University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Brinkman Named Defensive POY, Eight Panthers Honored
4/22/2021 3:00:00 PM | Football
ST. LOUIS – UNI Senior defensive tackle Jared Brinkman has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year after a dominant season on the interior of the Panther defensive line. He leads a group of eight UNI players who were honored Thursday when the league announced the postseason all-conference teams.
Brinkman, junior linebacker Spencer Cuvelier and sophomore kicker Matthew Cook were named All-MVFC First-Team honorees. Senior Defensive end Brawntae Wells and senior cornerback Austin Evans were named to the second team. Sophomore Corner Omar Brown, junior receiver Quan Hampton and junior offensive tackle Trevor Penning earned All-MVFC Honorable Mention honors.
A Buck Buchanan finalist, Brinkman was a force inside, facing double and triple teams on most plays. Despite that, he led the MVFC with 9.0 tackles for loss and 1.29 TFLs per game. He finished the season with 38 total tackles. The senior was second in the league with two forced fumbles and tallied three QB hurries and recovered a fumble. He had 4.5 TFLs and a sack against Missouri State and was a leader on the Panther defense that led the league in scoring defense, allowing just 12 touchdowns all season. It marks the 13th time a UNI player has earned the league's top defensive honor and the first since Karter Schult in 2016. Brinkman was a second-team honoree a season ago.
Cuvelier led the MVFC with 10.1 tackles per game and was second in the league with 71 total tackles. He recorded 2.0 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Cuvelier earned MVFC Defensive Player of the Week after a strong performance against Illinois State.
Cook led the MVFC with 15 made field goals and was 75% on the season hitting 15-2. He went 10-10 in PATs and hit multiple field goals in every game. Cook went 2-2 against Youngstown State, Illinois State, North Dakota State. His season-long field goal was a 44-yarder against Illinois State. He averages 53.8 yards per kickoff and recorded eight touchbacks.
Evans tallied 27 tackles, including 2.0 TFLs. He tied for the UNI-high with five pass breakups. He had an exceptional game against Western Illinois where he recorded both TFLs and two pass breakups.
Wells tied for second in the MVFC with 4.5 sacks despite only playing six games. He was sixth on the team with 31 tackles. He also had a pass breakup, three QB hurries and a forced fumble despite playing through injuries for the entire season.
Brown tallied five pass breakups, an interception and blocked a field goal against Western Illinois which he returned for a touchdown. He was a first-team honoree a season ago.
Hampton led the Panthers with 32 receptions for 356 yards on the season. He averaged 50.86 yards per game and 11.13 yards per catch. On the ground, he tallied six rushes for 43 yards and notched four kickoff returns for 151 yards, including a 65-yard return against Illinois State.
Penning played and started in six games where he helped anchor the UNI offensive line. He helped UNI rack up 2,095 yards of total offense while allowing just 15 sacks on the year.
The Valley will announce the all-newcomer team, Friday.
Brinkman, junior linebacker Spencer Cuvelier and sophomore kicker Matthew Cook were named All-MVFC First-Team honorees. Senior Defensive end Brawntae Wells and senior cornerback Austin Evans were named to the second team. Sophomore Corner Omar Brown, junior receiver Quan Hampton and junior offensive tackle Trevor Penning earned All-MVFC Honorable Mention honors.
A Buck Buchanan finalist, Brinkman was a force inside, facing double and triple teams on most plays. Despite that, he led the MVFC with 9.0 tackles for loss and 1.29 TFLs per game. He finished the season with 38 total tackles. The senior was second in the league with two forced fumbles and tallied three QB hurries and recovered a fumble. He had 4.5 TFLs and a sack against Missouri State and was a leader on the Panther defense that led the league in scoring defense, allowing just 12 touchdowns all season. It marks the 13th time a UNI player has earned the league's top defensive honor and the first since Karter Schult in 2016. Brinkman was a second-team honoree a season ago.
Cuvelier led the MVFC with 10.1 tackles per game and was second in the league with 71 total tackles. He recorded 2.0 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Cuvelier earned MVFC Defensive Player of the Week after a strong performance against Illinois State.
Cook led the MVFC with 15 made field goals and was 75% on the season hitting 15-2. He went 10-10 in PATs and hit multiple field goals in every game. Cook went 2-2 against Youngstown State, Illinois State, North Dakota State. His season-long field goal was a 44-yarder against Illinois State. He averages 53.8 yards per kickoff and recorded eight touchbacks.
Evans tallied 27 tackles, including 2.0 TFLs. He tied for the UNI-high with five pass breakups. He had an exceptional game against Western Illinois where he recorded both TFLs and two pass breakups.
Wells tied for second in the MVFC with 4.5 sacks despite only playing six games. He was sixth on the team with 31 tackles. He also had a pass breakup, three QB hurries and a forced fumble despite playing through injuries for the entire season.
Brown tallied five pass breakups, an interception and blocked a field goal against Western Illinois which he returned for a touchdown. He was a first-team honoree a season ago.
Hampton led the Panthers with 32 receptions for 356 yards on the season. He averaged 50.86 yards per game and 11.13 yards per catch. On the ground, he tallied six rushes for 43 yards and notched four kickoff returns for 151 yards, including a 65-yard return against Illinois State.
Penning played and started in six games where he helped anchor the UNI offensive line. He helped UNI rack up 2,095 yards of total offense while allowing just 15 sacks on the year.
The Valley will announce the all-newcomer team, Friday.
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