University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI PRE-SEASON FOOTBALL PROSPECTUS
7/29/2004 8:00:00 AM | Football
LOOKING AT 2003: The University of Northern Iowa football team begins preparation for the 2003 season Tuesday (Apr. 1) with the start of spring drills. The sessions will conclude with the annual Spring Game scheduled for April 26 at 1 p.m. in the UNI-Dome.
The Panthers return 32 of 57 lettermen, including 10 starters, from last year's 5-6 team which tied for sixth in the Gateway
Football Conference with a 2-5 mark. Returning starters include defensive ends Ryan Arnold and Matt Mitchell, offensive
lineman Ben Deike, linebackers Jonathan Harrell, Titus Ivory and Casey Tierney; wide receiver Marlus Mays,
quarterback Tom Petrie, and defensive backs Justin Sandy and Benny Sapp,
Areas of emphasis during spring drills include the offensive line and special teams, where both the punter and kicker have
graduated.
"We have a number of areas that need to be solidified during spring ball," said third-year head coach Mark Farley. "The
first would be the offensive line. We have some good players ready to step into those roles, but we're inexperienced right
now. We need to get them as much game experience as we possibly can.
"Another area that needs to be put through game experience is in our special teams, along with our kickers and punter.
We have some competition going on here, but we need to put them under the stress of game situations in simulation."
Heading into the fall, there are no super stars on the Panther squad -- none of the name recognition players that have
stood out in the past. But Farley says that can be a good thing.
"There really are no super stars on this team," he explained. "But we have a lot of depth with good players. I'd say the
strength of this team is that they're all going to have to count on each other, which can be a positive thing.
"We're going tinto this season very inexperienced and there are a lot of unknowns. The positive behind that is that I feel
very good about last year's backups and some of these players could rise to the occasion when they get that opportunity.
In our defensive line, Kevin Stensrud has had a great off-season and we expect him to only get better. The guys that
started to stand out midway through last season were Kevin, Jonathan Harrell, Justin Overman and Jordan Dreyer. Those
guys were young and inexperienced last season and really started to come on for us. So we need to continue that
growth."
With all that inexperience, this isn't the year to be playing only five home games, but that's the deck the Panthers have
been dealt.
"We're a road team this year," Farley said. "We need to take care of our home field when we have the opportunity.
We're going to have to take our team on the road and win at some very tough places.
"I feel confident in this group. It takes a team to win on the road, and that again plays to the fact there are no real super
stars on this team at this time. So each week, someone is going to have to rise to the occasion, and that's what it takes
when you have a lot of road games."
THE COACH: UNI head coach Mark Farley (UNI '86) completed his second season as head coach in 2002 with a 5-6
record and is 16-9 overall with the Panthers. Prior to being appointed at UNI, he served as the linebackers assistant and
punt block/return specialist at Kansas from 1997-2000. A former UNI player from 1983-86 and a co-Gateway
Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1985, he then was a Panther graduate assistant from 1986-88 and a fulltime
assistant from 1989-96, coaching linebackers and special teams while also serving as Strength and Speed Coordinator,
and Recruiting Coordinator one year.
Farley was named Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year and AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2001. He sits atop
the Gateway Conference with the best record of all rookie coaches. He placed third in 2001's Eddie Robinson Award
balloting, receiving 16 first-place votes, the most of any candidate.
2003 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 at Iowa State 6:00 p.m.
Sept. 6 Northern Michigan 4:05 p.m.
Sept. 20 at Stephen F. Austin 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 27 Northwestern State 4:05 p.m.
(Family Day)
Oct. 4 at Illinois State* 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 Indiana State* 4:05 p.m.
(Homecoming)
Oct. 18 at Southwest Missouri St.* 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 25 at Western Illinois* TBA
Nov. 1 Youngstown State* 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 8 at Western Kentucky* TBA
Nov. 15 Southern Illinois* 5:05 p.m.
*Gateway Conference Game
All Times Central and Subject to Change
2002 Gateway Football All-Conference
1st Team
WR Marlus Mays
OL Chad Setterstrom
PK Mackenzie Hoambrecker
2nd Team
RB Adam Benge
DL Matt Mitchell
LB Jonathan Harrell
DB Justin Sandy
P Derrick Frost
Honorable Mention
DT Robert Hamre
SS Jarvis Phillips
RS Ben Sanderson
2002 GFC All-Newcomer
LB Jonathan Harrell
SS Jarvis Phillips
CB Benny Sapp
2002 GFC Academic All-Conference
1st Team
PK Mackenzie Hoambrecker
2nd Team
P Derrick Frost
Honorable Mention
WR Eddie Galles
DT Robert Hamre
QB Tom Petrie
Returning players in bold
2003 POSITION-BY-POSITION:
Quarterbacks -- Junior quarterback Tom Petrie will be the Panthers' starting quarterback in the fall, barring injury. He
started the last six games of 2002 after being named the league's Freshman of the Year in 2001. He completed
108-of-210 passes for 1,363 yards and six TDs to go along with eight interceptions. He also was the team's
second-leading rusher with 88 carries for 322 yards with no TDs.
"Tom Petrie is our quarterback," Farley said. "Heading into his junior year, this is the season you hope he should make
the biggest leap in experience. He's a two-year starter. After that, there's plenty of competition to go around."
Offensive Line -- The Panthers return just one starter in the offensive line -- senior tackle Ben Deike -- and lose first team
all-conference and second team all-American Chad Setterstrom.
"We need to find our five starters and other key players this spring," Farley said. "That's going to start at center, where
(sophomore) John Schabillion will start off the spring. The leader of this group will be Ben Deike. That's where the
experience is. He needs to take on the role of leading the inexperienced guys. This group made great progress through
the winter in terms of strength. This is a group of sophomores heading into their junior years, and that's when they should
make their largest gains. Luke Stigler ((Iowa Central CC) and (redshirt freshman) Tyler Rawlins have the ability to
compete for positions."
Wide Receivers -- First team all-conference choice Marlus Mays led the Panthers as a junior last season with 54 catches
for 992 yards and five TDs and is the only returning starter in the receiving corps.
"Marlus Mays had a great off-season," said Farley. "He's done everything we hoped for from a leadership standpoint. I
would expect Marlus to have a special season. (Senior) Eddie Galles, (sophomore) Justin Surrency and (sophomore)
Bryan Butler are the guys that I think will take the next step in their ability because they all have just one year of
experience. (Redshirt freshman) Matt Tharp might be a factor."
Galles was the fourth-leading receiver in 2002, recording 18 catches for 217 yards and two TDs in six starts. Surrency
played in nine games, catching five passes for 54 yards.
Tight end is another position that needs to be developed in the spring with the graduation of Ryan Walter. Sophomore
Brian Cutright is listed no. 1 heading into drills, trailed by junior Lee Reynolds, Iowa transfer Andy Thorn and junior Beau
Gibbs. Cutright played in 10 games, catching four passes for 24 yards, and Reynolds in eight contests, with just one catch
for 16 yards.
"Besides Cutright, we need to find out who the other tight end is and how much of a factor our tight end will be in our
offense based on their abilities this spring," Farley said.
-more-
UNI FOOTBALL AD 2
Running Backs -- The Panthers also took a hit in the backfield with the graduation of two-time 1,000-yard rusher Adam
Benge. Benge gained 1,133 yards last season, scoring six times on 271 carries. He also caught 14 passes. He carried a
large portion of the load after Richard Carter went down in the second game to a season-ending injury.
Carter now is healthy and will be joined by North Dakota State School of Science transfer Terrence Freeney, who will
have three years of eligibility remaining after sitting out last season. Freeney set Iowa's single-season rushing record with
2,746 yards in 2000 at Cedar Falls High School and gained 6,545 yards in his prep career. His freshman year, he was
the nation's second-leading junior college rusher with 1,400 yards. Freeney is the brother of former UNI all-American
and assistant coach William Freeney.
"We feel very comfortable at running back with Richard Carter being just a junior. We have Jason Breeland who has
great speed and Jim Lizzi coming back from last year," Farley said. "The addition of Terrence Freeney will solidify that
group with talent as well as depth."
Carter gained 957 yards in 2001, scoring eight times, and 584 yards his freshman year. Lizzi was the squad's
third-leading rusher a year ago with 140 yards on 31 carries, while Breeland played in nine games as a freshman, gaining
122 yards and scoring once.
As with the tight end position, Farley and his staff need to find out the style of offense best fitting their personnel this
spring, so the fullback spot is up in the air. UNI loses the services of two-year starter Mark Moothart, who now is
serving as the Panthers' graduate assistant in charge of tight ends.
Defensive Line -- Senior Matt Mitchell and junior Ryan Arnold return as starters in the defensive line. Mitchell finished as
the team's fifth-leading scorer with 69 total tackles and a team-high eight quarterback sacks and nine tackle for loss.
Arnold recorded 18 stops in nine games played. Junior Justin Heins is listed as the proble starter at left tackle heading into
drills after seeing action in just five games with one start a year ago, while sophomore Kevin Stensrud started just
three-of-six games in 2002, recording 11 tackles.
"Matt obviously has the most experience," Farley said. "Justin and Kevin are two gutsy players that can be and have to
be productive on the field. Depth is what we need to find with (redshirt freshman) Joe Lobdell and (senior) Nate Wirth.
Joe's had a very good off-season. We lost some size here, though, which is a concern."
Linebackers -- All three starters return at linebacker. Senior Jonathan Harrell finished the season with 120 total tackles,
second high on the team. Senior Casey Tierney started nine-of-nine games played and was third high on the squad with
86 stops, while junior Titus Ivory recorded 63 tackles.
"We have the ability to be very good at linebacker," Farley said. "Casey is coming off an injury and will have limited
contact in the spring. I have confidence in (redshirt sophomores) Justin Overman and Jordan Dreyer. Dreyer started the
last game for us. When we moved Jonathan to inside linebacker, he became our leading tackler for the remainder of the
season. I'm anxious to see how (redshirt freshman) Ross Hannam progresses."
Hannam is the brother of former UNI tight end Ryan Hannam, currently playing professionally with the Seattle Seahawks.
Secondary -- Two starters return in the secondary -- senior corner Benny Sapp, who transferred from Iowa last year, and
senior free safety Justin Sandy. Sandy was the fourth-leading tackler with 82 total stops in 2002 and was second to
Sapp's 11 deflections with 10. The two also led the team with four interceptions each. Sapp recorded 39 tackles.
"Sandy and Sapp have been very good leaders during the off-season," Farley said. "I feel very confident in them. We
need to find out just how far (redshirt freshmen) Curtis Cooper and Alphonso Key will progress. Their spring is very
important for them. I think Tyler Johnson has made a great impression on everyone here in the off-season in terms of
weght room scores and testing times. Heading into his junior season, he should see great improvement."
Special Teams -- The Panthers really took a hit on special teams with the loss of all-American kicker Mackenzie
Hoambrecker, punter Derrick Frost, a second team all-conference pick, and top return specialist Ben Sanderson.
Hoambrecker made 18-of-19 PATs and 25-of-28 field goals, with a school-record 59-yarder. Frost averaged a
school-record 43.6 yards on 49 punts. Sanderson returned 22 kicks for a 22.8 average and 40 punts for a 10.5 average.
"Special teams is a huge dimension and we need to experiment with some players," Farley said.
Junior Cory Henke will handle both the punting and kicking chores this spring to start, but he will be challenged by
incoming freshman kicker Brian Wingert in the fall. Henke played in just one game last year, punting once for 34 yards.
Also back in action is kicker Brian Stegall, UNI's kicker in 1999. Other incoming players will compete for position in the
return category.
2003 PRESEASON DEPTH CHART
Offense
WR Eddie Galles (6-2, 190 Sr.)
Justin Surrency (5-11, 169 So.)
Jake Holmes (5-8, 160 Fr.)
LT BEN DEIKE (6-4, 292 Sr.)
Tyler Rawlins (6-4, 276 Fr.)
LG Ross Bohner (6-4, 295 Sr.)
Doug Wilkinson (6-5, 320 Jr.)
OC John Schabilion (6-4, 280 So.)
Joe Keller (6-6, 264 Jr.)
RG Jeff Bates (6-4, 295 So.)
Luke Stigler (6-5, 280 Jr.)
Adam LaKose (6-4, 336 Fr.)
RT Walter Kelly (6-5, 289 Jr.)
Kyle Newlin (6-6, 246 Fr.)
TE Brian Cutright (6-4, 240 So.)
Lee Reynolds (6-3, 237 Jr.)
Andy Thorn (6-5, 255 Jr.)
Beau Gibbs (6-4, 240 Jr.)
WR MARLUS MAYS (6-0, 195 Sr.)
Bryan Butler (6-0, 193 So.)
QB TOM PETRIE (6-3, 210 Jr.)
Aaron Boettcher (6-3, 215 So.)
Grant Zielinski (6-2, 190 Fr.)
Joe Ryan (6-4, 210 Fr.)
Ben Ellis (5-11, 190 So.)
TB Richard Carter (5-4, 187 Jr.)
Jason Breeland (5-7, 160 So.)
Jim Lizzi (6-0, 190 Jr.)
Darnell Pitts (5-8, 151 Fr.)
Terrence Freeney (5-10, 220 So.)
Brian Otters (5-9, 204 So.)
PK Cory Henke (6-0, 188 Jr.)
Brad Fowler (5-8, 177 Jr.)
Returning starters in CAPS
Returning lettermen in bold
Defense
LE RYAN ARNOLD (6-3, 255 Jr.)
Joe Lobdell (6-6, 238 Fr.)
Dominick Brown (6-3, 265 Sr.)
LT Justin Heins (6-0, 250 Jr.)
Jamie Moyer (6-2, 280 Sr.)
Nick Pauly (6-4, 254 Fr.)
RT Kevin Stensrud (6-2, 265 So.)
Nate Wirth (6-2, 263 Sr.)
Andrew Geil (6-4, 255 Fr.)
RE MATT MITCHELL (6-3, 245 Sr.)
John Hermann (6-4, 244 So.)
Matt Erusha (6-2, 210 Fr.)
OLB TITUS IVORY (6-2, 220 Jr.)
Andrew Williams (6-3, 210 Fr.)
Josh Ehn (6-0, 205 So.)
Geoffrey Stamp (6-1, 215 So.)
Nick Davis (5-11, 190 Fr.)
MLB JONATHAN HARRELL (6-2, 220 Sr.)
Justin Overman (6-5, 244 So.)
Darin Heideman (6-0, 220 So.)
OLB CASEY TIERNEY (6-4, 237 Sr.)
Jordan Dreyer (6-3, 217 So.)
Ross Hannam (6-4, 210 Fr.)
Gordon Szymanski (6-3, 225 Sr.)
LC Curtis Cooper (5-10, 175 Fr.)
Raishaun Henderson (5-9, 188 Jr.)
Tom Berlin (5-10, 182 Jr.)
FS JUSTIN SANDY (6-2, 200 Sr.)
Ryan Manahl (6-0, 190 Fr.)
SS Tyler Johnson (5-10, 194 Jr.)
Jimmie Brown (6-2, 190 Sr.)
Derc Albrecht (6-1, 195 So.)
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