UNI football lands 9 on MVFC Preseason Team

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Nine Panthers earned Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason honors, and the team is projected to finish fifth in the league.

Kicker Matthew Cook, linebacker Spencer Cuvelier and defensive back Benny Sapp III lead the Panthers with first team honors.

Linebacker Bryce Flater, defensive back Korby Sander and defensive linemen Caden Houghtelling and Devin Rice were named to the Second Team Defense. Offensive lineman Erik Sorensen earned Second Team Offense honors. Wide receiver Quan Hampton was named to the Second Team Special Teams as an all-purpose player.

FIRST TEAM HONORS

Cook has earned honors on the Stats Perform and Athlon Sports' 2022 FCS Preseason all-American teams and The Bluebloods' Preseason All-MVFC Team.

Last season, Cook, a junior, was named to HERO Sports' FCS All-America Second Team Special Teams and the Stats Perform FCS Team. He also earned a spot on Phil Steele's FCS All-America Second Team for Special Teams and was named to MVFC All-Conference First Team Special Teams last season.

He was the only FCS player to notch two field goals beyond 50 yards in a single game the week when he earned MVFC honors in the 2021 season. He finished 2021 ranked second in MVFC and 12th in nation for field goal percentage with 86.4%. He was also second in the MFVC and seventh in the nation for field goals per game with 1.58. Cook was perfect on PATs on the season, going 33-for-33. He averaged 58.3 yards on kickoff.

In UNI football's 26-17 win over No. 6 South Dakota State, he accounted for 14 points. He made 19 of his 22 attempted field goals, recording his longest career field goal of 55 yards against South Dakota State.

Cuvelier, a senior linebacker from Cresco, Iowa, also has been named to the Stats Perform Second Team Defense and earned a spot on The Bluebloods' Preseason All-MVFC Team.

His 2021 season was cut short due to injury. He played and started in eight games before injury interrupted play midseason. He was named the Stats Perform National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the season opener against Sacramento State by forcing six turnovers; recovering two fumbles; and notching 15 tackles, reaching double figures for the 10th time in 19 career games.

Cuvelier finished the year fifth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference for tackles per game with 8.2. He earned First Team MVFC Offense honors in addition to being named to Phil Steele's FCS All-MVFC First Team Defense.

Sapp was also named to The Bluebloods Preseason All-American Second Team and the All-MVFC Team. Last season, he was named to Phil Steele's FCS All-MFVC Second Team Defense.

He tallied 52 tackles in 12 games, including a season-high nine against North Dakota State last season. He was third in the conference with four interceptions. In his first season with the Panthers in the spring of 2021, he was fifth on the team with 33 tackles and tallied one interception, one fumble recovery and two pass break ups. He was named to the MVFC Newcomer Team.

A transfer from Minnesota, Sapp attended Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and is the son of Benny Sapp Jr. and Erica Sapp. His father, currently an assistant coach at UNI, played collegiately for the Panthers and then played in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs (2004-07), Minnesota Vikings (2008-09 and 2011) and Miami Dolphins (2010-11).

Benny Sapp III is majoring in liberal studies with a minor in sports administration and strength and conditioning.

SECOND TEAM HONORS

Linebacker Bryce Flater was eighth in the conference last season in passes defended with eight. Falter is from Grundy Center, Iowa.

Defensive back Korby Sander totalled 63 tackles last season, including 11 against North Dakota State and Sacramento State. He returned one interception for 30 yards against Sacramento State. Sander is from Belmond, Iowa.

Defensive linemen Caden Houghtelling ranked third in the conference and nation with three fumbles recovered. He was named to the Phil Steele FCS All-MVFC Fourth Team Defense last season. Houghtelling is from Cambridge, Nebraska.

Devin Rice notched five sacks, including two against Southern Illinois last season, finishing 15th in the MVFC in sacks. He forced two fumbles on the year and recovered another. Rice is from Liberty, Missouri.

Offensive lineman Erik Sorensen started all 12 games as the center last season. He was named to the Phil Steele FCS All-MVFC Fourth Team Offense. He is from Waukee, Iowa.

Wide receiver Quan Hampton led the team in receiving with 430 yards before a season-ending injury last fall. He had 39 receptions and two touchdowns, making him sixth in the MVFC for receptions per game. He returned four kickoffs for a total of 50 yards. He returned 15 punts for a total of 99 yards, including a 33-yard return against St. Thomas. Hampton is from Texarkana, Texas.

THE MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

In 2021, for the first time in conference history, six Missouri Valley Football Conference teams earned bids into the 24-team FCS playoff field. Only one other conference in NCAA history has received six bids in a single playoff (CAA in 2018). The MVFC had received as many as five bids four times previously (2014, 2015, 2017, and in spring 2021).

NDSU extended the MVFC's FCS-record to 11-straight title game appearances for the league. The CAA (five in a row), OVC (four-straight) and SoCon (four appearances in a row) are next on the list. Notably, the 2021 season marked the 16th title appearance for a league team.

Last season, MVFC teams combined to go 25-5 against non-conference FCS teams. All five losses were to ranked FCS teams, all of which made the 2021 playoff field.

The 2021 season was capped by an incredible presence in the April 2022 NFL Draft. A total of nine MVFC players were drafted, setting an all-time high for the Conference (surpassing the previous-record total of five in 2021). UNI's Trevor Penning (19th overall pick) became the first Panther selected in the first round of the NFL draft as he joined North Dakota State QBs Carson Wentz (2016) and Trey Lance (2019) as the only MVFC student-athletes to do so.

The 2022 season will mark the eighth year in an agreement with ESPN to distribute all 61 league home games on ESPN3 (or ESPN+). An MVFC preseason favorite has claimed the league crown 22 times (in 26 previous polls).

The Missouri Valley Football Conference led all FCS leagues with 22 total selections on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Teams, announced Monday, Aug. 1. North Dakota State and South Dakota State tied for the FCS high on those units, with six each.

POLL RESULTS

North Dakota State (39) 446 points
South Dakota State (2) 407 points
Missouri State 355 points
Southern Illinois 306
UNI 304
South Dakota 235
North Dakota 190
Illinois State 178
Youngstown State 132
Indiana State 109
Western Illinois 44

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB Jason Shelley, Missouri State
RB Isaiah Davis, SDSU
RB Jaleel McLaughlin, Youngstown St.
RB/AP Javon Williams, Southern Illinois
FB Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State
WR Avante Cox, Southern Illinois
WR Jaxon Janke, SDSU
WR Tyrone Scott, Missouri State
TE Tucker Kraft, SDSU
OL Landon Bebee, Missouri State
OL Garret Greenfield, SDSU
OL Cody Mauch, North Dakota State
OL Mason McCormick, SDSU
OL Alex Jensen, South Dakota

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL Kevin Ellis, Missouri State
DL Eli Mostaert, North Dakota State
DL Caleb Sanders, SDSU
DL Reece Winkelman, SDSU
LB Adam Bock, SDSU
LB Spencer Cuvelier, UNI
LB Brock Mogensen, South Dakota
LB Zeke Vandenburgh, Illinois State
DB Montrae Braswell, Missouri State
DB PJ Jules, Southern Illinois
DB Kyriq McDonald, Missouri State
DB Benny Saap III, UNI
DB Michael Tutsie, North Dakota State

FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

LS Dalton Godfrey, South Dakota
PK Matthew Cook, UNI
P Grant Burkett, Missouri State
RS Montrae Braswell, Missouri State
AP Carter Bell, South Dakota

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB Mark Gronowski, SDSU
RB Kobe Johnson, North Dakota State
RB Cole Mueller, Illinois State
FB Jacob Garrett, Southern Illinois
WR Carter Bell, South Dakota
WR Bo Belquist, North Dakota
WR Dante Hendrix, Indiana State
TE Noah Gindorff, North Dakota State
OL Drew Bones, Illinois State
OL Nash Jensen, North Dakota State
OL Erik Sorensen, UNI
OL Donny Ventrelli, North Dakota
OL Jaison Williams, Youngstown State

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL Braydon Deming, Illinois State
DL Nick Gaes, South Dakota
DL Caden Houghtelling, UNI
DL Devin Rice, UNI
DL Spencer Waege, North Dakota State
LB Greg Benton Jr., Youngstown St.
LB Bryce Flater, UNI
LB James Kaczor, North Dakota State
LB Devon Krzanowski, North Dakota
DB Clayton Bush, Southern Illinois
DB Korby Sander, UNI
DB C.J. Siegel, North Dakota
DB Destin Talbert, North Dakota State
DB Dawson Weber, North Dakota State

SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

LS Joey Malinowski, Illinois State
PK Jose Pizano, Missouri State
P Cade Peterson, North Dakota
RS Jayden Price, North Dakota State
AP/WR Quan Hampton, UNI

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