Tag: Northern Iowa

A closer look at Nebraska’s victory over Northern Iowa

Take a closer look at Nebraska’s victory over Northern Iowa!

The Nebraska Cornhuskers improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating Northern Iowa 34-3. This is the first time the Huskers are 3-0 after their non-conference schedule since the 2016 season.

Head coach Matt Rhule was asked after the game about what he’s loved and hated after the first quarter of the season.

“I like being 3 and 0. There’s nothing that I hate. We are just going to get better each week. We start Big Ten play. I refer to this as the preseason. In my mind we are learning how to win. I told our team, the narrative of losing close games comes from when you get the lead, not trying to put the game away. The questions I get asked a lot of, ‘Why don’t you do more of this in the second half… that led to a lot of close losses.’ We want to score, get a lead, play defense and run the football. Then I want everyone to say why are you so boring in the fourth quarter and then we win. I want to make sure my team hears that.”

Nebraska will now prepare for their Big Ten opener when Illinois comes to Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT, and the game can be seen on Fox.

Find a photo gallery of Nebraska’s victory below.

Expert score prediction: Nebraska v. Northern Iowa

Who will win on Saturday evening?!

The No. 24 Huskers conclude their non-conference portion of their season Saturday night against FCS foe Northern Iowa. 

From a glance, this should be a similar outcome to UTEP. However, numerous non-Power 4 teams showed last week that anything is possible. 

The Panthers come into Lincoln with a heavy-running offense, eclipsing its passing game almost three times over with 614 yards on the ground. Quarterback Aidan Dunne, meanwhile, stands with 23 completions off 42 throws for 215 yards and three touchdowns for Northern Iowa.

The Panthers’ heavy run game faces the toughest challenge this week: Nebraska’s defense. This challenge comes after escaping St. Thomas 17-10. Northern Iowa won off a rushing touchdown from a recovery by their running back, who lost the football but still managed to score. The Panthers got in position after a fourth-down stop on Thomas’ 25-yard line.

Northern Iowa held the Tommies to 168 passing yards and 129 rushing yards. In its win over Valparaiso, the Panthers kept the Beacons to just 108 passing yards and 16 rushing yards. 

This is similar to Nebraska’s defense, which also allowed just 17 points while surrendering 72 total rushing yards and 393 passing yards through the first two games. But Colorado scored all 10 points late in the second half when Nebraska started easing its foot off the gas. Even the touchdown allowed against UTEP was due to a slip-up on one drive. 

Nebraska’s offense is well-balanced, with quarterback Dylan Raiola throwing 423 yards and three touchdowns, while the run game has 372 yards and five touchdowns. 

However, while Northern Iowa has faced two FCS schools, Nebraska is a different animal for the Panthers. With it being another Saturday night under the lights for the Huskers, this should be another big outing. 

Score Prediction: Nebraska 45, Northern Iowa 6

Trevor Penning trained with Terron Armstead this offseason

Trevor Penning trained with former Saints left tackle Terron Armstead this offseason. He says the five-time Pro Bowler taught him a thing or two:

Trevor Penning is playing with more confidence in Year 3. The New Orleans Saints offensive tackle has seen a lot of adversity since the team drafted him, losing most of his rookie year to injuries before being benched early in his sophomore campaign. Now he’s been asked to move to the right side after spending his career thus far at left tackle.

And he found a great resource to tap into while training in Frisco, Texas at Duke Manyweather’s OL Masterminds program: Terron Armstead, the longtime Saints left tackle who Penning was initially drafted to replace.

“He was kind of a mentor to me, Terron was. Having him kind of (share) his mental processing, the kind of stuff he does, definitely helps,” Penning told local media after Monday’s training camp practice.

Armstead was a home-run draft pick for the Saints back in 2013, starting 116 of the 120 games he’s played in the NFL while being honored at five Pro Bowls. He was recognized on the All-Pro second team in 2018. While he’s since left to continue his career with the Miami Dolphins, Armstead is still playing at a very high level, and it’s great to see him mentoring young pros like Penning.

He’s been there. Just like Penning, Armstead made the jump to the NFL from a smaller program at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He experienced many of the challenges that Penning has dealt with after playing college ball at Northern Iowa. So what has he worked to teach Penning?

“A lot of technique. A lot of technique,” Penning repeated. “A lot of the mental side of it, kind of like a plan, was what he was trying to help me with. Kind of develop a plan before you even get to the line of scrimmage. Kind of ‘What you’re going to do to them to not let the rusher dictate what you’re going to do?’ A more offensive approach, being the guy who sets the tone over what he’s going to do.”

And how has that work paid off? Penning said he felt encouraged when reflecting on his first five days of practice, including the first session in pads, though he’s the first to admit he has more work to do before he’ll be truly satisfied with his progress.

“There’s always work you can do. So far I feel like I’ve been a lot more comfortable, even from years past and even the spring. I think so far I’m doing some good things, obviously there’s still a ton of stuff I can improve on but I’ll take that day by day. Just keep improving every day,” Penning said.”

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Countdown to Kickoff, Day 97: Khristian Boyd is the Saints Player of the Day

Khristian Boyd is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 97 as we count down to the 2024 kickoff. The rookie defensive tackle has a great opportunity:

Khristian Boyd is your New Orleans Saints Player of Day 97 as we count down to kickoff for the 2024 season. The rookie defensive tackle has a great opportunity in front of him, but before we get to that, let’s get to know him a little better:

  • Name (Age): Khristian Boyd (24)
  • Position: Defensive tackle
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 320 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 4.63
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $839,707
  • College: Northern Iowa
  • Drafted: 199th overall in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

Boyd is making a big leap from UNI to the NFL, just like his former teammate Trevor Penning has experienced on the other side of the ball. But expectations are wildly different for him as a sixth-round pick compared to Penning as a former first rounder. All Boyd needs to focus on in 2024 is playing his role well as a run-stopper in relief of Khalen Saunders.

But what if there’s more in store for him? The Saints were too soft in the middle of Dennis Allen’s defense last season, allowing the 11th-most rushing yards per game and twice giving up 200-plus yards on the ground in divisional matchups (Week 12 to the Atlanta Falcons, Week 14 to the Carolina Panthers). The veteran players the Saints have at defensive tackle have not stopped the run well enough, so maybe Boyd can climb the depth chart.

Still, we shouldn’t put too high of expectations on the rookie. He fell so far in the draft for good reasons and we’ve seen how challenging the jump from the Missouri Valley Conference to the NFL can be with Penning. Saddling Boyd with expectations that are too heavy is doing him a disservice. For now, we’ll be happy to see how he performs at training camp and take it for there.

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What are the rookie year expectations for Saints DT Khristian Boyd?

What are realistic rookie year expectations for New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd? He has a real shot at playing right away:

The New Orleans Saints normally end up with a lesser-known defensive tackle in undrafted free agency that goes on to contribute for a few years, this time they may have found that player in the draft itself. They selected Northern Iowa’s Khristian Boyd with the No. 199 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. What should fans expect out of him as a rookie?

Strength, power, brawn and muscle are some words that come to mind when thinking of Boyd. He set a school record with 38 reps of 225 on the bench and that translates to his play style as a run stuffer. The word that doesn’t come to mind? Athleticism. Who cares, though?

He’ll be able to fight for a role immediately, but it will be one that is limited. The Saints have three guys that should be considered locks for their rotation in the middle: Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. After that it’s up for grabs. Malcolm Roach left in free agency and they will need someone to replace his production in the run game. He has the size and strength to be a nose tackle in the NFL, his speed won’t really matter.

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Khristian Boyd didn’t meet Saints’ usual athletic marks, and it may not matter

Khristian Boyd had a poor Relative Athletic Score, but it didn’t turn off the normally-picky Saints. RAS creator Kent Lee Platte explains why it’s not a problem:

New Orleans Saints fans have keyed in on some of their team’s trends in scouting college players, and there’s one metric in particular that gets discussed leading up to the NFL draft: Relative Athletic Scores.

Developed by NFL analyst Kent Lee Platte, RAS is a composite score that inputs standard testing results from the NFL Scouting Combine and college pro days, then digests that information into a single number on a 10-point scale for ease of use. It’s valuable because there are thousands of players at every position group to compare against current prospects.

To be clear, the New Orleans Saints do not use RAS in their draft evaluations. But they do have similar in-house metrics which often correlate with RAS. So if a player scores well on the RAS scale, odds are he’ll also get a high grade from the Saints’ own internal metric.

Which makes it interesting that New Orleans’ sixth-round draft pick Khristian Boyd was so far out of alignment with the Saints’ usual tendencies. He posted a below-average 4.63 Relative Athletic Score with an incomplete profile, having not run the 40 yard dash, but that’s inconsequential for a 325-pound defensive tackle.

And a low RAS isn’t a harbinger for nose tackles like Boyd. We reached out to Platte for an explanation on why he feels Boyd could be successful in spite of a poor score in the system he created.

“Just that he’s a nose tackle who tested fine for a nose tackle,” Platte told Saints Wire. “Nose tackle is kind of in its own little world, it’s not broken out from defensive tackle in my database yet, but big guys like that don’t tend to test well, so it’s not a big concern. You want size, which he has. You want strength, which he has. He’s a bit lacking in length, but he was one of the most popular players for team visits so clearly it wasn’t much of an issue for them.”

Boyd travelled around the country to meet with 16 different teams before the draft and even turned down formal visits with others because he couldn’t fit them into his crowded schedule, so as Platte said, it’s obvious that teams were not turned off by so-so measurables. When you’re tipping the scales at 6-foot-2.5 and 325 pounds while cranking out 38 reps on the 225-pound bench press, it doesn’t really matter how high you can jump or how quickly you finish the pro shuttle. If Boyd is ever asked to sprint 40 yards during a game something has gone terribly wrong. What matters most is that he has NFL size and prodigious strength, even by NFL standards.

Will Boyd enjoy success with the Saints? He has one of the clearest paths to playing as a rookie out of everyone the team added over the weekend. Nathan Shepherd, Bryan Bresee, and Khalen Saunders are ahead of him on the depth chart. It’ll be either Boyd, John Penisini, Jack Heflin, or Kyler Baugh taking the fourth spot in the rotation which Malcolm Roach vacated by signing with the Denver Broncos. That’s a great opportunity. Now he needs to seize it. If he can make an impact early on, he might push Saunders aside as the team’s primary nose tackle. But that’s easier said than done when making the leap from a small school like Northern Iowa. Just ask Trevor Penning.

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2024 Draft Grades: Saints pick DT Khristian Boyd with No. 199 overall selection

2024 Draft Grades: Saints pick DT Khristian Boyd with No. 199 overall selection

The New Orleans Saints got one of ‘their guys’ from this draft process in Northern Iowa’s Khristian Boyd with the No. 199 overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Trevor Penning’s former teammate is known for his strength. Boyd put up an insane 38 reps of 225 on the bench. He uses that strength to his advantage as a run stuffer, but that’s really all he’ll be expected to do at the next level.

Much like Penning, he plays with a high motor and is very aggressive off of the snap. He should have a rotational role as a rookie, much like the Saints usually get out of their undrafted free agents. It’s clear that they liked him, though, and didn’t want to risk losing out on him.

Grade: B+

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WATCH: Saints draft pick Khristian Boyd puts up 38 bench press reps

WATCH: New Orleans Saints draft pick Khristian Boyd puts up 38 bench press reps at Northern Iowa pro day

The New Orleans Saints have had some great picks during the 2024 NFL draft cycle, and defensive lineman Khristian Boyd is no exception. He is a high-level run blocker that they met with earlier in the offseason process for an official 30 visit. With many other teams being involved, the Saints were able to snag Boyd at No. 199 in the sixth round.

One of Boyd’s biggest positive traits is his strength, which is immediately apparent whenever you watch him play. But it is also apparent when you watch his bench press video from the UNI pro day, where he put up 38 reps of 225 and set a school record in the event. See for yourself:

Comparing this against the NFL Scouting Combine’s historical top performers, he would be tied for 18th-most bench press reps with four other players:

  • Andrew Vorhees – 2023 – OG
  • Margus Hunt – 2013 – DE
  • Marvin Austin – 2011 – DL
  • Russell Okung – 2010 – OL

While Andrew Vorhees missed his rookie season with a torn ACL, and Marvin Austin had a relatively short career in the NFL, Russell Okung was a two-time Pro Bowler as well as a long-time quality starter, and Margus Hunt stuck in the NFL for nine seasons, playing with the Saints for four games back in 2020 as well. Boyd’s career is off to a strong start, too.

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2024 NFL draft: Saints pick Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd

2024 NFL draft: New Orleans Saints pick Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, Trevor Penning’s college teammate

This was a popular pick for the New Orleans Saints in a lot of mock drafts, and it ends up being the direction they went. The Saints selected Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd at No. 199 in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, reuniting him with his former college teammate Trevor Penning.

Boyd wasn’t just popular among NFL fans. He had the second-most pre-draft meetings and visits of any prospect in this year’s class. Teams were highly intrigued by the run-stopping defensive tackle from a smaller school, and it’s easy to see why. He generated a ton of pressure on top of stonewalling opposing rushing attacks. Pro Football Focus awarded him the seventh-best grade among defensive tackles in 2023.

And he has a very clear path to getting on the field as a rookie. The Saints never signed anyone to replace the 20-ish snaps per game that Malcolm Roach averaged last season, so Boyd can step right into the rotation behind Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders. If he’s ready. He’ll have a great opportunity to lock that in at training camp this summer.

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DL Khristian Boyd could be Day 3 target for Packers

Could the Packers use one of their 8 Day 3 picks on Northern Iowa DL Khristian Boyd?

The Green Bay Packers will start Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft with eight picks at his disposal. A potential target with one of those eight picks is Khristian Boyd. 

Boyd, a three-star recruit out of Missouri finished his career at Northern Iowa with 22.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. 

Boyd’s greatest strength is his sheer natural strength. He put up 38 reps on the bench press at Northern Iowa’s Pro Day.

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“His superpower on the field is his strength and passion,” Brandon Harston, an area scout for the Hula Bowl said. “He has a great get-off and a desire to shut the run down and get to the quarterback.”       

Boyd’s calling card early in his career will be his ability to stuff the run. He’s a space eater that clogs up running lanes and eats up double teams to keep linebackers clean. He has the strength to forklift offensive linemen. While he may not always make the play he disrupts the action in the backfield. 

The Northern Iowa defensive tackle has a quick first step for a player his size (325 pounds). He can collapse the pocket with his initial quickness and power. This past season Boyd recorded 3.5 sacks and a career-high 40 pressures. While his trump card is clogging up running lanes, he has some juice as an interior pass rusher. 

“As an interior pass rusher, he is quick enough to get on the edge of the offensive lineman and make him overset and uncomfortable because he can close space quickly,” Harston said. “He also has the strength and aggressiveness to push the depth of the pocket and make the quarterback feel the pressure.”

With Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden along the interior of the defensive line, the Packers don’t have a pressing need for that position group. However, with eight picks at his disposal, Brian Gutekunst may want to add a player who could help shore up Green Bay’s run defense. 

Boyd is a powerful run defender and can disrupt the pocket as a pass-rusher. The Packers have built a solid foundation around Kenny Clark. The Northern Iowa defensive tackle could be another sturdy brick.                                        

“Getting to know Boyd at the Hula Bowl and Shrine Bowl he is a high-energy guy,” Harston said. “He’s very passionate about the game and has a chip on his shoulder to make people see him and believe in his ability. He’s an easy person to talk to and a great individual. He checks all the boxes and would be great to add to any locker room.”