U.N.I. football coach Mark Farley says he was pleased with spring workouts. The Panthers closed out drills last Friday night with an intrasquad game and Farley lengthened spring by spreading the practices out. Farley says they previously had gone four weeks and four practices, but this time they went five weeks and three practices and it gave the players more study time.
There are a number of starters gone from last year’s team that finished 7-4, including quarterback Pat Grace. Farley says the quality at quarterback was probably the thing they found out the most about. Farley says Zach Davis and junior college transfer Terrell Rennie give the Panther’s quality depth at the quarterback spot.
He says you have to have a quarterback to win at every level of football, and he says in their style of offense, they need two. Farley says there’s a good chance one quarterback could get injured.
Farley says spring practice is when leadership begins to emerge. He says each team is unique and takes it’s own direction and all that begins in the spring as the players gain confidence in themselves, and then that spreads to the individual units of offense and defense.
U.N.I. gets as late start to the season and will open with a Missouri Valley Conference game at home against North Dakota State.