Football Team Preview: UIW
UIW Sports Information
Team Preview (PDF) | Video
The graduation of the “Forever First” recruiting class means the end of the first era of Incarnate Word football and with the move to NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference in 2013 it means there will be a lot of new faces on the roster and new opponents on the sidelines.
The Cardinals lost 25 seniors and return only 51 rushing yards and 428 receiving yards from the 2012 season, but second year head coach Larry Kennan is optimistic about the potential of the offense. “We are bigger and faster than we have been,” Kennan said. “We are not where we want to be yet, but are much improved.”
Sophomore quarterback Taylor Woods and sophomore wide receiver Brandon Yates are the only two returning skill position starters for the Cardinals. Woods started the final games of last year and went 95-of-163 for 782 yards and five touchdowns while Yates is the top returning receiver with 17 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Junior college transfer Casey Jennings is expected to have a large impact at wide receiver and will be counted on to mentor the younger receivers.
The running back position will feature a player other than Trent Rios who finished his career with 2,420 rushing yards and 4,223 all-purpose yards. The UIW coaching staff brought in five freshmen to compete for the position.
The offensive line should be the strength of the offense thanks to experience gained from last year. Devin Threat, an all-conference selection at left tackle in 2012, moves to left guard while Nathan Thompson (LT), Matt McCarthy (C), Will Mora (RG) and Horace Hayes (RT) round out the rest of the starters.
While the offense is young and unproven, the defense returns a solid unit that has been fortified with some strong newcomers. The Cardinals will line up in a 3-4 set that features an excellent line. Defensive end Robby Horton had three sacks in the spring game and has been the team’s top sack man over the past few seasons. The Cardinals are also deep at linebacker with at least two strong players at all four spots. Sophomore inside linebacker Padyn Giebler moved into a starting role midway through the season and finished the year with 43 tackles. Junior outside linebacker Nick Ginn made 44 tackles last season, including 5.0 tackles for loss and has looked extremely good during the spring.
The secondary features the most experienced player on the defense in former All-America safety Devin Haywood, but it is expected that he will be pushed by incoming freshmen Jared Ambres and Adrian Norwood. Kobie Douglas, Kielyn Lewis and Darryl Irby provide Kennan with a trio of cornerbacks that he can feel comfortable with on the field at all times. Lewis led the team with four interceptions in 2012 as a first year starter and gives the team great size on the outside.
The special teams unit is highlighted by kick returner Juan Asencio who averaged 28.1 yards per return a year ago. An anomaly in the college game, Asencio is the rare linebacker who also serves in the return game. Jake Wilcox returns as the de facto place kicker after sharing time a year ago. He was 12-of-14 on extra point attempts and made 3-of-5 field goal tries. The punting game is in safe hands with senior Emmanuel Nunez who finished seventh in NCAA Division II in 2012 with a 42.8 average and had a quarter of his punts go at least 50 yards.