Loper football team to open practices Friday

The Nebraska-Kearney football team will begin the 2008 season this Friday.

During fall camp, the team will be off on two Sundays (Aug. 17 and the Aug. 24). After the acclimatization period, the Lopers will alternate between one and two practices per day.

All practices will be at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field with the team moving to the grass practice field (across the street from the Health & Sports Center) in case of extreme heat.

Around 110 players, 64 being true freshmen or redshirt freshmen, are expected to report this week. Ninth-year head coach Darrell Morris has 33 returning letter winners that are aiming to improve upon back to-back 6-4 (5-3 RMAC) seasons.

Five of the Lopers' eight losses over the past two years have come by 10 points or less with three coming by a combined 12 points. Additionally, in 2007, UNK's four losses each came to a squad that advanced to the post season.

"That's the way the ball bounces sometimes," said Morris, who has guided his team to 55 wins in the past eight seasons. "We were in every game last year and it was just one of those deals where it wasn't our year. We've had the seasons where we won a lot of close games; 2007 wasn't one of them."

 Morris, whose team was picked to finish third in the preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference poll, will again have a stout defense and an offense that returns its entire line.

 Offensively, the Lopers will have a new starter at quarterback for a fifth straight year. Redshirt freshmen Bobby Adamson (Byers, Colo.) was a top the depth chart after spring ball and is followed closely by fellow second-year freshman Jake Spitzlberger (Lakewood, Colo.) and third-year senior Justin Arellano (Kearney High School).

 The offense will feature just two seniors but has two preseason All-RMAC players in senior receiver Eric Myrick (Jacksonville, Fla.) and junior center Jack Hiett (Arvada, Colo.).

 "The key for our offense will be at the quarterback spot and we're not really going to know how that'll work out until the season starts," Morris said. "We do have enough experience there that we will not ask the QB to win games by himself."

 Defensively, seven seniors, including All-RMAC performers Cheikh Fall, (Boys Town) and Nate Riecks (McCook), will lead a unit that has ranked among the league's elite the past few falls.

"Our experience on defense, especially early in the year and with a new QB running our offense, should be a plus," Morris said. "It's imperative we play good, solid sound defense in those first two games."

 Additionally, safety Jake Mandelko (Lexington), a fifth-year junior, returns after missing 2007 with injury while fifth year senior Dusty Loeffelholz (Amherst) is coming off a strong junior season in which he played both corner and safety.

 UNK is also blessed to have one of the betters kickers in the nation. Senior Geoff Carnahan (Kearney Catholic) has already been tabbed a first-team preseason All-American by Lindy's Magazine.

 The Lopers begin the season at home on Aug. 30 against Wayne State. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.