UNI football: Ten selected to Bluebloods All-MVFC preseason squads

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The Bluebloods announced its 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) preseason team on Wednesday morning, with ten Panthers cracking this year's list.

Defensive lineman Khristian Boyd, defensive back Woo Governor and place kicker Matthew Cook were all selected with first team honors. Quarterback Theo Day, wide receiver Sergio Morancy, tight end Alex Allen, offensive lineman Jared Penning, defenders Cordarrius Bailey and Edwin Dearman, and punter Noah Pettinger all earn second team recognition.

The Panthers are scheduled to kickoff the 2023 season on Sept. 2 at Iowa State at 1 p.m. CT.

KHRISTIAN BOYD (Defensive Line) - First Team
A returning Second Team All-MVFC defensive lineman, Boyd finished last season with 32 total tackles in ten games, including a season-high seven tackles against Sacramento State. The Kansas City, Missouri native recorded five tackles for loss for 15 yards in 2022 with four pass deflections as well as one assisted sack. Boyd was selected to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, Phil Steele's First Team All-MVFC and Second Team All-America, and the MVFC preseason All-Conference first team lists earlier this summer.

WOO GOVERNOR (DEFENSIVE BACK) - First Team
An everyday starter, Governor appeared in all 11 games for the Panthers last fall. Against Western Illinois, he recorded four interceptions, including a pair of takeaways returned for touchdowns. A Second Team All-MVFC honoree last season and conference defensive player of the week, the Plant City, Florida product finished with seven pass breakups and 61 total tackles. Governor also earned FCS Preseason Second Team All-America recognition from The Bluebloods this summer, as well as Phil Steele's Preseason Second Team All-MVFC and MVFC preseason All-Conference first team honors.

MATTHEW COOK (PLACEKICKER) - First Team
Heading into 2023, Matthew Cook boasts three All-America team selections into the fall from 2022 (AP Second Team, STATS Perform Third Team, HERO Sports First Team) after a record-setting season. Converting on 14-of-17 field goal attempts (82%), Cook, a four-time First Team All-MVFC athlete set both the UNI and Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) records for career field goals made (67), and also broke the Panther record with 124 consecutive made PAT kicks in his career. Already this season, he has earned FCS Preseason All-America honors from HERO Sports, The Bluebloods and Phil Steele.

THEO DAY (Quarterback) - Second Team
An MVFC offensive leader, Day accounted for 3,121 passing yards and 26 touchdowns through the air en route to First Team All-MVFC recognition. He threw a career-high six touchdowns last November in UNI's season finale at South Dakota, as well as five touchdown passes in the Panthers' one-point win at No. 20 Southern Illinois. Day has also earned HERO Sports, FCS, and Phil Steele Preseason All-America honors, as well as a spot on this year's East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list.

ALEX ALLEN (Tight End) - Second Team
Allen appeared in eight games for the Panthers last fall before a season-ending injury. The Nixa, Missouri native set new career-highs with 264 receiving yards on 17 catches with two touchdowns. He caught a single-game career-best 61 yards against Indiana State, while also picking up MVFC Honor Roll recognition. On top of this honor, Allen has appeared on both the MVFC and Phil Steele preseason All-Conference second teams.

JARED PENNING (Offensive Line) - Second Team
Appearing in all 11 games a season ago, Penning was a key contributor to UNI's offensive success in 2022, which led the league in passing offense, total offense, passing yards per completion, team passing efficiency and third down conversion percentage. Penning, who was named to Phil Steele's FCS All-MVFC Third Team last year, as well as Steele's 2023 MVFC Preseason Second Team this year, was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list for this coming season and the MVFC preseason All-Conference second team.

CORDARRIUS BAILEY (Defensive Line) - Second Team
In his debut season with the Panthers last fall, the transfer notched 31 tackles, a pair of forced fumbles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks en route to MVFC All-Newcomer honors in 2022. Bailey, a Clarksdale, Mississippi product, also recorded a season-high six tackles at Southern Illinois. He already has two other preseason recognitions including MVFC All-conference honorable mention and Phil Steele All-MVFC Fourth Team honors.

EDWIN DEARMAN (Defensive Back) - Second Team
The Houston, Texas product competed in all 11 games recording 63 total tackles. Against Western Illinois, Dearman posted a season-high nine tackles. He finished with 5.5 tackles for a loss of 23 yards including one sack against Indiana State and a forced fumble against Air Force. Against Utah Tech, he broke up five passes and intercepted another. This is his first preseason honor.

SERGIO MORANCY (Wide Receiver) - Honorable Mention
Morancy competed all in all 11 games for the purple and gold in 2022, catching 29 passes for a career-high 510 yards and six touchdowns in the process. The Naples, Florida native put on a show in UNI's season finale last November at South Dakota with a career-best 135 yards on four catches, which included a 62-yard reception. Earning Phil Steele FCS All-MVFC Third Team honors last season and preseason recognition on the All-MVFC Third Team this summer, this is Morancy's third preseason honor of 2023 after MVFC All-Conference honorable mention recognition.

NOAH PETTINGER (Punter) - Honorable Mention
A true freshman, the punter stepped up to the plate in a big way last season appearing in eight games with 16 punts for 686 yards and a 42 yards per punt average. The Dubuque, Iowa native recorded 52-yard kicks twice coming against Utah Tech and South Dakota State to earn MVFC All-Newcomer Team recognition. A Phil Steele preseason All-MVFC second teamer and a MVFC preseason All-Conference honorable mention, this is his third preseason honor.

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