5 things to watch during the UNI Spring Game

CEDAR FALLS - Friday marks the culmination of Spring Practice for the Northern Iowa football team and the playing of the annual Spring Game at the UNI-Dome.

Friday also marks the first time Panther fans will see organized football from the young men in purple and gold without the likes of Jake Farley, Xavier Williams, Jack Rummells, Kevin Vereen, Chad Owens and David Johnson in uniform. With the new corps of players stepping into new roles, the last month has been an exercise in finding the right pieces to fill the massive void from the departed seniors.

As also has been covered throughout spring ball, there's a new offense and four new coaches on staff as well. The team has a lot of work ahead of it.

'I think there's been consistent progress,” Coach Mark Farley said. 'I think we have a good idea of our first unit on defense, so we'll emphasize some of the other men that will play for us this season. We'll have to work them hard.

'Offensively, probably the biggest thing is just getting all 11 to understand the offense. They're still playing where they're thinking instead of just knocking people off the ball. Hopefully we become more aggressive when we get a better understanding.”

So, as fans take in the Spring Game, here are five things to watch for, as this will be the last anyone will see of football until everyone returns in the fall.

KOLLMORGEN'S RHYTHM

At first glance, senior quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen enters this season as the prohibitive favorite to once again enter the season as UNI's starting quarterback. But even with the benefit of experience, Kollmorgen doesn't have a giant leg up on anyone because he's learning the new offense under new offensive coordinator Joe Davis alongside the other three quarterbacks, and is building a rapport with a nearly an entire crop of new receivers. Not to mention he has junior college transfer Dalton Demos now on campus - recovering from a left knee injury sustained on his final drive as quarterback at Hutchinson (Mo.) Community College - and the 6-foot-6 Demos certainly has the talent to be a starter at the FCS level.

Not that he's a stranger to competition having traded time with Brion Carnes the last two seasons, but if Kollmorgen has a firm grasp of the new offense since he's been taking the first-team reps (with Demos no-contact), it'll tip the scales in his favor. His confidence when coming in midway through the Panthers' FCS Playoff loss at Illinois State suggests he's certainly capable of shutting out everything else. His Spring Game performance will certainly be something to watch.

WHO STEPS UP AT WR?

The gap left for the wide receivers to close on the rest of the units within the Panthers' offense was covered Monday, but who takes snaps at the position in the Spring Game will give at least a small hint to who Farley and new receivers coach Jason Ray think fit at the position. The two receivers who made notable contributions last season, Charles Brown and Daurice Fountain, have fellow receiver Logan Cunningham and a host of running backs and defensive backs practicing with them these days, and none apart from Brown or Fountain have stood out to Farley so far.

It's not likely the group will shine overall during the Spring Game, given how far they have to go, and with Brown out with a broken bone in his hand. That said …

The one to watch:

Daurice Fountain. He's big and he's fast, and his was the first name Farley gave when asked who's grown the most from last year to this year at receiver. Fountain finished 2014 with 10 catches for 117 yards and one touchdown, but will either be the No. 1 or 1a option for either Kollmorgen or Demos when the season starts on Sept. 5 at Iowa State.

LEADING RUNNER

Let this be the 10 millionth time you've read this: David Johnson is no longer running out of that northwest tunnel of the UNI-Dome. Left in his wake was a long list of running backs fighting for time in the UNI backfield. They've lost Barkley Hill, J'Veyon Browning, Rashadeem Gray, Ricky Neal and Marcus Weymiller to practicing with other positions, and still have five running backs left. New OC Davis, running backs/associate head coach Bill Salmon and Farley don't have illusions that one will carry the same load Johnson did last season, but everyone left with the unit has the speed - and a few the size - to come at least somewhat close.

Rutgers transfer Savon Huggins, last year's backup Darrian Miller, Duncan Ferch and Justise Keith are all rolling at running back with …

The one to watch:

Tyvis Smith. Though Miller got the majority of the backup reps behind David Johnson last year, Farley has said on several occasions Smith is the leader in the clubhouse to be a marquee player this season. And speaking of that size and speed, Smith is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and eager to produce after three years of limited reps. It wouldn't be shocking to see him have a big Spring Game.

FLOW OF THE OFFENSE

It's certainly a new era in Cedar Falls, even if the head coach is the same as always. Former co-offensive coordinator Mario Verduzco is gone, and his then-co-offensive coordinator Bill Salmon has shed that title and is now the running backs and associate head coach. Enter Joe Davis as the offensive coordinator, and with him an entirely new offense.

The Spring Game will be far from the offense's high point, and won't come close to featuring all Davis and Farley want it to by the time the season starts. What they're looking for - and fans should hope for - is consistency and solid execution with what they have picked up.

CONTINUITY ON DEFENSE

Much of the talk this spring has centered on the offense, which makes sense considering all but one of the four new coaches on staff are on that side. But the defense lost vital members from last season as well, and has had to look at other positions for help (see: Hill, Barkley).

The positive part of replacing talent is the system remains the same under defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeremy Johnson, defensive backs coach Brandon Lynch, defensive line coach Bryce Paup and new safeties coach Olaitan Oguntodu. With Jared Farley and Hill joining veteran Brett McMakin at linebacker, Ronelle McNeil and Isaac Ales still around on the defensive line and Deiondre Hall and Tim Kilfoy still in the defensive backfield, the defense should be ahead of the offense at this point.

If they don't at least have the consistent edge during the Spring Game, either the offense took a giant leap from Monday to Friday or the defense has more work to do than it thought.

The Spring Game is Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the UNI-Dome and admission is free to the public.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com