UNI Football Camps - University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa

UNI Football
Offensive Coaching Staff

Bill Salmon
Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator

Highly regarded as one of UNI's best quarterbacks ever, associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator Bill Salmon has served as an assistant coach in all 33 Panther FCS playoff games in the program's history. The 2011 season will be Salmon's 25th season as a Panther assistant coach.

In 2010, Salmon led the UNI offense to a No. 9 ranking in the nation in rushing offense and No. 1 ranking in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Salmon also took over as the Panthers' running backs coach in 2010, where he oversaw the running of honorable mention all-MVFC back Carlos Anderson.

In 2009, Salmon directed the Panther offense to a Missouri Valley Football Conference-best 417.3 yards per game. UNI also topped the MVFC in passing efficiency and ranked 11th in the nation in that category. The Panthers put up 367 points on the season (33.4 per game), including seven games of 28 points or better.

Quarterback Pat Grace was the MVFC first-team selection at quarterback, tight ends Ryan Mahaffey and Schuylar Oordt were second-team honorees, and wide receiver D.J. Hord was named honorable mention under Salmon's guidance.

Salmon (SAHL-mun) rejoined the Panther staff in 2001 as associate head coach, offensive coordinator and assistant in charge of the wide receivers. Prior to his return to UNI, Salmon served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Kansas from 1997-2000. Salmon was also the running backs coach for the Jayhawks in 1999 and 2000.

"It's still UNI," he said upon his return to the Cedar Valley. "Still football. Still people I know. It's easy. This is home." Salmon is a native of Cedar Falls, a graduate of Cedar Falls High School and a UNI football alum.

Salmon started three years at quarterback (1973-75) for the Panthers and was known for his excellent throwing arm, quick release, great quickness, speed, football knowledge (he called about 75 percent of his own plays), and was superb at running the Panther veer attack. He ran as good as any running back, and was not afraid to do so.

He was a third team all-America selection and North Central Conference Offensive Player of the Year following his senior campaign when he led UNI to the NCAA Division II playoffs. He set a multitude of school records, including throwing for 4,342 regular season career yards and gaining 5,371 yards in total offense. He was drafted in the 10th round by the Minnesota Vikings, but an off-season knee injury ended his playing career.

Former UNI director of athletics and head football coach, Stan Sheriff, called Salmon "the greatest and smartest quarterback I've ever coached. He can throw the ball a mile, runs like any back and could even kick if we asked him to. I've never seen a quarterback with as much talent, confidence, poise and knowledge as Bill Salmon has. But it's his take-charge attitude and game-breaking capabilities which really makes him great."

Salmon first served as a UNI assistant from 1983-96, coaching the wide receivers and running backs. He was Farley's first appointee when he was hired at UNI as head coach.

"Trust is the number one reason," Farley said when describing why he wanted Salmon on his staff. "I was a defensive coach and I wanted someone I could turn the offense over to, and let them control that phase of the game."

In 2005, the Panthers' offense flourished and set a school record with 6,008 yards of total offense. UNI also set school marks in points scored (449), offensive plays (1,024) and first downs (298). UNI ranked No. 6 in the nation in pass efficiency, No. 31 in passing offense, No. 32 in scoring offense and No. 34 in total offense. The Panthers placed first in the Gateway in passing efficiency, fourth in pass offense, fifth in rushing offense and fifth in total offense.

The Panther offense continued to put up impressive numbers in 2006. UNI ranked No. 4 in the nation in total offense (408.3 yards/game), 8th in passing efficiency (152.45 rating), 10th in rushing offense (219.3 yards/game) and 11th in scoring (31.0 points/game). In 2006, the Panthers led the league in total offense.

In 2007, UNI led the league in total offense (457.31 yards/game) and ranked second in the league in passing efficiency (168.19 rating). The Panther offense set school records for points (469), rushing yards (2,956), rushing touchdowns (39), first downs (322) and rushing first downs (163).

The UNI offense put together one of the finest seasons ever in 2007 under Salmon. The Panthers scored 469 points to set a school record and tallied the most rushing yards (2,956) in school history.

In 2008, the Panther offense set a school record with 661 rushing attempts while earning a No. 3 seed for the FCS playoffs and racking up a school-record tying 12 victories. He tutored a pair of freshmen to the Missouri Valley Football Conference's All-Newcomer team in Jarred Herring and Josh Collins in 2008. Collins led the Panthers with 502 receiving yards and 32 catches, while Herring led the team with four touchdown receptions.

Salmon has coached 33 Panther all-conference selections, 13 all-Americans and six wide receivers who have gone on to play in the NFL, including wide receiver Dedric Ward, who was a third-round selection in the 1998 NFL draft by the New York Jets.

His wife's name is Kim. He was born Jan. 27, 1954, in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 1972, where he was an all-conference, all-district and all-state selection and a team MVP.

The Salmon File

Awards & Honors

2001 UNI Athletics Hall of Fame

Coaching Experience

2001-Present UNI Assoc. Head Coach/Offensive Coord./Wide Receivers
1998-00 Kansas Offensive Coord./Running Backs
1997-99 Kansas Offensive Coord./Tight Ends
1996 UNI Wide Receivers
1988-95 UNI Running Backs
1986-87 UNI Wide Receivers
1983-85 UNI Running Backs

Education

University of Northern Iowa (Bachelor's), 1980

Playing Experience

University of Northern Iowa, 1972-76
1974 Honorable Mention All-American, Honorable Mention All-North Central Conference
1975 North Central Conference MVP, 1st team all-conference, 3rd team All-American
Set nine school records

Personal

Born: Jan. 27, 1954, in Des Moines, Iowa
Hometown: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Family: Wife, Kim

Mario Verduzco
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach

Biomechanics, Motor Learning and Cognitive Psychology ... Affective, Psychomotor, Cognitive and Physical - the four domains of learning ... all terms and phrases used by co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco in his daily language of teaching.

Verduzco developed a Quarterback Seminar, which is widely regarded as one of the best quarterback teaching situations in the nation. Each summer, during the month of June, Verduzco employs five seperate seminar sessions, each with a maximum of eight quarterbacks to teach young men from around the country the mental and physical skills and tools required to become an effective and efficient quarterback.

When UNI head coach Mark Farley went looking for a quarterbacks coach, he could not have landed a better technician than Verduzco. Since his arrival at UNI in 2001, Verduzco has spun his magic with the Panther signal callers. In 2001, UNI true freshman quarterback Tom Petrie was named the league's Freshman of the Year and to the league's All-Newcomer team. The Panthers also benefited from the play of backup quarterback Griff Jurgens during the '01 season. Jurgens led the Panthers to a 5-1 record as the starter including a pair of playoff victories over Eastern Illinois and Maine.

After Petrie sustained a season-ending injury in the team's fourth game of the year in 2004, redshirt freshman Eric Sanders took over the role and was named the league's Freshman of the Year when it all was over. He completed 95-of-150 passes for 1,307 yards, setting a school freshman record, and seven TDs.

Under the assistance of Verduzco, Sanders developed into one of the nation's best FCS quarterbacks. Sanders finished his Panther career ranked No. 1 all-time among FCS quarterbacks with a 69.59 percent completion percentage. Sanders completed his Panthers' career as the school's all-time leader in pass completions (714) and total offense yards (9,579). Sanders finished second in the 2007 Walter Payton Award balloting.

Verduzco's teaching extended to a new quarterback in 2008 as Pat Grace took over the reins from Sanders. Grace put together a fine season through the air and on the ground. Grace passed for a team-high 2,041 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for a team-high 11 scores that earned him second team All-Conference honors - in his first year as the starting quarterback.

Not to be forgotten about in 2008 was the play of backup quarterback Zach Davis, who earned league All-Newcomer status despite only starting three games. Davis did the unthinkable as he led the Panthers to a perfect 3-0 record in three conference road starts.

In 2009, Verduzco coached Grace to first-team All-MVFC honors. Grace finished third in the voting for the league's Offensive Player of the Year after he led the conference and ranked fifth in the nation in passing efficiency. He also led the conference in total offense as a dual-threat quarterback, passing for 2,280 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for eight more scores.

In 2010, Verduzco developed Tirrell Rennie into a second-team All-MVFC quarterback. Rennie produced the first-ever 1,000-yard rushing season by a UNI signal caller. Rennie finished with 1,291 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing on the season. He also threw for 1,526 yards on the year.

Verduzco spent five years (1996-2000) working with the signal callers and as recruiting coordinator at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., the last season as head quarterbacks coach. During his tenure at Rutgers, he developed what has been described as one of the best Quarterback Schools in the country, when young players from around the country spent four days learning the skills, both mentally and physically, of quarterbacking.

His prize pupil, Rutgers quarterback Mike McMahon, quarterbacked the Detroit Lions and is a former Quarterback School participant. In total, he has coached four quarterbacks who have gone on to play in the NFL. Added to the list is UNI's Tom Petrie, who signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins in April 2005.

Verduzco himself learned the trade from the best, working under head coach Terry Shea at San Jose State and at Rutgers. Shea has moved on to coach in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and most recently with the St. Louis Rams.

Prior to being named at Rutgers, Verduzco was associate head coach, Offensive Coordinator, and quarterbacks and receivers coach at De Anza College in Cupertino, Calif., beginning in 1991, moving up to head coach from 1994-95. While coaching at De Anza, he spent time with arguably one of the best NFL coaches in history as both Bill Walsh and his mentor, Shea, conducted a private NFL quarterback camp at De Anza.

Verduzco began his coaching career at Soquel High School in 1977 before moving on to Gavilan College as Offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks and receivers coach in 1987. From 1990-91, he served as graduate coach at San Jose State before moving on to De Anza.

The cousin of former Illinois and British Columbia record-setting quarterback Jason Verduzco and uncle of former Yale quarterback Bobby Verduzco, he graduated from San Jose State in 1988 with a degree in Human Performance. He received his master's in Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology from SJSU in 1990. That's when he authored the book "Quarterbacks Born or Made? The Biomechanics of the quarterback position: An integrative approach."

Upon his appointment at UNI, Verduzco said, "I think (the Panther quarterbacks) have enjoyed having me come in. I don't know a lot of things, but I know three things - there is a God, I'm not God, and the best thing there is in the world is coaching offensive football and quarterbacks."

Farley said, "Mario coaches quarterbacks like I coach linebackers. He's real detailed. He's in-depth about angles."

Verduzco was born on May 23 in Pittsburg, Calif. His wife's name is Cate and the couple has a 16-year-old son, Charles.

The Verduzco File

Coaching Experience

2001-PresentUNIQuarterbacks
2000RutgersQuarterbacks/Recruiting Coord.
1996-99RutgersAsst. Quarterbacks/Recruiting Coord.
1994-95De Anza CollegeHead Coach
1991-93De Anza CollegeAssoc. Head Coach/Offensive Coord./Quarterbacks/Receivers
1990-91San Jose StateGraduate Assistant
1987-89Gavilan CollegeOffensive Coord./Quarterbacks/Receivers
1982-86Soquel High School (Soquel, CA)Pass Offense Coord./Quarterbacks/Receivers/Defensive Coord./Defensive Backs/Linebackers
1979-81Soquel High SchoolDefensive Coord./Defensive Backs/Linebackers
1977-78Soquel High SchoolDefensive Backs Education *San Jose State (Bachelor's Human Performance), 1988 *San Jose State (Master's Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology), 1990

Personal

Born: May 23 in Pittsburg, Calif.
Hometown: Pittsburg, Calif.
Family: Wife, Cathy; son Charles, 16

Rick Nelson
Offensive Line Coach

Rick Nelson will direct the offensive line again in 2011 after helping the Panthers rewrite the record book in recent seasons. Nelson is entering his 22nd year as an offensive line coach in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

In 2010, the UNI rushing offense ranked No. 9 in the nation and No. 1 in the MVFC. UNI's Tirrell Rennie ranked No. 16 in the nation in rushing, while Carlos Anderson ranked No. 37 in the nation.

In 2009, the Panther offense ranked 10th in the nation in scoring, 13th in total offense and 14th in rushing offense on their way to racking up 417.3 yards per game. UNI also ranked seventh in the nation and first in the MVFC in sacks allowed per game. Offensive tackle Austin Howard was recognized on the AFCA FCS All-American team under Nelson's tutelage and center Austin Steichen was named a second-team All-American by both the Sports Network and the Associated Press. In 2008, he had a pair of tackles drafted in the National Football League Draft. Chad Rinehart went in the third round to the Washington Redskins, while Brandon Keith was selected in the seventh round by the Arizona Cardinals. Under Nelson's guidance in 2007 the Panther offensive line cleared the running lanes for Corey Lewis, who set a school record with 1,513 rushing yards, while also picking up blockers and creating throwing lanes for Eric Sanders, who finished second in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award. Nelson is one of four former Panther players on this year's staff and he was re-hired by UNI in February 2000 after spending 11 years at Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. Nelson was a two-year letterman for UNI as an offensive lineman when he played from 1980-83. He received his bachelor's degree in 1984 and served as the Panthers' Strength and Conditioning coach and graduate assistant for two years before going to Garden City Community College as offensive coordinator and strength coach. The Bronc Busters placed second in the Jayhawk Conference in 1987 and captured the title in 1988. From Garden City, Nelson moved on to Gateway Conference-foe Missouri State University, serving as offensive line coach from 1989-99. He was head football coach and physical education instructor at Woodward High School in Woodward, Okla., in 1999. While playing for the Panthers, Nelson was a member of the 1984 and '85 conference championship teams which advanced to the FCS playoffs. At Missouri State, he was a member of a staff that broke 35 offensive records. He coached four Bear offensive linemen who signed with the NFL. Six of his Missouri State players were named all-American, 20 were named all-conference, four were selected Academic All-Americans, and two were named to the Gateway Conference All-Decade Team. Two of the Missouri State teams won consecutive conference titles and advanced to the FCS playoffs during his tenure. Nelson has coached nine linemen who have gone on to play in the NFL, 12 all-conference selections and four all-Americans at UNI, including Ben Deike, who was named a first-team College Sports Report.com all-American, second-team by the Associated Press and The Sports Network, in 2003. Luke Stigler was a first-team all-conference pick in 2004. Chad Rinehart was a first-team all-Gateway pick in 2005 and 2006, while Joe Lobdell was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2005 and earned second team honors in 2006. Brad Harms was an NFL free agent in 2000. Nelson received UNI's "Oil Can Award" in 1983, given by the coaches to the player showing ability, performance, attitude and leadership. As a prep at Urbandale High School, he was selected to the Iowa High School Boys Athletic Association All-State Football Team, Central Iowa All-Conference, and Urbandale's MVP in 1978. He and his wife, Jamie, have two children - Nick, 26, and Wes, 22.

The Nelson File

Coaching Experience

2000-PresentUNIOffensive Line
1999Woodward High School (Woodward, OK)Head Coach
1989-99Southwest Missouri StateOffensive Line
1986-88Garden City Community CollegeOffensive Coord./Strength and Conditioning Coach
1984-85UNIGraduate Asst./Strength and Conditioning Coach

Education

UNI (Physical Education), 1984

Playing Experience

Mid-American Nazarene 1979
UNI 1980-83
Three-year letterman
1983 Oil Can Award Recipient

Personal

Born: Dec. 5, 1960, in Council Bluffs, Iowa
Hometown: Urbandale, Iowa
Family: Wife Jamie, sons Nick, 25; Wes, 21

Dan Clark
Tight Ends Coach

Dan Clark is in his second season as the tight ends coach for the UNI Panthers.
In 2010, Clark oversaw the play of Schuylar Oordt. Oordt earned honorable mention all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors after nabbing 24 receptions and three touchdowns. Following the 2010 season, Oordt took part in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

In Clark's first year at UNI, two of his graduating tight ends signed free agent contracts in the NFL. Oordt inked a deal with the St. Louis Rams, while Ryan Mahaffey signed a free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

Clark served the previous three years as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Iowa. Clark assisted with the Iowa offense. He helped the Hawkeyes to three consecutive bowl berths, including a 24-14 victory over Georgia Tech in the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl.

Clark joined the Iowa staff after serving as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Iowa Central Community College for seven seasons (2000-06). During that time Clark helped Iowa Central compile a 56-20 overall record while advancing to a junior college bowl game in six of the seven seasons. The Iowa Central football program ranks as one of the most successful community college programs in the Midwest.

Clark served as an assistant coach at Simpson College for five seasons (1996-00) after serving as a student assistant coach there in 1995. Clark helped lead Simpson to Iowa Conference titles in 1996 and 1997. Simpson posted a 10-1 record in 1996 and a 12-1 mark in 1997, advancing to the NCAA Division III semi-finals in 1997.

Clark was a four-year member of the Simpson College football team as an undergraduate (1991-94) and was the starting quarterback in his final three seasons. He also played baseball at Simpson for four seasons.

Clark attended Twin Rivers High School (Livermore, Iowa) as a prep, earning all-state honors while leading his team to the state playoffs in his final three seasons.

His brother Derrik played football at Iowa State University and his brother Dallas was an All-American tight end for the Iowa Hawkeyes, who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts.

Dan is a member of the American Football Coaches Association and the Iowa High School Football Association.

Clark earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Simpson College in 1995 and is pursuing a master's degree in Sports Management.

Dan was born Nov. 17, 1972, in Sioux Falls, S.D.. He and his wife, Kristin, have three children, Drew, Paetyn and Jace.

Eric Sanders
Running Backs

Eric Sanders is entering his second season as an assistant for the UNI Panthers following a stellar career as the Panthers' quarterback from 2004-2007. Sanders will take over as the running backs coach in 2011.

In 2010, Sanders served as an assistant wide receivers coach under another former Panther in Dedric Ward.

After earning his degree in business administration from UNI in 2008, Sanders joined the coaching staff at Syracuse University as a graduate assistant coach in 2008 and 2009. At Syracuse he assisted the offense and worked primarily with the quarterbacks. While with the Orange, he worked under head coaches Greg Robinson and Doug Marrone.

Sanders spent a week learning about the National Football League in 2009 when he was able to attend the New Orleans Saints Organized Team Activities (OTAs). During that week with the Saints he had an hour-long one-on-one session with Saints' quarterback Drew Brees.

As a quarterback for the Panthers from 2004-2007, Sanders guided UNI to a record of 35-9 as a starter. He led the Panthers to 12 fourth-quarter or overtime victories in his career.

He capped his playing career in 2007 as he led the Panthers to a perfect 12-0 regular season and No. 1 national ranking. Sanders was the runner-up in the 2007 Walter Payton Award balloting.

Sanders, who hails from Oelwein, Iowa, holds the FCS career record for completion percentage (69.59 percent).

Walter Payton Award Runner-Up - 2007
Gateway Offensive Player of the Year - 2007
Third Team All-American by Associated Press - 2007
Honorable Mention All-American by The Sports Network - 2007
Second Team All-American by CollegeSportsReport.com - 2005
First Team All-Gateway - 2007
Second Team All-Gateway - 2005, 2006
Gateway Freshman of the Year - 2004

Panther Point: Led the Panthers to 12 fourth-quarter/overtime victories in his career ... posted a 35-9 mark as a starter ... set the FCS career record for completion percentage (69.59 percent) ... threw one interception in his final 139 pass attempts ... joined the program as a walk-on - just like his head coach Mark Farley ... totaled an FCS-best 1,113 passing yards in the 2005 NCAA FCS playoffs on 87-of-127 passing, which included seven touchdowns.

2007: Served as a team captain for the second consecutive season ... an honorable mention preseason pick on the All-Gateway squad ... passed for 295 yards on 24-of-31 attempts in a 41-14 victory over Minnesota State, Mankato (8/30) ... accounted for all three touchdowns in a 24-13 win over Iowa State (9/8) ... threw for 180 yards on 23-of-29 passing including a pair of scores to Johnny Gray and Victor Williams as well as running for an 8-yard touchdown in the victory over the Cyclones ... connected on 27-of-32 passes for 330 yards in leading UNI to a 31-17 win at South Dakota State (9/15) ... hit on 19 consecutive passes against the Jackrabbits - one away from the FCS record ... passed for 167 yards and a touchdown as well as ran for 30 yards and a touchdown in a 45-7 win at Drake (9/22) ... led the Panthers to a 23-13 road win over No. 16-ranked Illinois State ... his 5-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Allen at 5:17 of the gave UNI a 20-13 lead ... guided the Panthers to a 30-24 win over No. 7-ranked Southern Illinois (10/13) with 253 passing yards and a touchdown ... completed all eight passes he threw for 93 yards and a touchdown, while running for two others scores in leading UNI to a 42-3 road win against Western Illinois (10/20) ... notched his 11th fourth quarter victory by leading the Panthers to 14 fourth-quarter points in a 14-13 win over No. 20-ranked Youngstown State (10/27) ... his 28-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Gray ignited the Panthers' fourth-quarter rally ... was responsible for three touchdowns in leading UNI to a 38-17 Gateway clinching victory at Missouri State (11/3) ... passed for 199 yards and two scores, including a 43-yarder to Johnny Gray and a 4-yarder to Schuylar Oordt ... also scored from a yard out on fourth-and-1 on a naked bootleg to provide UNI a two-touchdown cushion at 31-17 in the third quarter ... played only 1 1/2 quarters in a 68-14 win over Indiana State (11/10) ... passed for 178 yards on 9-of-11 passing, including two touchdowns against the Sycamores ... tallied his 12th career fourth quarter/overtime victory in a 38-35 win over New Hampshire (11/24) in the first round of the NCAA FCS playoffs ... hooked up with Montari Leonard on a 24-yard touchdown pass with only seven seconds left to defeat New Hampshire ... passed for 314 yards on 27-of-36 passing against the Wildcats ... passed for 291 yards and a TD against Delaware (12/1).

2006: Started all 11 games at quarterback ... named one of five captains entering fall camp ... second-team all-Gateway Football Conference selection at quarterback ... ranked No. 11 in the nation in passing efficiency (147.37) ... ranked No. 46 in the nation in total offense per game (195.0) ... connected on 20-of-25 passing for 198 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers' 48-7 win at Drake (8/31) ... passed for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-31 loss at home to North Dakota (9/9) ... went 9-of-12 passing and tossed a touchdown pass in a 27-17 win over SDSU (9/16) ... started the Iowa State (9/30) game by completing his first 12 pass attempts ... finished the Iowa State game 23-of-29 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown ... surpassed the 5,000-yard passing mark in a 38-7 win over Missouri State (10/7) ... tossed two touchdowns on 10-of-14 passing against the Bears ... rushed for a season-high 70 yards on six carries and had a rushing score in a 34-14 win at Indiana State (10/14) ... passed for a season-high 291 yards in a 31-23 win at No. 5-ranked Youngstown State (10/21) ... hooked up for three touchdown passes with Johnny Gray (6, 15, 70) against the Penguins ... rallied the Panthers with 21 fourth-quarter points to defeat Western Kentucky (11/4), 31-20 ... his 56-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Allen with 5:03 left in the game gave UNI a 24-20 lead, which it never relinquished ... passed for 204 yards and a touchdown at Southern Illinois (11/11) ... connected on only 6-of-9 passing for 98 yards and a touchdown but led the UNI offense to 413 total yards in a 38-27 victory over No. 6-ranked Illinois State (11/18).

2005: Started 13 games at quarterback ... suffered an ankle injury in first half vs. Missouri State (10/8) and missed the next two games against Indiana State (10/15) and Illinois State (10/22) ... second-team All-America choice by CollegeSportsReport.com ... earned second-team all-Gateway honors ... led the Gateway and ranked No. 5 in the nation in passing efficiency (168.25) ... led the Gateway with 23 touchdown passes ... ranked No. 30 in the nation in total offense (231.38 yards/game)began the season by passing for 289 yards and three touchdowns on 14-of-17 passing in a 52-17 win over Drake (9/1) ... tossed three touchdowns and passed for 311 yards on 12-of-14 passing in a 49-14 win over Minnesota-Duluth (9/10) ... threw three more touchdown passes on 19-of-29 overall passing for 263 yards at Iowa (9/17) ... threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-24 win at Western Illinois (10/1) ... rushed for a season-high 85 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown scamper against the Leathernecks ... bounced back from his injured ankle by helping the Panthers to a 21-7 win over No. 11-ranked Youngstown State (10/29) ... knocked off No. 6-ranked Western Kentucky (11/5) in double-overtime with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Justin Surrency ... helped clinch the Gateway Conference title with a come-from-behind 25-24 win over Southern Illinois (11/12) with three fourth-quarter scoring drives (12-62, 7-76, 8-79) ... passed for 272 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-33 passing against the Salukis ... hooked up with Jamie Goodwin for the game-winning 35-yard touchdown pass on a 4th-and-2 with 2:04 remaining in the game ... outgunned Walter Payton Award winner Erik Meyer of Eastern Washington (11/26) in the first round of the NCAA FCS playoffs as Sanders passed for 330 yards and two touchdowns ... UNI trailed 38-24 with less than 10 minutes to go before Sanders led three scoring drives to clinch the 41-38 victory ... guided the Panthers to a 24-21 victory over No. 1-ranked New Hampshire (12/3) in the I-AA quarterfinals by passing for 185 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to running back David Horne that put UNI up 14-0 early in the second quarter ... continued his heroics in the NCAA semifinals with a 40-37 overtime win at No. 4-ranked Texas State ... he began the game on fire by connecting on his first nine passes for 200 yards and a touchdown ... with 5:01 remaining in the game and the Panthers trailing 37-29, Sanders guided the squad to a 10-play 72-yard touchdown drive ... but still in need of a two-point conversion to tie the game, Sanders rolled right and lofted a pass into the back of the end zone that was snared by Surrency to knot the game at 37-37 with 1:27 left ... he earned I-AA.org All-Star honors and was named the national Offensive Player of the Week by Don Hansen's Football Gazette for his efforts against Texas State ... named preseason second team all-Gateway by I-AA.org, ranked the second-best quarterback in the league ... selected the 13th-best QB in FCS by Matt Dougherty of The Sports Network to begin the season.

2004: Played in nine games and started the last seven after the loss of Tom Petrie to injury ... became just the second freshman dating back to at least 1949 to start for the Panthers ... completed 95-of-150 passes for 1,307 yards and 15 TDs with just five interceptions ... long pass of 74 yards ... season-best 14-of-17 passes for 232 yards vs. Missouri State ... rushed 56 times for 171 yards and three TDs ... long run of 21 yards ... set a school freshman record for passing yards in a season ... finished the season ranked third in the nation in passing efficiency (162.86) and 71st in total offense ... finished the season in eighth place in the Gateway for passing average per game, seventh in total offense and second in pass efficiency ... named Gateway Offensive Player of the Week following the Indiana State game when he completed 11-of-15 passes for 174 yards and four TDs ... named to the Gateway All-Newcomer Team ... selected Gateway Freshman of the Year.

2003: Redshirted.

High School: 2002 first-team Des Moines Register Class 3-A all-state ... Class 3-A Des Moines Register first-team all-state in basketball ... passed for state-record 2,916 yards, 32 TDs and ran for 748 yards and 16 TDs ... averaged 22 points and six assists in basketball ... also played shortstop and was a two-time first team choice by the Iowa Newspaper Association ... hit .532 during the regular season with 14 extra-base hits, including three home runs ... scored 38 runs, drove home 25 and struck out just five times in 77 at bats ... member of National Honor Society ... four-year honor roll student ... member of DECA and band ... high school coach: Jim Yokas.

Personal: Born Sept. 24, 1984, in Oelwein, Iowa ... son of Steve and Barb Sanders ... majoring in business ... nicknamed "Junior" ... coaches eighth and ninth grade baseball during the summer ... enjoys playing poker, video games and golf.