to FBS opponents on Saturday. But it's a lot better to go down swinging, right?

Five of the teams came within a touchdown of the FBS teams: Alabama State lost at Eastern Michigan, 14-7; Maine fell to Pittsburgh, 35-29; No. 7 Wofford lost to Clemson, 35-27; Rhode Island went down at Syracuse, 21-14; and No. 18 Central Arkansas lost at Louisiana Tech, 48-42, in overtime.

"I was proud of our team the way that they just fought their tails off. They didn't give up," Wofford head coach Mike Ayers said.

Through two weeks, FCS teams are 2-56 against FBS. That's showing how last year's seven FCS upsets was a good number.

AROUND THE NATION

Give credit to South Alabama. Saturday's 30-8 triumph over Lamar made the Jaguars a perfect 19-0 in their first three seasons, but mostly against inferior competition. The perfection under head coach Joey Jones won't last much longer. The Jaguars visit FBS opponents in their next two games, Saturday at North Carolina State and Sept. 24 at Kent State. That type of competition will serve them better because they are just passing through the FCS en route to joining the FBS and the Sun Belt Conference in 2013 ... Sam Ojuri's 95-yard touchdown run to kick start North Dakota State's 56-3 blowout of St. Francis (Pa.) set a school record. He finished with 165 yards on 12 carries ... Youngstown State scored on its first 11 possessions in a 77-13 rout of Valparaiso, which suffered its 22nd straight defeat. The Penguins had 657 yards and 34 first downs ... South Dakota has to share some of the Great West spotlight with Southern Utah, which throttled No. 12 Sacramento State, 35-14, one week after the Hornets upset Oregon State. SU quarterback Brad Sorensen completed 30-of-37 passes for 271 yards and defensive end Tyler Osborne had 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery ... There's no shortage of offense with Southeastern Louisiana, which is averaging 510 yards and 48 points through a 1-1 start. The Lions ran 93 plays against Savannah State after running 89 versus Tulane. Only two teams have run more through the first two weeks ... The inaugural AT&T First Nation's Classic drew 18,409 to RFK Stadium in Washington, where Howard held off Division II Morehouse, 30-27. Greg McGhee threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the win ... Classics involving Historically Black Colleges and Universities dominate FCS attendance. The weekend's high attendance of 43,532 watched Jackson State beat Tennessee State, 35-29, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. ... Elon retired quarterback Scott Riddle's No. 16 jersey in a ceremony before the Phoenix's 42-10 win over Concord. Riddle holds 41 NCAA, Southern Conference or Elon records ... His team having just missed the FCS playoffs last year, Chattanooga coach Russ Huesman is calling for his players to build on their impressive win over Jacksonville State. Next up is a trip to another Ohio Valley Conference opponent, Eastern Kentucky. "We are 1-1, but we have got to be 2-1, bottom line," Huesman said. "That's what I told them in the locker room. That is all we're thinking about." ... If Western Carolina true freshman Shaun Warren rushing for 203 yards and four touchdowns seemed out of this world, consider it came in a 52-31 victory over Mars Hill on Saturday ... Linebacker Jimmy Thomas, strong safety Tom Mannix and a fired-up Holy Cross defense "held" Colgate All-America running back Nate Eachus to 96 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries in a 37-7 rout in the Patriot League. The rushing total was the second-lowest for Eachus in Colgate's last 15 games ... Another big crowd (31,634) greeted start-up program UTSA at the Alamodome, but the Roadrunners' 24-21 loss to Division III McMurry was unacceptable for a program headed to the FBS next year ... Few players in the FCS can rival Rodrick Rumble's start at Idaho State. The 6-2 junior wide receiver has caught 20 passes for 362 yards and four touchdowns in two games ... Smoke from area wildfires was a problem for winded players on Saturday at Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Grizzlies posted a 37-23 win over Cal Poly to avenge last year's loss when they were ranked No. 1 ... New Hampshire junior linebacker Matt Evans set the seasonal bar high with 24 tackles, including 23 in regulation, as the Wildcats outlasted Lehigh, 48-41, in overtime. He had 17 solo tackles ... Until its passing game improves, James Madison will struggle in the CAA. The Dukes had to survive a 14-9 scare against Central Connecticut State before a record-setting crowd of 25,102 at expanded Bridgeforth Stadium ... Delaware starting wide receiver Nihja White didn't play against West Chester because of a hand injury, but is expected to return against Delaware State next weekend ... The first two teams to surpass last year's win total: Bucknell and Towson, which are both 2-0.

A LOOK AHEAD

Next Saturday's action will feature mainly non-conference games again.

Not to be overlooked nationally is the Columbia at Fordham matchup. They are two of the three Division I football programs in New York, and since 2002 they have met for the Liberty Cup trophy, which was dedicated one year after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Many Columbia and Fordham alumni and students died that day, including two former Fordham football players, Nick Brandemarti and Kevin Szocik.

Fordham holds a 5-4 lead for the Liberty Cup, but Columbia has a 12-7 all-time series lead.

Wagner, the other D-I program in New York, will open Northeast Conference play by hosting preseason favorite Central Connecticut State.

Other non-conference highlights are Chattanooga at Eastern Kentucky, Hampton at Old Dominion and James Madison at Liberty.

The marquee conference game is defending FCS champion Eastern Washington going to Big Sky power Montana, with the visiting Eagles in survival mode.

Also, there's Central Arkansas at Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference and Grambling State at Alabama State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Sixteen FCS teams will travel to FBS opponents, including Stephen F. Austin at Baylor.

UNI to Tangle With Stephen F. Austin Saturday in Texas

UNI FOOTBALL QUICK HITS

• UNI and Stephen F. Austin will meet on the football field for the ninth time with the Panthers holding a 5-3 lead in the all-time series. All eight previous meetings have occurred since the 1995 season. UNI is 2-1 all-time in games played in Nacogdoches, Texas.

• Saturday's game will mark UNI's first game in the state of Texas since winning the 2005 NCAA Semifinal Playoff matchup against Texas State. UNI advanced to the 2005 NCAA National Championship game with a 40-37 overtime victory in San Marcos, Texas, on Dec. 9, 2005.

• UNI has five games scheduled in 2011 against teams ranked in the top 30 of the preseason FCS Coaches Poll. The Panthers will take on No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 10), No. 26 Western Illinois (Sept. 24), No. 17 Southern Illinois (Oct. 22), No. 11 North Dakota State (Oct. 29) and No. 29 Southern Utah (Nov. 12).

• UNI holds the MVFC record for most wins against ranked FCS opponents with 64. UNI is 64-41 all-time vs. ranked FCS opponents. Stephen F. Austin will enter Saturday's game ranked No. 16 in The Sports Network's poll.

• The Panthers are 28-23 all-time vs. ranked non-conference FCS opponents. SIU also ranks second in the MVFC vs. non-conference ranked opponents with 12 wins against 21 setbacks.

• Redshirt freshman running back David Johnson scored a pair of touchdowns (1-yd run, 80-yd reception) in Saturday's season opener at Iowa State. Johnson is the first Panther since Corey Lewis to score a touchdown rushing and receiving in the same game. Lewis rushed for a 2-yard score and caught a 3-yard score vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 22, 2008.

• Senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the seventh time in his Panther career against Iowa State. Rennie rushed for 127 yards on 18 carries vs. the Cyclones on Saturday.

• UNI has posted an all-time record of 610-381-47 since the inception of the Panther football in 1895.

• UNI head coach Mark Farley is in his 11th season at the helm of the Panther program. Farley has posted a mark of 89-38, which ranks him for third on the Panthers' coaching victory list trailing only Clyde Starbeck (95 wins) and Stan Sheriff (129 wins). Farley is the Panthers' all-time postseason wins leader with nine (9-6 all-time in the playoffs).

• The Panthers boasted of nine players in the National Football League (when camps opened in late July), a list which includes: Brad Meester (Jacksonville Jaguars), Benny Sapp (Miami Dolphins), Brandon Keith (Arizona Cardinals), Chad Rinehart (Buffalo Bills), Austin Howard (Philadelphia Eagles), James Ruffin (Cincinnati Bengals), Quentin Scott (Oakland Raiders), Schuylar Oordt (St. Louis Rams) and Ryan Mahaffey (Baltimore Ravens).

• The Panthers have been picked to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the league's preseason poll. UNI has won 15 MVFC titles.

THE GAME
The No. 4-ranked University of Northern Iowa football team will play its second road game of the season Saturday at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas.
    Stephen F. Austin will enter the game ranked No. 16 by The Sports Network.

THE SERIES
Saturday's game will mark the ninth all-time meeting between UNI and Stephen F. Austin. UNI holds a 5-3 lead in the all-time series.
    It will also mark the fifth meeting between the two schools since UNI head coach Mark Farley took over the Panther program in 2001. Farley is 2-2 all-time vs. Stephen F. Austin.

ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS VS. SFA
1995 at SFA  L, 26-7
1996 vs. SFA W, 38-12
1998 at SFA W, 14-10
2000 vs. SFA W, 37-30
2002 vs. SFA W, 31-24
2003 at SFA  W, 38-24
2004 vs. SFA  L, 24-21
2010 vs. SFA  L, 22-20

THE COACHES
UNI head coach Mark Farley is in his 11th season at the helm of the Panther sideline. Farley has posted a mark of 89-38 in 11 seasons, which includes six trips to the NCAA FCS playoffs.
    J.C. Harper is in his fifth season at Stephen F. Austin. Harper has compiled a mark of 24-25 as the Lumberjacks' head coach.

TELEVISION
The game will not be televised.

RADIO
The game will be broadcast on the Panther Sports Radio Network. Gary Rima (play-by-play) and Scott Peterson (analyst) will call the action.

UNI PANTHERS INSIDE ACCESS
Panther fans will be able to view most of UNI's home football games on www.UNIPanthers.com through UNI Panthers Inside Access. For a nominal fee, fans can get live streamed audio and video of most home games of UNI volleyball, football, men's basketball, women's basketball and wrestling as well as some road contests. To sign up, please go to UNI's official athletic website at www.unipanthers.com and click on the Panthers Inside Access link on the front page.

PANTHER POINTS

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
LUMBERJACKS
Stephen F. Austin began the 2011 season with an 82-6 victory over McMurry University on Sept. 1.
    The Lumberjacks posted a 9-3 mark a season ago and earned the No. 3 seed in the 2010 NCAA FCS Playoffs. SFA lost in its playoff debut to defending national champion Villanova, 54-24.

BACK TO TEXAS
Saturday's game will mark UNI's first game in the state of Texas since winning the 2005 NCAA Semifinal Playoff matchup against Texas State. UNI advanced to the 2005 NCAA National Championship game with a 40-37 overtime victory in San Marcos, Texas, on Dec. 9, 2005.

PANTHER SPEED
Three members of UNI's honorable mention All-America 4x100 sprint team will play extensive action this season for the Panther football team.
    Running back Carlos Anderson, wide receiver Jarred Herring and defensive back Wilmot Wellington qualified for the NCAA Track & Field Championships last spring.
VS. RANKED FCS OPPONENTS
UNI holds the MVFC record for most wins against ranked FCS opponents with 64.
    UNI is 64-41 all-time vs. ranked FCS opponents. Southern Illinois ranks second in the MVFC with 36 wins against 59 losses.

VS. NON-CONFERENCE RANKED OPPONENTS
UNI is 28-23 all-time vs. ranked non-conference FCS opponents. Southern Illinois  ranks second in the MVFC vs. non-conference ranked opponents with 12 wins against 21 setbacks.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Panthers are 111-53 against non-conference teams since 1985.

RUSHING, RECEIVING TDS
Redshirt freshman running back David Johnson scored a pair of touchdowns (1-yd run, 80-yd reception) in Saturday's season opener at Iowa State.
    Johnson is the first Panther since Corey Lewis to score a touchdown rushing and receiving in the same game. Lewis rushed for a 2-yard score and caught a 3-yard score vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 22, 2008.

80+ TO THE HOUSE
For UNI quarterback Tirrell Rennie, his 80-yard touchdown pass to David Johnson was the second of 80 or more yards in his Panther career.
    Last season, Rennie hooked up with Jarred Herring for an 83-yard touchdown passing play in UNI's 22-20 loss to Stephen F. Austin in the UNI-Dome.

100-PLUS RUSHING EFFORT FROM RENNIE
Senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie notched his seventh career 100-plus rushing effort in a Panther uniform on Saturday with a 127-yard rushing performance vs. Iowa State.
    Rennie tallied six 100-plus rushing efforts in 2010.

TWO PICKS FOR SCOTT
Junior Garrett Scott tallied two interceptions and notched eight tackles in a 20-19 loss at Iowa State.
    Prior to Scott's two picks vs. Iowa State, Andre Martin was the last Panther to intercept a pair of passes in a game when he got two vs. South Dakota State (Oct. 2, 2010).
    Scott registered seven solo tackles against the Cyclones. Scott came into the contest having garnered one interception in his Panther career.

DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
UNI is 62-5 in the Mark Farley era (2001-present) when holding the opposition to 20 points or less.

UNI when holding the opp. to 20 or less
2001: 7-0
2002: 2-0
2003: 6-1 (lost to Iowa St 17-10)
2004: 4-1 (lost to Western Kentucky 17-10)
2005: 6-0
2006: 5-0
2007: 10-0
2008: 10-0
2009: 6-1 (lost to Iowa 17-16)
2010: 6-1 (lost to Lehigh 14-7)
2011: 0-1 (lost to Iowa State 20-19)
TOTAL - 62-5 (3 of the losses against FBS schools)

GETTING OFFENSIVE
UNI is 60-3 in the Mark Farley era (2001-present) when scoring 30 or more points in a game.

UNI when scoring 30 or more points
2001: 6-0
2002: 2-0
2003: 6-0
2004: 6-1 (lost to Southern Illinois 40-36)
2005: 7-0
2006: 6-1 (lost to North Dakota 35-31)
2007: 9-0
2008: 8-0
2009: 6-0
2010: 4-1 (lost to Southern Illinois 45-38)
2011: 0-0
TOTAL - 60-3 (2 of the losses against Southern Illinois)

ONE POINT HERE, ONE POINT THERE
For the third time in his coaching career, UNI head coach Mark Farley lost a one-point game to an FBS opponent in Saturday's 20-19 loss at Iowa State. The Panthers dropped a 28-27 decision to Iowa State in 2006 and also fell 17-16 to Iowa in 2009.

THE LAST TIME ...
The last time UNI lost three straight games, prior to its current streak, came in the 2004 season when the Panthers dropped contests to Stephen F. Austin (24-21, Sept. 18), at Southern Illinois (40-36, Oct. 2) and to Western Kentucky (17-10, Oct. 9). UNI completed the 2004 season with a mark of 7-4
    The last time UNI lost four games in a row came all the way back in 1981 when the Panthers lost at Idaho (59-14, Sept. 19), at Montana (42-21, Sept. 26), Northern Michigan (17-13, Oct. 3) and at Western Illinois (21-14, Oct. 10). UNI finished the 1981 season with a mark of 5-6.

RENNIE APPROACHING TOP-10 LIST FOR RUSHING TDS
Senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie rushed for 15 touchdowns last season, only two off a school record (17) set by David Horne in the 2005 season.
    Horne and Richard Carter (2000-04) are tied for No. 10 on the Panthers' all-time rushing touchdowns list with 17 rushing scores.
    Jeff Stovall (1993-96) holds the school record for rushing touchdowns with 46.

UNI RANKED #7 IN SPORTS
NETWORK PRESEASON POLL
The University of Northern Iowa football team has been chosen as the preseason No. 7 FCS team in the nation, according to The Sports Network/Fathead.com Preseason Top 25 poll.
    Reigning FCS champion Eastern Washington earned this year's top spot in the preseason poll. The Eagles were installed as a prohibitive No. 1 by voters, gaining 90 of the 140 first-place votes and 3,377 points in the poll.
    Appalachian State, which is coming off its sixth straight season of at least 10 wins and a share of the Southern Conference title, collected 14 first-place votes and was picked second.
    William & Mary had six more first-place votes than Appalachian State for 20, while finishing one spot behind at No. 3. Georgia Southern, which had 11 first-place votes, was fourth, and Delaware, which fell to Eastern Washington in the national championship game, was fifth, gaining a pair of first-place votes.
    Other Preseason Top 10 teams were No. 6 Montana State, No. 7 Northern Iowa, No. 8 Wofford, No. 9 Jacksonville State and No. 10 New Hampshire (one first-place vote).

UNI TABBED #4 IN PRESEASON FCS COACHES' POLL
The University of Northern Iowa football team has received another preseason top-10 rating for the 2011 season, being picked No. 7 in the preseason FCS Coaches Poll.
    UNI has five games scheduled in 2011 against teams ranked in the top 30 of the FCS Coaches Poll. The Panthers will take on No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 10), No. 26 Western Illinois (Sept. 24), No. 17 Southern Illinois (Oct. 22), No. 11 North Dakota State (Oct. 29) and No. 29 Southern Utah (Nov. 12).
    The Eastern Washington Eagles were picked as the No. 1 team in the FCS Coaches Poll, receiving 23 of the 28 first-place votes to earn 687 points overall.
    Appalachian State, which finished the 2010 season at No. 4, earned one first-place vote and a total of 617 points, placing the Mountaineers in the No. 2 spot. Georgia Southern received three first-place votes and begins the 2011 season at No. 3. William & Mary took fourth for the second consecutive year in the preseason poll, while last year's national runner-up, Delaware, rounded out the top five.
    Montana State makes its first appearance in the preseason top 10 in past two years at No. 6. Northern Iowa, Wofford, Jacksonville State and New Hampshire complete the top 10, respectively.
    The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.

PANTHERS PICKED TO WIN MVFC CHAMPIONSHIP
The University of Northern Iowa football team has been selected as the preseason favorite to claim the 2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference crown.
    The Panthers received the top spot in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors. UNI, which has been ranked in 81 straight regular-season polls, received 316 total points and 29 of 36 first-place votes. The Panthers were one of three league teams in the FCS playoffs last year and finished the 2010 league slate with a 6-2 mark and outright MVFC crown.
    North Dakota State was second in the poll with 275 points and six first-place votes. Southern Illinois claimed the only remaining first-place vote and took third with 207 points.
    South Dakota State claimed the No. 4 spot with 172 points, leading a pack consisting of Illinois State (169 points), Indiana State (168 points) and Western Illinois (151 points). Youngstown State and Missouri State rounded out the poll at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively.

2011 Valley Football Preseason Poll
Team (first-place votes)    Points
1. UNI (29)         316
2. North Dakota State (6)    275
3. Southern Illinois (1)     207
4. South Dakota State     172
5. Illinois State            169
6. Indiana State        168
7. Western Illinois             151
8. Youngstown State     88
9. Missouri State      74

SEVEN PANTHERS EARN PRESEASON VALLEY FB HONORS
On the individual side, the Panthers led the way with seven preseason All-MVFC selections and an additional four honorable mention picks.
    Senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie, senior offensive lineman Jay Teply, senior defensive lineman Ben Boothby, senior linebacker L.J. Fort, junior defensive back J.J. Swain, junior punter Kyle Bernard and junior return specialist Carlos Anderson were preseason All-Valley selections.
    Junior offensive lineman Brian Palangi, senior linebacker James Conley, junior defensive back Andre Martin and senior return specialist Jarred Herring earned honorable mention status. 

THREE PANTHERS NAMED TO COLLEGE SPORTING NEWS PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
The University of Northern Iowa football team is represented by three selections on the 2011 College Sporting News FCS Preseason All-America teams.
    Senior defensive tackle Ben Boothby and senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie are preseason second-team All-America picks, while junior kick returner Carlos Anderson is a third-team choice.

RENNIE NAMED TO WALTER PAYTON AWARD WATCH LIST
University of Northern Iowa senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie is among the 20 players on the Walter Payton Watch List.
    Rennie is coming off the 2010 season in which he rushed for a team-best 1,291 yards and 15 touchdowns. Rennie also passed for 1,543 yards and eight touchdowns. Rennie helped lead the Panthers to a Missouri Valley Football Conference title in 2010 and a spot in the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
    The Payton Award will celebrate its 25th anniversary this season and be presented to the FCS' outstanding player at the national awards banquet Thursday night, Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas.

BOOTHBY NAMED TO BUCK BUCHANAN WATCH LIST
University of Northern Iowa senior defensive lineman Ben Boothby is among the 20 candidates on the Buchanan Watch List.
    A native of Clinton, Iowa, Boothby was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference pick in 2010. He started all 12 games for the MVFC regular season champions. Boothby also earned second-team Academic All-America honors in 2010. He ranked No. 12 in the nation among FCS players with 9.5 sacks. He led the MVFC in sacks (9.5) and tackle-for-loss (16.0). He tied the school record for sacks in a game with four in the 2010 season-opening win over North Dakota State, which earned him MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
    The Buchanan Award is in its 17th season and will be presented to the FCS' outstanding defensive player at the national awards banquet Thursday night, Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas.

BOOTHBY NOMINATED TO
ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM®
Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced a record 132 nominees for the 2011 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.
    The award recognizes the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation. University of Northern Iowa senior defensive lineman Ben Boothby (Clinton, Iowa) is among the 132 nominees.
    This year marks the program's 20th year honoring college football players at all levels of competition who stand out for their "good works" in the community. Since 1992, selection to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® has become the gold standard for off-the-field character and leadership for college football players. The honor is widely considered the sport's pre-eminent community service award.
    "This program has grown dramatically throughout the years due to the volunteerism and commitment of these great student-athletes to their communities," said Mark LaNeve, Allstate Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales Operations, who also serves on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® voting panel. "To be associated with an award that reflects so positively on college football is an inspiration for Allstate, our employees and our agents, especially as the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® celebrates its 20th year."
    While it is often college football players' on-field exploits that receive the most attention from fans and media, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® award shines a spotlight on student-athletes' efforts away from the playing field by sharing their stories of serving others.
    From creating mentorship programs at local schools, to traveling on mission trips around the world, to donating bone marrow to a cancer patient, this year's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® nominees boast some of the most impressive community service resumes in the program's history.
    "The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team is one of the most important awards in college football because it highlights some of the best and brightest student-athletes in the country," said Grant Teaff, AFCA Executive Director. "With this being the 20th year of this outstanding award, it's great to see a record number of nominees sent in from some of the leading football programs in the nation. The AFCA is proud to share in this anniversary year with our partners at Allstate."
    From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team® members and prominent college football media members will select two 11-player Good Works Teams® - one comprising of players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and another representing players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and the NAIA. The 22 student-athletes named to the 2011 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® will be announced in late September.
    After a successful first-year partnership with ESPN.com, Allstate and the AFCA will re-launch its customized Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® website featuring profiles and images of the final team members, as well as an opportunity for fans to vote for the 2011 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain.
    The 2011 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® voting panel includes: former Good Works Team® members Alex Van Pelt (Pittsburgh, 1992 team), Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team), Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams), Grant Irons (Notre Dame, 1999 team), Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team), Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team); media members Lou Holtz (ESPN), Rece Davis (ESPN), Tom O'Toole (USA Today), Gary Shelton (St. Petersburg Times), Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star); current AFCA President and Montana State University Head Coach Rob Ash; 1987 AFCA President LaVell Edwards, former head coach at Brigham Young University; and Allstate Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales Operations, Mark LaNeve.
    In order to meet the criteria set forth by Allstate and the AFCA, each player must be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group or community service while maintaining good academic standing.

TWO PANTHERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS FROM THE SPORTS NETWORK
The University of Northern Iowa has had two players named to The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Preseason All-America Team, including first-team selection senior defensive tackle Ben Boothby.
    Boothby, a senior from Clinton, Iowa, earlier this week was named to the Buck Buchanan Watch List. Boothby was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference pick in 2010. He started all 12 games for the MVFC regular season champions. Boothby also earned second-team Academic All-America honors in 2010. He ranked No. 12 in the nation among FCS players with 9.5 sacks. He led the MVFC in sacks (9.5) and tackle-for-loss (16.0).
    Junior Carlos Anderson (Blue Springs, Mo.) earned third-team preseason All-America honors as a kick returner. Anderson returned 25 kicks last season for an average of 27.2 per return. Anderson returned two kicks for touchdowns in 2010. He returned a second-quarter kick 99 yards for a score against Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 18) and he returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in a win over Missouri State (Nov. 13).

ANDERSON, BOOTHBY NAMED TO PHIL STEELE PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA SQUAD
The University of Northern Iowa football squad has two players honored as members on Phil Steele's 2011 Preseason FCS All-America Team.
    Senior defensive lineman Ben Boothby is a second-team choice, while junior running back/return specialist Carlos Anderson notched third-team status.
    Phil Steele's College Football Preview magazine also released its preseason Missouri Valley Football Conference squad, which features 11 Panthers on either the first or second team.
    Earning first-team MVFC honors were senior quarterback Tirrell Rennie, senior defensive lineman Ben Boothby, senior linebacker L.J. Fort, junior defensive back J.J. Swain and junior kick returner Carlos Anderson.
    The Panthers dominated the second-team with six other players earning mention as well as Anderson again as a running back. Junior offensive lineman Misha Danilov, senior offensive lineman Jay Teply, senior defensive lineman Darren Branch, senior linebacker James Conley, junior defensive back Andre Martin, Anderson at running back and junior punter Kyle Bernard received second-team accolades from the preseason publication.

HOME SWEET DOME
UNI is 177-45-1 (.796) in the UNI-Dome. The Panthers have gone undefeated at home in a season seven times since 1990.
    Prior to 1998, the Panthers had two consecutive undefeated seasons in the Dome. The Panthers have posted three perfect home seasons under head coach Mark Farley, including 2001 (6-0), 2003 (6-0) and 2005 (7-0).
    Prior to a September 24, 1994, loss to McNeese State, UNI had won 29 straight regular-season games in the Dome dating back to the 1989 season when it lost 22-14 to Mankato State in the first game of the year.
    The Panthers are 69-13 in home Missouri Valley Football Conference games, leading the league in home conference victories. UNI will play host to league foes Western Illinois, Indiana State, Southern Illinois and Youngstown State in the UNI-Dome this season.
   
POLL TALK
The Panthers have finished ranked in the top 25 in nine of head coach Mark Farley's 10 seasons at the helm of the UNI football program.
    UNI has finished ranked in the top five in the nation five times during the Farley era. UNI was ranked No. 4 in 2001, No. 5 in 2003, No. 25 in 2004, No. 2 in the 2005, No. 17 in 2006, No. 4 in 2007 and No. 4 in 2008.
    Only five times since 1984 have the Panthers ended a season unranked - 1986, 1988, 1997, 1998 and 2002.

WORKIN' OVERTIME
UNI is 4-5 in overtime games. The Panthers played their first overtime game since 2005 last season in a 45-38 setback at Southern Illinois.
    In 2005, UNI went 2-0 in extra session contests.
    UNI edged past Western Kentucky in a double-overtime game in the regular season, 23-20. The Panthers then advanced to their first-ever national championship game with a 40-37 overtime win at Texas State. UNI had lost its previous two overtime playoff games before its breakthrough against the Bobcats.
    Five of the nine games to go into overtime have been decided in multiple overtimes.

UNI's Overtime Games
@NE La. 44, UNI 41 (OT) - 1987
    (FCS Playoffs)
@Boston U. 27, UNI 21 (2OT) - 1993
    (FCS Playoffs)
@W. Illinois 29, UNI 22 (2OT) - 1997
@UNI 29, Indiana St. 21 (3OT) - 1997
McNeese St. 20, @UNI 17 (OT) - 1998
UNI 29, @Cal Poly 26 (3OT) - 2002
UNI 23, @W. Ky. 20 (2OT) - 2005
UNI 40, @Texas State 37 (OT) - 2005
    (FCS Playoffs)
@Southern Illinois 45, UNI 38 (OT) - 2010

PANTHERS' TV COVERAGE
At least four UNI football games will be shown live in the state of Iowa in 2011.
    The Panther Sports Television Network will show a pair of UNI football games beginning with the Oct. 22 showdown between the Panthers and the Southern Illinois Salukis. The Panthers and Salukis will kick at 3 p.m. with the broadcast shown live on KWWL Ch. 7.
    The second PSN football game of the season will showcase the Panthers taking on the Youngstown State Penguins Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. in the UNI-Dome also on KWWL Ch. 7.
    WOI-DT (5.2) in Des Moines/Ames will also air both games in the central Iowa market.
    UNI's game at South Dakota State on Oct. 15 will be shown live on ESPN3.com.
    UNI's contest at North Dakota State on Oct. 29 will be broadcast live on Fox College Sports Central.

PANTHER SPORTS TALK WITH MARK FARLEY
UNI head coach Mark Farley's radio call-in show will be broadcast live on the Panther Sports Radio Network every Thursday throughout the season. The show will take place at Old Chicago in Cedar Falls and will run from 6:05 p.m. - 7 p.m.

WEEKLY PRESS LUNCHEONS
UNI head coach Mark Farley or a member of his coaching staff will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at 12 noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub located on 18th Street in Cedar Falls.

Post-game quotes from UNI-ISU football game

Iowa State Head Coach Paul Rhoads
Opening statement
“That was the largest home opening crowd to see Iowa State play a game and the fourth largest crowd in the history of Jack Trice Stadium. I figured those people deserved to see a 60 minute football game and they certainly got to see it. All the credit in the world to Northern Iowa’s football team and Mark Farley and his staff. I didn’t pull any punches in our preparation with you or our kids. They are a very, very good football team and that was evident. You saw their team speed, you saw their ability to execute and stop us, 90-yard drive against our defense, all the credit in the world to them.

“Tirrell Rennie, what a remarkable player. He has risen and now leads that football team. That team will have the chance to play for the national championship at their level. There is a lot of room for improvement, and we get to go about that tomorrow as we prepare for our next football game. We have a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball. We’ve got to protect better, we have to sustain blocks better, we have to execute and finish plays better. Proud of the defensive effort, in a game like that it is easy to get down and they never did that. Bottom line, good teams find ways to win and we found a way to win.”

On Steele Jantz’ play
“What I told him in the locker room was that I saw him do things that he had never done. There were throws he made off of the wrong foot, there were throws where his hips were open. We saw flashes of the guy that he is and that he can be. He threw some balls late that were really fine throws and he made things happen with his feet at critical points in the game. He was gassed late in that game, two drives late in the first half he led us very well. He did not have the time to sit there in the pocket and see things and execute like he is capable of, that falls on our offensive line. We have to make sure we sure that up.”

On fourth quarter
“Guys executed. They were bringing great pressure, they were beating us whether that was in the gaps on the run or on edges and putting pressure on our quarterback. What I issued the guys on the last two drives is that you have to go out and execute and do your jobs. Guys started doing their jobs. What a remarkable catch by Josh Lenz and what a job by Steele to keep the play going.”

Quarterback Steele Jantz
On fourth down pass to Lenz
“It was fourth down so it was do or die. I was running out of room. I saw Josh and I gave him a shot and he made an amazing play. I give all the credit to him on that one.“
On playing at this level
“I had too many nerves in the beginning. I need to settle down more. One thing I learned about our team that they never gave up, which was good to see.”

Wide Receiver Josh Lenz
On touchdown catch
“We knew what we had to do. UNI’s a great football team and we knew they had the chance to go down and score again, and that’s what they did. Then we knew that we had to go down and score again. That fourth down play Steele did a great job of scrambling out and as soon as he started to scramble out I just went opposite of the field to the end zone and he found me.”
On the win
“It’s a great win for us. UNI is a great team they are going to go really far this year. We knew we couldn’t them lightly. They came out and played a great game and to get a win against them is great for us.”

Northern Iowa Head Coach Mark Farley
Opening Statement
“We played hard and executed the game plan. They had the fight we instill in them and they really played hard. Iowa State is a good football team and it shows. We thought we were good and would battle it out at the line of scrimmage. Execution, we did that in a tough environment.”

On the game changes at the end
“We both changed because of the scores at the end. When you see two teams do that, you know two teams are playing their tails off. It takes a lot of heart and great staffs. Both team kids worked their tails off.”

On his feelings after the loss
“I’m very proud of them because after they scored we came right back on them. That’s the sign of a great football team. It’s what we came down here to do and we could have won that game. We need to get better and better each week. We didn’t win because they had one great play.”

Quarterback Tirrell Rennie
On the difficulty of the loss
“It’s real difficult but the best thing about this game was that it showed our improvement. The biggest test going into the season was improving our passing and I think throughout the season we’ll show that we improved on our passing. Last year, we were a good running team but I think we showed tonight that we improved our passing game too, otherwise the score would have been pretty different.”

On dealing with the loss
“If we linger on this loss, all we’re going to do is fail. We have to remember that we have another non-conference game next week and then our season really starts when we play Western Illinois. Iowa State was a tough team and we’ll just have to take things away from this game, learn from them and use them for the rest of the season.”

Running back David Johnson
On 80 yard reception
“We run screens a lot so we were just hoping someone would try and take the wide receiver instead of me and it worked well. After catching it, I kept thinking it someone was going to catch me but looking back on it, I knew I was gone when I caught it.”

UNI and Iowa State Exicte and Frustrate Fans

THE CARDIAC (ARREST) CATS

UNI and Iowa State Exicte and Frustrate Fans

By: J.T. the Nutt

Firrst, this game SHOULD have been on TV.  The fact it wasn't is just sad.

The game was sloppy, undisciplined, and exciting as hell.  The Caridac Cats that made the run to Chattanooga in heart-stopping fashion.  The ingredients are there but something went wrong in the end.  A familiar feeling for Panther fans.  Something felt many times before, what COULD have been.  Just like the one point loss to Iowa, the FG miss against ISU a few years ago, and almost every single playoff loss including the Perfect Season ended by Joe Flacco and the NCAA Championship loss to Appalachian State.  The defense forces turnover but the offense can not capitalize.  You should not win a game if you only get 6 points off of 3 turnovers, and the Panthers didn't.  Also, if you lead late, you got to find a way to drain the clock and not go 3 and out and take only a few ticks off the clock. 

Lets get the bad stuff out of the way first.  Terrell Rennie looked horrible last year.  He made bad choices and turned the ball over.  The game was too fast for him.  Even he has admitted that.  He did look better but still had some bad choices.  On the goal line he had David Johnson wide open for a little dunk in front but opted for the pass in the back of the end zone to a guy covered.  He also just missed on a few passes early.  The wind may have been a factor on those but later in the game he just flat out overthrew the WRONG reciever.  Then again, his recieving core didn't help him out a ton when he put it on their numbers.  If you get your hands on it, you got to catch it.  It's an old addage that makes Madden players sick.  This cost UNI games last year and needs to be fixed and fast.  When they make the catches they should, the offense is scary good.

Some of the decision making in play calls was bad too.  UNI has never been good at closing games out.  The loss to Richmond immediately comes to mind.  The defense played great and got the stops only to have the offense sputter.  David Johnson was a beast and picking up yards every time.  Carlos Anderson came in and was stuffed.  So they threw on 2nd down and got a few yards.  HAVE to throw on 3rd and it was incomplete.  No time taken off the clock.  Iowa State could not stop Johnson or Rennie when they ran.  Keep doing that, they stop you, let the clock keep ticking.  Keep going, GRIND the game out.  Just like the 30 win basketball team couldn't imbound the ball, the UNI football team can never close games out.  It's frustrating as hell and cost UNI at least one national title, maybe more.

The defense was phenominal all game.  They are subject to the deep ball but that can be fixed.  One bad coverage cost them the game.  Late in the 4th before the second Cyclone score, the defense was supposed to bump and run and didn't even really bump the guy.  He was wide open for a huge gain.  ISU punches it in after that.  UNI also had Steele Jantz dead to rights in the backfield and he scrambled away and threw an improbable touchdown pass.  Not convinced the reciever was IN bounds but that's what you got with tonight's penalty and review happy officiating crew.  Boothby and LJ Fort were absolutely out of their mind today.  Fort was everywhere on the field.  The defense is going to be dominant when the Missouri Valley Football Conference season starts.

David Johnson, welcome to the Panthers.  Rennie and others remarked about how good he was in camp.  So good that highly touted recruit Andre Dawson left the school to go actually play elsewhere.  DJ out performed Carlos Anderson.  He never stopped moving and got several yards after the first hit.  Johnson can catch too.  Had an amazing TD grab of 80 yards that was the best ball that Rennie threw all night.

Rennie had a great game with his feet.  That hasn't changed.  The passing HAS changed but it's not 100% to where it should be.  He had some zip on the ball inside for some great passes and the 80 yard beauty but also some horribly overthrown balls.  Still, he looked smarter than last year.  He didn't have those "Oh my God is he dead?" hits.  He looked like a veteran and a QB that could lead this team to great things this year.  How the hell somene of his talent had to come to Ellsworth and then UNI all the way from Florida is beyond me.

The perfect season is gone.  The chance for a remarkable season is easily within reach.  But so is a disaster of a season.  UNI has things to work on, but that's what you would expect the first game of the year after such a terrible day weatherwise.  It would have been an entirely different game in the Dome.  UNI has a tough game on the road against Stephen F. Austin next week and then a week off before coming home to the Dome.  Hopefully the next time the Panthers return to Texas it will be to play in Frisco for a National Championship.  One can dream such a dream with this much talent on the field and promise for the future.

ISU sneaks by UNI

The California connection kept on clicking.
But so did the clock.
Steele Jantz’ lackluster — then electrifying — Iowa State debut ended in a twisting third-down sneak to the end zone with 40 seconds left and capped a sloppy, then frantic 20-19 win over gutsy Northern Iowa last night at Jack Trice Stadium.
“I told (Jantz) after the game, he finally did things I’ve never seen him do,” said ISU Coach Paul Rhoads, who saw Jantz complete 18 of 40 passes for 187 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions before 54,672 fans — the fourth most to gather for a Cyclone home game.
“There were throws that he made off the wrong foot, throws he made with is hips open. But we saw flashes of what he is and what he can be.”
As for the California connection — between former City College of San Francisco teammates Jantz and Aaron Horne, it accounted for the biggest play of the game, a 32-yard pass that set the stage for the tense final moments.
Horne led the Cyclones with seven catches for 69 yards.
“That is a great connection,” Rhoads said. “We’d like to see it have an opportunity to develop even more.”
Jantz threw for 117 of his 187 yards in the fourth quarter.
“Bottom line, our team found a way to win,” Rhoads said.
The Panthers had sent pulses pounding seconds before what turned out to be Iowa State’s winning drive when quarterback Tirrell Rennie connected with running back David Johnson for an 80-yard touchdown with 4:17 left.
That gave Northern Iowa a 19-14 lead before a failed two-point conversion attempt.
And that came on the heels of Jantz’s scrambling 26-yard touchdown pass to Josh Lenz with 4:30 remaining.
Lenz knelt to gather the ball inches from the sideline in the end zone.
A review upheld it as a touchdown and the Cyclones led 14-13 — only to trail again 13 seconds later.
It was a choppy game, marred by 24 penalties.
The Panthers were whistled for 16 of them, including three on one play on ISU’s first touchdown drive that made the score 7-6 at the end of the first half.
But the miscues and mental mistakes seemed behind UNI when it embarked on a stunning 22-play, 90-yard drive that spanned 10:43 and resulted in Johnson’s first touchdown that made the score 13-7.
UNI faced eight third-down situations on the drive and converted them all, although one doesn’t technically count since it came by penalty.
Still, 7-for-7 isn’t bad.
Not by — or for — a long shot.
Rennie, who rushed for a game-high 127 yards and threw for 181, danced and darted to six of those conversions.
The last one came on Johnson’s 1-yard run to the end zone.
“You saw their team speed, you saw their ability to stop us,” Rhoads said of the Panthers. “All the credit in the world to them.”
The Cyclones won for the seventh time in the past 10 meetings and improved to 8-1 against the Panthers in season openers.
UNI shocked ISU 24-13 in 2007 and suffered a 27-0 setback last season.
The Panthers forced four turnovers — three in the first half — and outgained ISU for the second straight year, 385 to 328.
“Our football team has a great amount of respect for UNI’s football team,” Rhoads said.