Kearney, Neb. - The Nebraska-Kearney football team recently completed spring workouts in preparation for the upcoming 2010 season.

Starting on March 22nd, the Lopers worked out 15 times, culminating with a final practice on April 15th. The team will next meet officially on August 7th to start fall camp.

Head coach Darrell Morris will have to replace 13 starters off last year's 11-2 RMAC Championship team with the main focus being on the offensive line and defensive secondary.

UNK does have plenty of talented coming back from a squad that was ranked 8th in the final Division II poll. Running back Rustin Dring (Kearney) and receiver/returner Kyle Kaiser (Broomfield, Colo.) each earned All-Americans last fall while defensive tackle Josh Rohde and defensive end Mason Brodine (Elm Creek) made at least one All-Region team.

Up front, gone via graduation is a pair for four-year starters in Jack Hiett (center) and Kyle Davison (left tackle) and three-year starter Matt Goldenstein (right guard). Super sub Jake McGlade, who could play any position along the line, also is gone.

Returning to the lineup are right tackle Orion Matthies (Overton) and left guard Stephen Goodin (Hastings), both All-RMAC performers in 2009.

The secondary loses safeties Pat Ackerman and Jake Mandelko and corners Mike Neal and Ozzie Smith. Each was a multi-year starter who earned at least one All-RMAC honor in his career.

“Last year, the offensive line kind of led the show for us. “Things will flip a bit this year as we're very excited about our front seven on defense,” said Morris.

The Lopers have likely replaced Davison as senior Adam Drudik (Adams Central) will slide over a few feet from tight end. An All-RMAC performer, Drudik started several games last fall when Davison was battling injuries.

“We won several games last year with Adam at tackle. He still has to learn some nuisances of the position but he is athletic and aggressive,” said Morris. “The move also came along because of what we have at tight end. (Junior) Dane Rudeen and players like Brett (Klein), Aaron (Ruppert) and Luke (Curtis) showed they can handle things.”

Redshirt freshman Joe Vetrovsky (McCook) is among the candidates to try and replace Hiett, the 2009 Division II Center of the Year. The right guard starting spot is wide open with junior college transfer Matt Anderson (Prescott, Ariz.) and sophomore Nate Bryan (Katy, Texas) among those in the mix.

“We have huge shoes to fill at center. Joe is a bigger guy then Jack so, if he is the starter, we cannot ask him to do the same kinds of things Jack did,” said Morris. “We're still looking for someone at right guard. And, because of some minor injuries, we never got a chance to see the entire line play together this spring.”

Regardless who starts in the secondary, UNK will be inexperienced at both spots.

Junior Mickeal Butierres (Colorado Springs) and sophomore Trevor Toteve (Arvada, Colo.) have been backups at corner with Butierres missing most of last fall due to injury. Freshman Kenny Hill (San Diego, Calif.) transferred to UNK in January after spending last fall at Grossmont College and will be one of several newcomers to vie for a starting spot at corner.

“We have a lot of good football players that need to be replaced there and we are working on it. Our young guys will need to continue to work over the summer and through fall camp,” said Morris. “Our defense led the nation in sacks last year and that kind of pressure should help the secondary.”

Sophomores Brayton Maier (Cimarron, Kan.) and Pete Kropp (Grand Island) backed up Ackerman and Mandelko at safety. Hastings High graduate Adam Lehner, after a stint in the military, is another option and has been with the team since January.

UNK's stout front seven includes Brodine and Rohde, a pair of fifth-year seniors, and linebackers Ethan Kuhlmann (Athol, Kans.) and Jay Kropp (Grand Island). These are the returning starters off a unit that gave up just 18.1 points per game in 2009.

“Josh is a great player for us and made some really nice plays this spring. He is fast, aggressive and we can put him in a lot of different spots where it's hard for the opposition to block him,” said Morris. “Mason is very athletic, moves well and has a good understanding of what an offense is trying to do. He can diagnose a play and get where he needs to be.”

In other areas, UNK is still searching for a backup to All-RMAC quarterback Jake Spitzlberger (Lakewood, Colo.). Bobby Adamson, who was the starter for the first two games of the 2008 season before giving way to Spitzlberger, is transferring to NAIA Ottawa University (Kan.) in a bid to be that schools' starting QB.

Sophomores-to-be Nick Cooley (Morrill) and Justin Drudik (Adams Central), younger brother of Adam, are in the mix but also could move to receiver. The Lopers might bring in another QB this summer with the other options being a trio of true freshmen.

At receiver, redshirt freshmen Matt Berry and Dillon Goltl, both from McCook, had solid springs, as did sophomore back Alex Hutchinson (Stapleton). He joined the team in January after spending time at Colorado Mines.

Behind Dring, who rushed for a school-record 1,648 yards last fall despite missing almost two full games, is Hutchinson and veterans Riley Newcomer (Morrison, Colo.), Ryan Skogg (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Zach Horan (Centennial, Colo.). This trio has combined for 1,184 yards and 17 TD's over the past two seasons.

“In our offensive skill positions, we are in pretty good shape and tried to refine some things. Jake still needs to get better and continue to work to understand our offense,” said Morris. “Matt and Dillon are coming along, we've moved Brendan (Liess) even more out on the perimeter and Alex (Hutchinson) proved to be a nice find.”

While UNK loses Tyrone Hilton to graduation, the rest of the receiving corps is back. Juniors Eli Hammond (Colo. Springs) and Shane Carraher (Franklin) will join Kaiser and Liess, a pair of fifth year seniors, to form an experienced foursome.

On special teams, UNK will have a true freshmen kicker as record-setting Jordan Alegria has graduated. The competition to continue the Lopers long tradition of place kicking will be between Nic Stoll (Maryville, Kan.) and Michael Gruber (El Cajon, Calif.).

At punter, second-year senior Brennan Johnson (Big Springs) returns after taking over the job late last fall. He spent several years on the UNK campus as a student before walking on to the team last year.

“Brennan punted very well this spring. At kicker, we won't know what we have until the fall,” said Morris.

Once challenge UNK will face in 2010 is a schedule that features road games at Nebraska-Omaha, Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines. Each won at least seven games in 2009 but lost when they came to Kearney.

“In the years that we've won the RMAC, we managed to stay healthy and also had a favorable schedule,” said Morris. “It's no doubt easier to play at home but we've been a good road team in the past and will have to be again this season.”