On the Prowl: Pride, Poise, and (Pat) Grace
16,100 fans were ready for a homecoming win over the Illinois State, and that's exactly what they got. UNI won in a 31-17 affair. There are now no teams in the MVFC that are undefeated, and it seems like just yesterday that conference play started. UNI was in control from the get-go, but Illinois State made it clear that they were never going anywhere.
UNI is trying to make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1996. It seems like it would be pretty easy since the Panthers return most of their core from last year's highly-regarded 12-1 squad. You would be wrong, because each season is different, and certain aspects are gone from last year, one of those being Eric Sanders.
Don't worry too hard about that one. It seems like there's this 6'2", 230-pounder from Sioux City that has that part of the game under control. He's name is Pat Grace, and he's starting to show everyone what made the coaching staff offer him a chance to play in Cedar Falls.
When Victor Williams was asked if the versatile Grace would rather run or throw for a touchdown, he smiled. "If he could do it, he'd do both at the same time."
Grace is giving defensive coordinators across the conference headaches as UNI has yet another dimension to its already-diverse offense. Grace's numbers tell a lot of the story. Sure, he ran for 99 yards. He also got 238 yards through the air on 13-for-18 passing. There's a lot he can do to keep his team in the game, and the fans are starting to pick up on it.
"I think we're all watching Pat Grace become one of the finer quarterbacks at UNI," said Coach Mark Farley. "We all saw him from day one progress from BYU to South Dakota. You see a young man getting more confident every week. You see an offensive line and receivers that have the confidence in their quarterback. You see those guys working hard for him, making those extra blocks. You also see a defense that knows that we're always in a football game because you have a capable quarterback. It gives confidence to a team the way he's playing, and I enjoy watching him play because he plays so impressively and so confidently. That goes over with the other players as well, watching their quarterback put his head down and run over somebody."
Grace's play is on the minds of a lot of people. What about his rough-and-tumble style? "I'm just trying to get the extra yard. (Quarterbacks) Coach Verduzco preaches that I need to slide or get out of bounds. He's probably right that I need to protect my body, but I try to get those few extra yards for the first down if I need to."
"As long as he's getting those first downs," Farley shrugged with a grin on his face.
"Eric (Sanders) was mentally into the passing game. So is Pat, but I think the things we are doing in the run game are much more sophisticated now because of his capabilities. You can see we have a different style of offense. Similar to last year, but still there's some tweaks to it that compliment his ability."
During Media Day, Pat Grace mentioned that he wanted to make his own name for himself. He's well on his way, but the Coach says it better:
"The two questions we had at Media Day were our quarterback and our offensive line. I think you've seen those two segments create the kind of football team we have right now. I really like where we're at."
16,100 fans were ready for a homecoming win over the Illinois State, and that's exactly what they got. UNI won in a 31-17 affair. There are now no teams in the MVFC that are undefeated, and it seems like just yesterday that conference play started. UNI was in control from the get-go, but Illinois State made it clear that they were never going anywhere.
UNI is trying to make the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1996. It seems like it would be pretty easy since the Panthers return most of their core from last year's highly-regarded 12-1 squad. You would be wrong, because each season is different, and certain aspects are gone from last year, one of those being Eric Sanders.
Don't worry too hard about that one. It seems like there's this 6'2", 230-pounder from Sioux City that has that part of the game under control. He's name is Pat Grace, and he's starting to show everyone what made the coaching staff offer him a chance to play in Cedar Falls.
When Victor Williams was asked if the versatile Grace would rather run or throw for a touchdown, he smiled. "If he could do it, he'd do both at the same time."
Grace is giving defensive coordinators across the conference headaches as UNI has yet another dimension to its already-diverse offense. Grace's numbers tell a lot of the story. Sure, he ran for 99 yards. He also got 238 yards through the air on 13-for-18 passing. There's a lot he can do to keep his team in the game, and the fans are starting to pick up on it.
"I think we're all watching Pat Grace become one of the finer quarterbacks at UNI," said Coach Mark Farley. "We all saw him from day one progress from BYU to South Dakota. You see a young man getting more confident every week. You see an offensive line and receivers that have the confidence in their quarterback. You see those guys working hard for him, making those extra blocks. You also see a defense that knows that we're always in a football game because you have a capable quarterback. It gives confidence to a team the way he's playing, and I enjoy watching him play because he plays so impressively and so confidently. That goes over with the other players as well, watching their quarterback put his head down and run over somebody."
Grace's play is on the minds of a lot of people. What about his rough-and-tumble style? "I'm just trying to get the extra yard. (Quarterbacks) Coach Verduzco preaches that I need to slide or get out of bounds. He's probably right that I need to protect my body, but I try to get those few extra yards for the first down if I need to."
"As long as he's getting those first downs," Farley shrugged with a grin on his face.
"Eric (Sanders) was mentally into the passing game. So is Pat, but I think the things we are doing in the run game are much more sophisticated now because of his capabilities. You can see we have a different style of offense. Similar to last year, but still there's some tweaks to it that compliment his ability."
During Media Day, Pat Grace mentioned that he wanted to make his own name for himself. He's well on his way, but the Coach says it better:
"The two questions we had at Media Day were our quarterback and our offensive line. I think you've seen those two segments create the kind of football team we have right now. I really like where we're at."
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