Outlook for this years team?

[bigcat75]

Solid offensive line, excellent QB, new feature back, new faces in receiving corps, questions everywhere on defense except in the defensive backfield.
Comments?

[SMK4UNI]

I know UNI has a ton of talent returning in the defensive backfield but there are still a lot of questions there as well. Teams passed at will against us last year and that was with great D-line getting a lot of pressure on the QB.

I am hoping that the D can really step up this year becuse I think the Offense is going to be able to put points on the board with ease, espically with that O-line.

[tcondon]

The best thing about this seasons team is going to be the schedule. The team is going to be very inexperienced at many spots, especially defense. Curt Bradley and James Lindgren impressed me at times a year ago. I think they can step in at wide receiver and have a big senior seasons. Linebacker is going to be a huge need though.

Because of the schedule, UNI has a great chance of starting 5-1. A home win over Missouri State is going to be the toughest, outside of the Iowa State game.

By the time UNI gets to Youngstown to take on the Penguins, I would hope that the defense is improving at a good rate and the offense is putting up some huge points. For some reason, the season finale at home against Illinois State is making me nervous. Hopefully the Panthers will have the Gateway title wrapped up by that game.

One thing in college football is that schedule can have a key roll on where a team finishes up. With 4 returning starters on defense, the easier beginning schedule can only help.

[BCPanther]

Your right TC, the schedule is everything in College football.

Also, if you could pick a place to put the Iowa State game, it is right where you would have picked, between Nebraska and Texas, in the middle of the "Dan McCarney Mid-Season Swoon." A Panther win would not shock me, they lost to Baylor on the same weekend last season, and unlike Baylor, we play offense!!

[bigcat75]

Linebacker is going to be a huge need though.

Linebacker and D-line go hand in hand and as d-line jells the linebackers will play better. D-line is inexperienced also so that won't help early on. I do feel we have some talent at these positions and as the season progresses they will get better. let us not forget we have an excellent coaching staff.

[Matt Trump]

I'm reserving my thoughts until we see what transfers will be coming in during the summer and how they pan out.

[Panther Dude]

ISU is a winnable game. There is always at least one reciever injured. Their QB is pretty good. Their RB is ok. Their D-line is a disgrace without Berryman. Their O-line is ok at best. They have one or two good DBs.Their linebackers are bad. If it is a close game UNI will win because ISU's kicker can't kick a 16 yard field goal with 40 mph wind helping him. Our D has to step up because they run a pass-happy offense with a mobile QB. If they can lose to Baylor they can lose to UNI.

[Mountain Panther]

Iowa State beat a very good Iowa team last year by 20 points. I hope ISU graduated a lot of talent otherwise I think this one is a long shot.

[Matt Trump]

Iowa State still won the game a couple of years ago when they went 2-10 and UNI made it back to the playoffs. This isn't Jim Walden's Cyclones. MacCarney knows what this game means to UNI and knows what would happen if is team were to lose. He always takes this game seriously.

Iowa State lost to Baylor with an overweight Greg Coleman playing runningback and fumbling on the goaline. Baylor had a solid defense last year and almost beat Oklahoma in Norman.

Its pretty easy for a lot of the closet Hawk fans or those who grew up hating Iowa State as Hawk fans to rip on ISU. But, they do have a solid program. People growing up on Big-10 coolaid, don't realize how good the Big12 is from top to bottom. Great WIU teams have played very bad Missouri teams and gotten absolutely blasted. Last year, no one gave UNI a chance in hell in Iowa City because it was against Iowa. Then Iowa gets smoked by ISU and has a very average season (o wait, it was never Iowa's fault they lost those games ), but I bet people still wouldn't give UNI a chance in hell against the Hawks if they were to play this year.

Anything can happen in football, but it just sickens me that people never thought we had a chance to win in Iowa City, but think for some reason we can be the 'Clones with no problems.

I think the ISU game will be very similar to the Iowa game. Lots of points, but hopefully less turnovers.

[MGLD Panther]

I'm reserving my thoughts until we see what transfers will be coming in during the summer and how they pan out.

You have to believe there will be a RB coming in the fall. Happens every year. We have the 1-A WR transfers correct? The OL is intact from last year. We are set on offense. I predict there will be some DL and DB help coming.

We are going to score alot of points this year. I don't believe the schedule is as easy as everyone thinks. South Dakota State lost to Montana 7-0 and Cal Poly 24-16 lasst year. They were not beat that bad by these good teams. I think we can give Iowa State a better game than we did the Chokyes's but they are a Big 12 team.

Let's not jinx this.

[Matt Trump]

You have to believe there will be a RB coming in the fall. Happens every year. We have the 1-A WR transfers correct? The OL is intact from last year. We are set on offense. I predict there will be some DL and DB help coming.

We are going to score alot of points this year. I don't believe the schedule is as easy as everyone thinks. South Dakota State lost to Montana 7-0 and Cal Poly 24-16 lasst year. They were not beat that bad by these good teams. I think we can give Iowa State a better game than we did the Chokyes's but they are a Big 12 team.
Let's not jinx this.

I agree with everything, especially the last 2 statements.

As far as transfers, we have 1 transfer from I-A and 2 JUCO's that I hope will contribute. They are going to have to because receivers are clutch to keep that running game open.

[Chitown Panther]

This year's Defense will be better than last years....prior to the WKU game last year....most of us thought the D was dead......

Seems like we always have a DE/OLB come on strong.....last year was Herman.....year before was the kid from Dike-NH.....who's name eludes me as I type. I think the D-line will be strong. LBs last year were still guys that bled Purple and Gold.....not extremely talented. Farley is going to get the LB position back on track. DBs should be better....

Return an experienced punter will only help.

The offense as we all know will be explosive

[jegbomb52]

Iowa State still won the game a couple of years ago when they went 2-10 and UNI made it back to the playoffs. This isn't Jim Walden's Cyclones. MacCarney knows what this game means to UNI and knows what would happen if is team were to lose. He always takes this game seriously.

Iowa State lost to Baylor with an overweight Greg Coleman playing runningback and fumbling on the goaline. Baylor had a solid defense last year and almost beat Oklahoma in Norman.

Its pretty easy for a lot of the closet Hawk fans or those who grew up hating Iowa State as Hawk fans to rip on ISU. But, they do have a solid program. People growing up on Big-10 coolaid, don't realize how good the Big12 is from top to bottom. Great WIU teams have played very bad Missouri teams and gotten absolutely blasted. Last year, no one gave UNI a chance in hell in Iowa City because it was against Iowa. Then Iowa gets smoked by ISU and has a very average season (o wait, it was never Iowa's fault they lost those games ), but I bet people still wouldn't give UNI a chance in hell against the Hawks if they were to play this year.

Anything can happen in football, but it just sickens me that people never thought we had a chance to win in Iowa City, but think for some reason we can be the 'Clones with no problems.

I think the ISU game will be very similar to the Iowa game. Lots of points, but hopefully less turnovers.

And we talk about closet Iowa fans, Reed = Closet ISU Fan! Cow Milker

[Matt Trump]

And we talk about closet Iowa fans, Reed = Closet ISU Fan! Cow Milker

Nope, I'm just a realist.

[GonzoCat]

My feelings about Playing ISU are the same as they have always been, and the same as they were about playing Iowa. We could win the game. We would need to play very well, have them not play their best, and probably need to have the ball bounce our way a time or two.

I'd say we have somewhere between a 10-20% chance of winning, not good odds for any given game, but play them enough times and eventually we will get one. Our odds would be a lot better if we ever played either of them in the dome of course, but that will never happen as long as money controls everything in sports which is the forseeable future.

And yes, Reed is clearly a closet clone.