2011 Season Preview; In their final year in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Nebraska-Kearney football team will try and continue a winning pace that has seen it go 27-8 over the last three years. Head coach Darrell Morris has plenty back from a 2010 team that finished the year ranked 23rd nationally and lost only two games, both in overtime. The RMAC head coaches picked the Lopers to win the regular season title as UNK tallied 13 points and six first place votes. Colorado School of Mines, which shared the 2010 title with Kearney, and upstart Colorado State-Pueblo, tied for second at 22 points a piece. A veteran offense, with seven returning starters, will be led by fifth-year senior quarterback Jake Spitzlberger. The Colorado native has started 33 straight games, going 27-6 during that stretch, and racked up over 7,800 yards of total offense with 82 touchdowns (59 passing and 23 rushing). Junior Kevin Romero (Hawthorne, Calif.) will again be the backup with redshirt freshman Davis Brendel (Denver, Colo.) and true freshmen Aric Kaiser (Broomfield, Colo.) and Chris Tyler (Omaha North) being the young signal callers. Spitzlberger and the other QB's will hand the ball off to team co-captain and fourth-year senior Rustin Dring, who has a chance to become UNK’s all-time leading rusher. The 2009 RMAC Offensive Player of the Year was limited by injuries last season but still averaged over 135 yards per game and needs 1,576 yards to break Mike Miller’s record of 4,818. Dring is also threat to catch the ball with 57 career receptions for 535  yards. He will be backed up by senior Riley Newcomer (Morrison, Colo.) and sophomore Shad Bride (St. Johns, Ariz.), who played the last two years at FCS-member Northern Arizona.  Newcomer has endured several injuries as a Loper but earned All-RMAC honors in 2008. Bride set numerous Arizona prep rushing records and joins redshirt freshman Cody Anthony (Alliance) as the new ball carriers. Up front, tackles Adam Drudik and Orion Matthies must be replaced but UNK gets a big boost with the return of Stephen Goodin. A 2010 and 2011 Preseason All-RMAC selection, the Hastings native missed last fall due to injury but is now healthy and will likely start at one of the tackle spots. Returning starters include center Parker Jolly (Ft. Collins, Colo.) and guards Matt Anderson (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Nate Bryan (Katy, Texas) with senior guard Dion Wilson (Fresno, Calif.) and senior tackle Andy Keirns (Loveland, Colo.) being two more experienced players. Finally, redshirt freshmen Cole Manhart (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Pete Trausch (Minden) and Cody Wheeler (Frederick, Colo.) are expected to contribute in their first years. Also back on offense is senior tight end Dane Rudeen (Overton) and senior receivers Eli Hammond (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Shane Carraher (Franklin) and Matt Turco (Lincoln North Star). Carraher, like Dring and Newcomer, has fought to stay healthy and likely won't suit up for a game until late September. Besides Kyle Kaiser, UNK must replace versatile Brendan Liess at receiver. Hammond and Carraher are the two most experienced players at this position, each having 30 plus career catches, with transfers Josh Crowell (Morningside), Tommy Flanagan (U. of South Dakota), Dillon Schrodt (U. of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Aromous Robinson (Colorado State-Pueblo) in-line to help out. Former QB’s Nick Cooley (Morrill), Justin Drudik (Juniata) and Zach Thenell (Lakewood, Colo.) are also here with McCook sophomores Matt Berry and Dillon Golt two of UNK’s top reserve receivers last season. Finally in the passing game, Rudeen and sophomore Brett Klein (Scottsbluff) combined for nine catches in 2010 with UNO transfer Kalvin Zoucha (Albion) one of four other tight ends on the roster. Defensively, eight starters return but the team must replace 2010 leaders Mason Brodine (end), Josh Rohde (tackle) and Jay Kropp (outside linebacker). Brodine left as the schools all-time leader in sacks (23.5), Rohde is third in career tackles for loss (43.0) and Kropp was a two-year starter. A now veteran secondary is led by all-region performers Sam Kuck (free safety) and Arthur Hobbs (corner).  Sophomore Kenny Hill (San Diego, Calif.) is the other returning starting corner with junior Pete Kropp (Grand Island) holding down the box safety spot. Junior corner Trevor Toteve (Arvada, Colo.), sophomore corner Ryan Lendrum (San Diego, Calif.) and sophomore safeties Jack Douglas (Weeping Water), Brayton Maier (Cimarron, Kans.) and Daniel Rankin (Peoria, Ariz.) are the other players with experience in the secondary. UNK should be deep at inside backer as senior Josh Gaede (Hoxie, Kans.), junior college transfer Patrick Kelly (Campo, Calif.) and sophomores Rashard King (Miami Beach, Fla.) and Kellen Werner (Grand Island) all have seen game action. Those vying to replace Kropp and Mike Weaver at outside backer will be UNO transfer Trey Wilberger (Scottsbluff), sophomore Taylor Caldwell (Stanton) and redshirt freshmen Ryan Behmer (Ayr) and Riley Bonifas (Blue Hill). Along the line, seniors Cory Morten (Loomis) and Alex Paicurich (Westminster, Colo.) will man the starting end positions with junior Justin Thiel (Adams Central H.S.) being inside. All three earned All-RMAC honors last fall. Junior Luke Harl (Adams Central H.S.) and sophomores Matt Bicskei (Omaha Burke) and Sandi Stanback (Boys Town) give UNK experienced depth up front with transfers Matt Bowman (Kearney Catholic/Kansas State), Jordan Knutson (Aurora, Colo./Colorado State) and Dex Schwieger (UNO/Aurora) here as well. Finally, on special teams, the Lopers need to replace two-year starter Brennan Johnson at punter while true sophomore Michael Gruber (San Diego, Calif.) is back as kicker. Berry, with one punt return for a score, will be dangerous when he gets a chance to return the ball. Gruber made 47 of 50 PAT’s and booted seven field goals, including two game tying ones at Colorado Mines, in his first year. He also averaged 61 yards on kickoffs with 13 touchbacks