Some UNI football lineup questions answered, others up in the air ahead of opener at Iowa State

CEDAR FALLS - Mark Farley's first weekly press conference of the season revealed that some of the Northern Iowa football team's position battles that were discussed not quite a month ago on media day have been settled, while other battles are still ongoing.

Sam Drysdale beat out Austin Errthum for the starting placekicker job, Blake Thomas won a position battle at inside linebacker, and Rickey Neal will start at the Panthers hybrid ‘nickel linebacker' position.

The unsettled position battles include the interior of the offensive line, running back, and the secondary.

Offensive line returnees Jackson Scott-Brown, Lee Carhart, and Jacob Appleman appear to be in position to start at left guard, center, and right guard respectively. Scott-Brown made seven starts and Appleman started all 11 games last season. Ezra Szczyrbak and Nick Ellis figure to be in the mix along the interior of the line, and could see action on Saturday as part of multiple positions where Farley and his staff will likely rotate as they look for production.

Farley also did not provide a starter at the running back position. Trevor Allen, J'Veyon Browning, and Marcus Weymiller are the trio battling for snaps and Farley has said that his preference would be to establish two backs so there's enough snaps for either runner to establish a rhythm.

'I don't know if (the running backs) were even allowed to (emerge). I can't even say that in all fairness to who could emerge,” Farley said. 'Because when you don't tackle the whole camp - you know we've had three scrimmages and we did tackle - but part of this whole thing is making sure that you get your players to the game (healthy), and yet try to get them prepared for the game too.”

Another position that Farley acknowledged could see a number of bodies rotate in is in the defensive secondary where the Panthers will be tested by the Cyclones.

Malcolm Washington at cornerback and A.J. Allen at rover safety are surefire starters come Saturday. Elijah Campbell is another surefire starter, but it remains to be seen if the 2016 All-MVFC newcomer will line up at cornerback or free safety.

'Everyone says their skill on offense is exceptional, and it is probably top of the Big 12 or close to it. It's because of the size of the receivers and the experience they have. They're proven,” Farley said. 'I've watched them go up for balls against every team in the Big 12 and win those battles for balls.”

Besides all the personnel news Farley seemed as excited as he usually is for what's become a nearly annual match up against an FBS foe.

The environment the Panthers will walk into Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium will outpace anything else they'll encounter all season. So, while much can be made of the personnel decisions leading up to gameday a critical part of being able to grab a win in Ames for the second consecutive season will come down to the communication between Farley and a staff with seven new assistants.

'I think that we know the strength of each coach better. Whether he should be on the floor or in the box. So you have to understand how to communicate in seconds,” Farley said. 'All those things play a part when you start to get communication with anybody, but let alone some guys that haven't been with each other. We tried to test that to know what to expect now. Anything that happened now wouldn't be a surprise. Let's put it that way.”