UNI Football Team Facing Unique Challenges [Video]

With three weeks to go before the UNI Panthers open their 2015 football season, Head Coach Mark Farley and his staff have plenty of work to get done.

UNI enters the 2015 season with some unique challenges as they prepare to play one of the toughest schedules in program history. Coming off a 9-5 campaign that featured a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearance in 2014, the Panthers are working to develop a no-huddle offense under the leadership of a staff that features five new assistant coaches.

Adding to the challenge, is the need to fill several key positions with new starters on both sides of the ball. Quarterback is one of the spots where there's a void.

According to Farley, four candidates are in the mix to run the no-huddle attack -- junior Sawyer Kollmorgan (Jenks, Okla.), UNI's primary signal-caller in 2013; redshirt freshman Eli Dunne (Grinnell, Iowa); Hutchinson Community College transfer Dalton Demos (St. Louis, Mo.) and Aaron Bailey (Bollingbrook, Ill).

The top contenders to replace All-American runningback David Johnson are Tyvus Smith (Davenport, Iowa), Rutgers transfer Savon Huggins (Jackson, N.J.) and Darrian Miller (Blue Springs, Mo.).

Despite the uncertainty facing UNI this year, the Panthers return 14 starters from 2014. The Panthers are preparing for their 15th season-opener under Farley, who enters the year with a 120-56 overall record. He is nine victories away from becoming UNI's winningest coach, a destiction currently held by the late Stan Sheriff.

The Panthers open their season against the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames on Sept. 5.

UNI held its annual media day for the football team on Friday (Aug. 14, 2015). Click the video below to watch Farley's news conference.