GAMEDAY: Hendrickson has great respect for UNI

Mark Hendrickson looks at the University of Northern Iowa football team and sees one thing - something he has seen many times before.

“They look like the number two team in the nation,” said Hendrickson, football coach at Western Illinois and a former UNI player and assistant coach. “They are very good in all three areas of the game.

“They've got good experience, good senior leadership.”

UNI (1-1), ranked No. 2 in FCS, hosts the Leathernecks today at 4 p.m., the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams and Panthers' home opener.

Western beat UNI last year, 30-14, and always plays the Panthers tough, Coach Mark Farley said. But he's not real concerned about last year's game or what Western (1-2) will do today.

“We study what we do right and wrong,” Farley said. “You want to make sure you are doing things fundamentally correct.”

Is UNI the second-best team in the nation?

“I don't think we're anywhere near where we need to be,” Farley said.

Hendrickson, of course, disagrees. He said UNI's speed is “great” and they have “outstanding athletes who are going to handle the ball.”

Running back Carlos Anderson remains an “unknown” today, but backup David Johnson has filled in nicely and ranks fourth in the county at 12 points per game. He is averaging 61.5 yards per game.

But the UNI offense starts and finishes with quarterback Tirrell Rennie, who leads the MVFC at 126.5 rushing yards per game and also is averaging 166 passing yards.

“He's a pretty amazing football player,” Hendrickson said.

The Leathernecks have struggled this year, as evidenced by their 69-0 loss at Missouri last Saturday, but Farley is taking nothing for granted.

“Western has always been a tough football team for us to play,” said Farley, who is 7-3 against the Leathernecks (UNI owns a 26-13 lead in this series). “We know what we're up against.”