August in Cedar Falls means welcoming returning students and newcomers alike. Fall also means that UNI football will soon again be reved up and ready to go.

After an 8-5 season from the Panthers last year, excitement is high going into September.

Last season ended in Brookings, South Dakota on a 37-22 loss to South Dakota State in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs.

However, the regular season proved decent for the Panthers as they ended the season with a several notably impressive victories over Southern Illinois and South Dakota State. 

Entering the summer, UNI was prepared to lose star wide receiver Daurice Fountain. However, as the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. This door was a large one for Fountain as he was picked up in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, and made the 53-man roster entering the 2018 season.

Fountain shined in his pro day with a 42.5 inch vertical jump and a 13.4 inch broad jump, both of which were number one in his class.

Though we won’t see Fountain catching passes this upcoming season, we are seeing some returning players back from last year.

Quarterback Eli Dunne had an up and down season and received criticism for poor decision making and trying to make plays out of nothing.

However, as the season went on Dunne proved his talent and dominated at the quarterback position. Going into this year, Dunne is the obvious choice for starter entering his senior year, as he looks to take his momentum from last year into this season.

On defense, the Panthers secondary took a hard loss in the form of Elijah Campbell being taken as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns. Campbell dominated opposing receivers in his years with the Panthers, and will definitely be missed going into this year.

Returning for the UNI defense is senior linebacker Ricky Neal. Over the summer, Neal was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Conference defensive team. Look to see Neal make a significant impact in the secondary for the purple and gold.

All in all, this will surely be an exciting year for the Panthers football team.

The first regular season game pits UNI up against the Montana Grizzlies on the road. After a bye, the Panthers will hit the road again to take on in-state rival Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.

UNI’s home opener will take place on September 22^nd against the Hampton Pirates.