Your 2008 UNO Maverick football team
Sean Owens
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Sports
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The weather told the story from the start, with gusting winds and temperatures in the 30s. The first half showed the look of a team facing their first game-time scrimmage of the year.
Up against the frigid cold, the Mavericks were also facing a number of senior starters lost from a season ago.
The team was also without starting senior quarterback Zach Miller and starting senior running back Brian McNeill. Miller has been out all spring facing a NCAA 10-semester eligibility rule, which deems him ineligible to participate in any type of practice or team workouts. McNeill, UNO's leading rusher in 2007, has been out nursing recent shoulder surgery.
The offense looked a little out of sync at times. Not only was UNO playing without several of its starters, but also the offense was operating under its new coordinator, Aaron Keen, formerly of Division III Illinois College.
The team was led by a unit with several second- and third-string players at the helm, and it was showing.
"We'll be fine when we get some more practices during the summer," Miller said. "We have plenty of time to get the team together and get back in rhythm again."
The offense was headed by junior quarterback Greg Wunderlich, along with several new faces in the backfield. The Naperville, Ill., native led the offensive production by completing 15 of his 23 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
Wunderlich said he understands what his role is but knows that he can be called into action at any time.
"I know I can go into the game and keep the flow for the team," he said. "The new style of offense that our coordinator brings is a good fit for us. It just comes down to learning the terminology and understanding the concept a little better."
The running game showed promise on Saturday as different faces made their presence known on the field.
Robert Wesley, a 5-foot-9, 188-pound junior from Omaha, finished with 32 yards on six carries. Arsenio Richardson, a 5-foot-11, 219-pound sophomore from Mankato, Minn., led all running backs with 14 carries for 56 yards and one touchdown.
Austin Williams, a 5-foot-8, 182-pound red-shirt freshman out of Millard West High School, made a name for himself when he broke loose on a couple of runs in the second quarter. Williams finished with 23 yards on seven carries.
"The guys that are going through the spring are doing a really good job as far as getting everything tuned up," McNeill said. "I think the offensive line will step up and handle it this year as well."
The team's first touchdown of the day came in the second quarter on a seven-play, 55-yard drive that was highlighted by a 17-yard Wunderlich touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Keith Eloi.
In the second half, a 75-yard catch-and-run by 6-foot-5, 232-pound sophomore tight end Mike Higgins came up just short of the goal line. The team finished it off a play later.
Then, two more touchdowns came in the game in back-to-back fashion. Senior standout wide receiver Troy Kush highlighted his three receptions for 109 yards on the day with a 95-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Wunderlich.
That touchdown was then matched on the ensuing kickoff by another 95-yard touchdown, as senior running back John McCardle scampered down the sideline for six. McCardle, a former option quarterback at Millard North, transferred to UNO from Kansas State earlier this year.
On the kickoff return, a key block was thrown on the outside hash by red-shirt freshman tight end Casey Beck to spring McCardle to pay dirt. Beck, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound Scribner, Neb., native, showed that effort put forth in special teams can translate to even further results in an offensive series.
"I thought our offense is getting better with the new style we're putting in," Beck said. "Our defense was really good too, I thought."
Defensively, the line looked similar to the run stuffing unit of the 2007 season, despite losing three of the team's senior defensive tackles. The losses of Amp Ferg, Rob Lewis and Chris Smith didn't seem to shake the new lineup. Now led by several returning players, including 6-foot-2, 286-pound junior nose guard Zac Keller, the Maverick line kept a steady push throughout the day.
The Maverick defense defended well on third down, not allowing the offense a first down until the 9:22 mark in the second quarter of the game. Despite the loss of All-American safety Randy Kush to graduation, the team still seemed to have an attitude of toughness hovering around them at all times.
The main factor for this off-the-wall toughness is the mentality of senior linebacker Jeff Souder. Souder said he is itching for a chance at redemption after a first round exit last year, and he is hungry for competition in a new conference and a chance to graduate with a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title.
"I want to play against Northwest Missouri State now that it's even bigger, being in conference," Souder said. "I've talked to some people and the teams in the MIAA are ready for us. We have a lot of people coming back this year - we just have to go get it.
"This is my last year, so I'm ready to get out there and put it all on the line. We need to make up for last year."
The Mavericks, despite losing some great talent and leadership to graduation, managed to hold onto an abundance of senior talent and leadership for the 2008 season.
The changes this year with a new conference, new coordinators and some new players will undoubtedly call for a character-check of this year's Mavericks.
UNO's regular season will officially open on Saturday, Sep. 6, at 6 p.m., as they will host in-state rival University of Nebraska-Kearney at Caniglia Field.
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