The U.N.I. football team suffered their first conference loss at North Dakota State, but may have more to worry about with an injury to quarterback Terrell Rennie. Head coach Mark Farley says Rennie is questionable for this week’s game against Youngstown State with a variety of bumps and bruises.
Rennie injured his ankle, and has a thumb and a knee injury. Farley says his quarterback gets twisted up on some of the pass plays, and hopefully he can be ready for this week.
If Rennie can’t go, red shirt freshmen Jared Lamphere will again take his place under center. Lamphere threw for a touchdown but also was intercepted once filling in for Rennie against NDSU. But Farley says he has no worries about Lamphere taking over the offense.
He says Lamphere brings a lot to the team in the passing game, though he can’t run like Rennie, he says he is very prepared and ready if needed. The Panthers also lost defensive back Tredarious Canady during Saturday’s game. Farley says that his injury is likely more serious than Rennie’s and while he is hoping it is not season ending, it could be if they get the worst news.
Farley says depth is becoming a bit of an issue with all of the injuries his team is dealing with, but not to the point where he’s overly concerned. He says they are “getting lean,” but he says they will find players to mix and match to get to the level they need to win.
The Panthers return to the UNI-Dome on Saturday to host Youngstown State. The Penguins are riding a three game wining streak and stand 3-2 in the conference.
Coach Eric Wolford says they are a young team that has played 21 freshmen, but they are starting to get more comfortable. He says his team must find a way to score against the U.N.I. defense. He says they are good on third down and in the red zone, and says everything starts with Ben Boothby.
Wolford says the Penguins expect to face a motivated Panther team coming off the loss.
By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls