Ten UNI Panthers earn Missouri Valley Football Conference Honors
The UNI football squad finished the season 6-6, falling to Eastern Washington in the first round of the FCS playoffs 19-9.
In the Missouri Valley Football Conference, it's not easy to win games, no matter who your team is playing. That record is better than it may seem on its face. Whether it's a perennial national champion like North Dakota State or a team who happened to be towards the bottom this season, like Illinois State, the MVFC is a blood bath.
With the level of talent on each and every team, it's not a given that anyone earns conference honors at the end of the year. Each player has to do quite a bit to stand out from the rest of the crowd.
These ten Panthers did just that.
10 UNI Football Players Earn MVFC Honors
The thing about UNI Football is that there are a ton of other guys on this 2021 team that either could have, or should have made it as well.
I mean, this defense was full of absolute beasts. When your team has guys like Riley Van Wyhe, Bryce Flater, Austin Evans, Alfonzo Lambert, Caden Houghtelling, and Korby Sander, and none of them make an All-Conference team, you know that:
1. The conference is stacked.
2. So is your team.
It seems like every year Coach Mark Farley constructs a defense that is near or at the top in the country. I realize I'm 5'9 and 155 pounds, but sweet baby Jesus I would never want to be tackled by any of these monsters.
Not to mention, the offense had receivers Quan Hampton and Sam Schnee who didn't earn a spot on one of the conference teams this season. Those are two huge snubs, especially given what Hampton did over eight games -- finishing second-best on the team with 39 receptions. Schnee came on late in the season and made a plethora of incredibly important grabs, including five scores.
Dom Williams, the leading rusher for UNI, certainly could have been in the mix for honorable mention, and Vance McShane's explosive plays were a massive part of the level of danger the Panther offense brought to the table.