Game 1 Preview: Lopers Face Defending National Champs

End Matt Bowman has 131 career tackles

Kearney, Neb. - A new-look Nebraska-Kearney football team starts the 2014 season with the ultimate challenge, facing top-ranked and defending national champion NW Missouri State on the road Thursday night.

Kickoff from Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Mo., is set for 7:07 p.m. The contest is the "MIAA Game of the Week" and can be seen live in several markets. In Nebraska, Cox Cable in Omaha is carrying the game on channel 126. That is the only channel in the state carrying the contest.

For audio, video web streaming, live stat and ticket links, visit the UNK football schedule page.

Head coach Darrell Morris and his staff have worked in 58 newcomers (20 transfers and 38 true freshmen) into an 111-player roster this fall camp. Of the 60 players dressing for the Northwest trip, 27 will be playing in their first-ever D2 game (13 redshirt freshmen, 11 transfers and three true freshmen).

This young Loper squad, wearing Under Armour uniforms for the first time, will face a veteran Northwest squad that is returning the bulk of its starting lineup from last year's 15-0 squad that won by an average of 28 points. The Bearcats are also 31-2 at home since 2009, going over 50 points in just about half of those wins.

Fourth-year head coach Adam Dorrel (36-6) has a defense that recorded 49 sacks and forced 47 turnovers last season. A stout front seven features All-American end Matt Longacre (20.5 TFL), All-American linebacker DJ Gnader (team-best 111 tackles) and senior backer Eric Reimer (106 tackles).

Offensively, Lincoln native Brady Bolles is now the full-time QB after sharing time with the departed Trevor Adams. Despite not playing 100% of the time, Bolles still managed to run for 607 yards and a team-best 12 TD's while completing 67% of his passes.

Northwest has to replace its top three pass catchers with senior Bryce Young (30 recep., 608 yds., five TD's) the top returner. Senior Robert Burton III (775 yards & seven TD's) and sophomore Phil Jackson II (384 yards & six TD's) were more than productive backs last fall.

Finally, up front, three returning starters include senior center Cole Chevalier and senior right tackle C.J. Keeney.

UNK and Northwest first faced each other on the football field in 1928, a 19-12 Bearcat win in Maryville. The Lopers also lost the next year, 33-14, but then won in 1969, 10-0, and 1970, 37-13. Northwest claimed victory in 1974, 1975 and 1989, games that saw the Lopers tally a total of 36 points.

In 1990, UNK's first year as a D2 independent, the Lopers managed a 45-42 win as QB Russ Harvey threw for 325 yards and three TD's.

Last September in Maryville, Northwest racked up 510 yards and held UNK to 123 in a 53-7 victory. The 'Cats scored five TD's on their first six possessions with the lone non-scoring drive resulting in a 74-yard INT return for a score by Loper redshirt freshman ILB Tyke Kozeal.

UNK starting QB Bronson Marsh left the game with injury in the 2nd quarter with Northwest ahead 33-7. He played in only one more game the rest of the season. True freshmen Luke McNitt, now a walk-on tight end at UNL, came on in relief and finished 3 of 9 for 45 yards and two INT's while being sacked for -14 yards.

For Northwest, QB Trevor Adams threw for three scores and was one of five 'Cats to run for at least 37 yards.

Offensively for UNK, Marsh threw for 763 yards and rushed for 428 more in 2013. He has a new stable of receivers to throw to, include likely starters Dalton Sealey, a converted running back, Allen Sampson, a transfer from the U. of Hawai'i, and Tityus Mitchell, who was impressive as a redshirt.

The backfield has a familiar face in junior Romero Cotton, who was the team's featured back for the last seven weeks of the 2013 season. He finished with 801 yards and five TD's to earn honorable mention All-MIAA honors. Cotton had just 14 carries over the first four weeks, including four at Northwest.

Behind the 197 lbs. national wrestling champ are junior college transfer Kevin Lane, who amassed over 1,000 yards at Compton College, and Kearney High product Caleb Lundgren. He joined the team in January after a semester at Chadron State.

Eventually, U. of Washington transfer Dezden Petty will work into the rotation.

Everyone's preseason All-American, left tackle Cole Manhart, highlights an o-line that is down a man. Fifth-year senior Cody Wheeler, UNK's starting center, will likely miss all of 2014 due to injury. Fellow fifth-year senior Brett Douglas has started at the position with two-time honorable mention All-MIAA selection Pete Trausch having worked out at the position during camp.

Trausch, the starter at right tackle the past two years, is another fifth-year senior. Showing UNK's youth, there are just nine seniors on this year's team (four o-linemen, two d-linemen, one linebacker, one corner and one specialist).

Finally on offense, there are four new tight ends in junior college transfer Omar Rodriguez, redshirt freshmen Nick Behrends and Conner Beard and true freshman Tye Spies. Behrends is slated to start at Northwest with Rodriguez capable of lining up at receiver.

Fifth-year seniors Matt Bowman (rush end) and Jack Wardyn (tackle) lead a,relatively young d-line. The pair is joined by a host of sophomores and redshirt freshmen, including starting kall end Peyton Lange and noseguard Sam Stoltenberg.

Kozeal, a co-captain along with Cotton, Marsh, Manhart, Wardyn, recorded a school-record 118 tackles last season (8.5 TFL) and leads a young linebacking corps. He'll be joined in the starting lineup by Dexter Becker (SAM) and Devontay LeFlore (quick/strong safety).

While three junior safeties -- Dillon Loschen (73 tackles), Greg Sherwood and Steven Burns Jr. -- return to the secondary, there will be three new faces at corner.

The trio consists of LeBeaux Cooper, Shai Harris and Famous McKinnon, all transfers. Another newcomer is junior safety Jonas Clark, who attended the same high school in Miami (Booker T. Washington) as McKinnon.

True sophomore Damien Wilson, junior Tyler Tingelhoff and senior Traysean Alexander all saw action at this position last fall. Wilson shed his redshirt prior to last year's game at Northwest and saw extensive action vs. the Bearcats.

On special teams, true freshman Brendan Wentling likely will be UNK's new kicker.

The Washburn Ichabods visit Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field on Thursday, September 11th, for Kearney's 2014 home opener.

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