KXEL Presents: The Home of the Panthers Pre-Game Podcast - October 21, 2022

Who used all the Wi-Fi?

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Bad Wi-Fi, mystery laundry piles, and a roommate who says, I'll Venmo you.

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Welcome

to the Home of the Panthers podcast produced by News Talk 1540 KXCL and presented by I'm On Communications.

Experience the I'm On Difference.

I'm Tim Harwood.

Stay tuned to this week's conversation with UNI Panther Spencer Covalier right after this from I'm On Communications.

Who used all the Wi-Fi?

Ah,

apartment life.

Bad Wi-Fi, mystery laundry piles, and a roommate who says, I'll Venmo you.

Maybe 2027 deserves an upgrade.

Coming August 2027, Four Lakes Properties introduces the brand new Union Station apartments.

Furnished, in-unit washer and dryer, internet included, a great central downtown location, one to five bedroom apartments, and no double occupancy fees.

That's less adulting and more actually enjoying where you live.

Union Station apartments, now leasing from Four Lakes Properties.

Wait, we have a washer and dryer in the apartment?

It's family weekend on campus at the University of Northern Iowa as the Panthers get set to take on the Bears of Missouri State.

We'll find out about both of those two topics in the coming minutes as we talk with Panthers senior linebacker Spencer Kuvalier.

Spencer, welcome back.

Thanks for being back with us this weekend, every week this season leading up to Panther football.

More than happy to do it, Sam.

Thank you.

Last week, Utah Tech came to UNI.

A lot of unknowns about the Trail Blazers.

They were a team that the Panthers had never seen before.

They were a team that's just transitioning to Division One.

Looks like the scouting report must have been pretty good.

A 41 to 14 win.

A pretty complete victory by the look of

it.

That's exactly right.

I thought we played pretty well on all cylinders.

Even special teams included in that with offense and defense.

We came out with a good game plan.

And I felt like we executed it to what we expected.

We're going to have those plays in there where we wish we could get back because we felt like we could have made even bigger plays.

We felt like we could have had a couple more interceptions here or there.

But getting away with the win, 41-14, like you said, is all we could ask for.

Did you get the sense as you watched the game play out in front of you that that scouting report, those tendencies that

Every game are going to be topics of discussion really we're proving pretty true and is that something that Some games isn't there you think boy, we didn't really see this.

This is not the team we expected

I felt like most things held true and you know, you know, it's really interesting actually is that I Think this is our third and we're going into our fourth game in a row where the team that we're playing

the week prior they had a bi-week and so now a lot of teams are getting you know two weeks and a whole extra week to prepare for us and so you know they can kind of install things that we may struggle with or you know attack certain weaknesses and so it's really important that we're on our P's and Q's and making sure that we you know understand

to do like a self-scouting report and so we know where our weaknesses are at, see what other teams are seeing and you know and really focus on those areas to get better and you know prevent what they may have game planned against us.

Well of course with that too those other teams then have that extra week to get healthy to shake off whatever nicks and dings they might have had from their last game.

How do you feel like the Panthers are dealing with this challenging schedule game after game and not having that bye week until still off on the horizon in the middle of November?

Yeah, it's an interesting schedule and I know we've touched on this before I work I'm pretty used to the bi-week being usually week two or three, but you know later in the season It may be a blessing in disguise, you know if we're able to make the playoffs and you know having that extra bi-week You know had closer to playoffs and maybe get some guys back Fortunately enough.

We haven't had too many injuries, you know, everybody gets banged up each week a couple guys

miss a game here there, whether it's a groin or some soft tissue stuff, but we haven't, I mean, knock on some wood, we haven't had really any, you know, catastrophic injuries to our team.

And so hopefully we continue to stay healthy and, you know, working hard as far as that goes.

We're looking back on last week's win against Utah Tech with Panther senior linebacker Spencer Covalier, 34 to seven at half.

After the season that you and I has had up to this point with a lot of close games How do you stay focused in the third and fourth quarters when the score is that one-sided?

You know it can be challenging at times But with the group of guys we have I feel like we were able to stay on task You know, I think people were motivated to score 50 points.

Yeah, it's as funny as that kind of sounds.

It's almost like It's not really a goal that we set prior to the game

However, you know having a 50 burger up there is always kind of cool and like we talked about before when we played Western Illinois We scored 51 points against them and that was the first time I think in my career that I had scored 50 points and so trying to do that twice in one season This is kind of a cool goal to try to obtain and then defensively, you know We gave up seven points in the first half and that's seven more than we would have liked and so our goal each half each quarters to Have a zero up in the board and try to you know, that's what we strive to do

Three takeaways as well.

It's another goal that has to be part of what the Panthers were hoping for.

Absolutely.

Takeaways are going to be key to our success in all honesty.

Hopefully, continue to keep on forcing takeaways.

And it helps when we're stopping them on first and 10 and second and second and long.

When we're getting them in third and long situations.

you know, maybe second and 16 after a sack or a flag or something along those lines, putting them in pressure situations and be able to apply pressure and then get a takeaway because it is what we have been trying to do as of late.

Well, last question about Utah Tech.

Let me just put on the hat from a member of another program in the Valley or a fan from another team in the Valley who looks at this and says, you know, Utah Tech, they're just transitioning to division one.

They only had one other win this season.

I want to see something more from this Panther team before I'm worried about them when they're on my team schedule.

What would you say about this performance that the Panthers had when you're talking to someone with that frame of mind?

No matter who you play, there's competition everywhere.

And whether you think there are lesser competition or there's better competition out there, well, we did what we had to do.

It shouldn't matter if it's Dixie State or North Dakota State.

We're going to go out there and try to perform to the best of our ability.

And the fact that we were able to execute the way we were, I think, shows what our team is capable of doing.

You can only play the team that shows up on game

day.

That's right.

We don't get a pick and choose.

We just play who comes.

We're talking with UNI Panther senior linebacker Spencer Kuvalier and this weekend is family weekend for the Panther football team It's the end of this long homestand for UNI so a lot of family No doubt has been there over these last few weeks But what is this weekend like based on past experience when it comes to celebrating Panther player families?

It's kind of awesome, you know, I feel like

A lot of the Panther families, at least the players' parents, I think they get along extremely well.

They have this certain chant they do before the game, and all the parents take part in it, and they love tailgating together.

You can just tell that they really enjoy it and have a really good time.

A few weeks ago, when a couple of alum came to the game, they were telling me how much fun they had at the Panther tailgate with the families and things like that, which I saw just hearing that and understanding.

How connected and you know the families are then they'll travel really well together too, you know, it's kind of awesome knowing that when we have an away game, you know, the parents are always going and so it's just a tight knit group of people that are continue to come up to the games and it's gonna make family weekend even that much more fun

and you mentioned that you mentioned that the Panther player parents and I'm sure this gets into brothers and sisters if they're around at the right age to be doing it, you know

They're hanging out together.

They're finding each other when you guys are on the road and and getting the chance to really have some bonding.

Is that do you think typical based on what you know from other players and in their experiences at other schools or even your own other experience at Iowa Central when you were playing junior college football?

Yeah, well, it's a little bit different here.

You and I

I think it may be a little bit different too, because I was central.

We had some kids that weren't necessarily in-state kids.

We had a lot of Florida kids in Kansas City and St.

Louis.

Not all their families were able to make every game.

But I feel like here at UNI, we have a lot of in-state guys, even out-of-state guys too.

But I know a lot of the in-state folks, or parents, I should say, come to our game, obviously, but then also travel really well.

And like I said, my parents have met some of their best friends.

that are my teammates' parents.

And it's not only fun for them to come and watch their sons play football, but it's also fun for them to come experience an atmosphere of college football and tailgating with a group of people that they really enjoy.

You know, a lot of families, if we're talking about the dad who was a good football player, there's a good chance that his son is going to be a pretty good football player.

He's going to have maybe the physical characteristics, but certainly he's also going to have some coaching and some insights into the game at an early age.

And I think that goes for brothers as well.

If you've got an older brother, the younger brother might be a pretty good football player.

So as you look around at all these family gatherings,

Is there a younger brother who might find their way to Cedar Falls at some point and be part of a future Panther football team?

Yeah, it's so funny that you say that too because there are, so there's a lot of dads who have played football at UNI.

You know, Logan Wolf's dad is one of them, no Abbott's dad is one of them.

Jared Brinkman's dad played here at UNI when Jared was on the team last year, but the UNI lineage, it's just funny that a lot of these kids' parents have played here in the past and so...

You know, looking forward, like I'd mentioned, Logan Wolf's old man, played here back in the day.

He's got a younger brother who's a freshman.

He's a 6-3.

I guess I can't say how big he is, but I know he threw for three touchdowns in one of their freshman games and also ran for a touchdown.

And so his name's Layton Wolf, and I'm sure he'll be on the UNI's radar before long.

That's great to have those kinds of connections, those legacies that go from generation to generation of Panther football.

We're talking with UNI senior linebacker Spencer Cuvillier and looking ahead towards the Missouri State Bears who are at the Unidome this Saturday for a game that's coming up in just over an hour.

The Bears, an interesting season, they are two and four.

like the Panthers really can't afford much when it comes to losses in terms of their playoff hopes.

So how do you compare and contrast these two teams as you size up the opponent on the other sideline?

It'll be a competitive game without a doubt.

You know, like you said, we're in similar shoes.

Can't really afford to lose a game here.

You obviously want to win as many as you possibly can.

And with them coming into Cedar Falls, you know, I think we're going to have a good game plan ready.

Like I said, so last week playing Dixie State,

Missouri State runs a similar offense.

They're a very spread team.

They run a lot of 3x1s and 2x2 formations and they like to throw the ball around.

They have an excellent quarterback.

He was there last year and it made a lot of plays for him.

I think they're second in the Missouri Valley and passing yards per game and so it'll be a great challenge at HanForce and I think we're going to be really excited to take it on.

And there are another team that's in that same situation that you already alluded to, a team that had a bye week last week.

So their last game was on October the 8th.

It was a loss to Southern Illinois, 38 to 21.

What kinds of things might you take away from that game with what you know about Southern Illinois?

Yeah.

Well, Southern Illinois is a good program too, you know.

And more and more talk about the Missouri Valley, there's a lot of good programs.

And it's just, that's what's fun about.

playing in this conference is that any given weekend, any team can win.

It doesn't really matter who you are.

You know, last year we played in Illinois and they were rated third in the country and we beat them and then South Dakota State and they were rated four and then we beat them.

Then we turned around and go to Illinois State last year speaking and then lost to them.

Like it just, it doesn't matter your record, it doesn't matter your ranking because it, I mean, everyone might as well be zero and zero or five and five.

I mean, it doesn't, it doesn't necessarily matter the record.

Any team can win any given Saturday.

We're talking with UNI Panther senior linebacker Spencer Kouvelier about today's matchup against the Bears of Missouri State who are at the Unidome game coming up.

One thing we can say about the Bears with pretty fair amount of certainty, they are a team that can score.

They were held by South Dakota State to 14 points, but they've had 21 or more against all of their other opponents and that includes the University of Arkansas.

So they're a team that can find their way into the end zone.

You mentioned their their spread offense, their willingness to throw the ball around the field.

What kinds of adjustments does that lead to for UNI for this week?

Well, last week when we played Dixie State, we played a lot of three man front and brought some pressures here and there.

And, you know, sat and covered pretty well.

I thought we're going to throw in a couple of different defenses and execute the game plan that we installed this last week.

And, you know, like I said, we're really eager to take on this challenge.

expected to be an uncharacteristically warm Saturday and does that make any difference here in late October now with an opponent that

You know, is is used to being outdoors.

They're used to warmer weather.

I know the dome is always the same temperature, but sometimes the humidity can change a little bit depending on what the weather is doing outside.

Sometimes just getting to the field if you're used to different climate is is a challenge if you're there on a really cold fall day.

This is pretty comfortable Saturday.

My favorite part is about the dome.

Every place has a home field advantage.

And you know, and sometimes when people come to the dome, the dome air is a little bit different.

I mean, and I can even tell the difference, you know,

during a fall camp, we'll go outside and practice out there for eight, nine days in a row and then have, you know, practice in the dome.

And just the air when you're breathing is just a little bit different than I can't.

It's a little drier.

It feels like, you know, like you said, like the humidity might be a little bit different.

And so the dome is our edge.

And we firmly believe that here at UNI.

So any team that comes here is going to have to play, you know, with, with, against our advantage, which is their disadvantage.

And so it's a playing any dome game is, is always a lot of fun.

Well, J.W.

Cox and Coach Scott Peterson are going to go into the details a lot more about the matchup and all the particulars.

But let me ask you about Jason Shelly, the quarterback for Missouri State.

What do you know about him and how do you slow him down?

Because he's had a really strong season for a team that, again, is two and four, but good passing yardage numbers, good touchdown to interception ratio.

What makes him

a threat when he's under center.

He's a great player.

You know, you gotta give him credit where it's due.

He's a dual threat quarterback because what he can do through the air is what he also can do on his legs.

You know, when you have that ability to make really nice passes to, and they have a really good receiving core as well, but when you're able to make some nice plays and nice passes and even extend plays by, you know, when the pocket breaks and, you know, he's running around behind the line of scrimmage and guys are still downfield trying to cover people.

It's just, it's difficult to cover people for, you know, longer than.

X amount of seconds you know and so when you when you can extend plays as a quarterback that puts more pressure on the defense and then he has that factor where he can you know cross line of scrimmage then go scramble and you know make make a couple guys miss and slide or fall forward and you know run to tune out a bounce on a third long and so just keeping him contained and trying to keep him in the box maybe bring some pressure on him will be will be a big key for this Saturday.

Spencer, thanks for being back with us again today.

And this once in a generation, a homestand coming to an end, four straight at home.

So it would be great to finish it up with Owen.

We'll wish you the best toward that end.

I appreciate it very much, Tim, hoping so too.

Thank you.

Thanks for listening to the Home of the Panthers podcast with UNI Panther Spencer Covalier, presented by Imon Communications.

Experience the Imon Difference.

Join us again before next week's UNI football game for the Home of the Panthers podcast and listen to the game live on the Home of the Panthers News Talk 1540

KXC Who used all the Wi-Fi?

Ah, apartment life.

Bad Wi-Fi, mystery laundry piles, and a roommate who says,

Wait, we have a washer and dryer in the

apartment?