UNO has a chance to build plenty of early momentum for its football season with five straight home games at Caniglia Field to open the year.

But it won’t be easy, particularly considering the first three are, in order:

• What appears to be the final game in the intrastate rivalry series with the University of Nebraska at Kearney;

• A game with only five days of preparation for Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), a Gulf South Conference team that appears to be on the rise;

• The MIAA opener with defending Division II national champion Northwest Missouri State.

“We hope that’s something we can do,” University of Nebraska at Omaha coach Pat Behrns said of building early momentum. “We’re going to try. But we have to get a football team squared away first. We’ve got a lot of younger players who haven’t been tested, but I do see a lot of potential.”

Only a handful of game times have been set. The only home time for a UNO home game that has been set is the Sept. 9 game with Ouachita, at 7 p.m.

UNO starts spring practice Tuesday.

The Mavericks-Lopers season opener will be Sept. 4, but Behrns said it’s unlikely the series will extend beyond this season since Lincoln (Mo.) returns to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association next year. UNO will play 10 league games starting in 2011, with its open date during the MIAA season in October, when UNK will be in the middle of its conference schedule.

UNO and UNK have met 37 times overall, including every season since 1982. UNO is 28-9 in the series, including 23-5 since it was resumed. However, UNK earned 31-28 victory last year in Kearney, kick-starting the Lopers’ 11-2 season that included a trip to the second round of the Division II playoffs.

A young UNO team suffered through its ups and downs before finishing in a four-way tie for second place in the MIAA and earning an invitation to the Kanza Bowl. The Mavs finished 7-5 overall, 6-3 in the MIAA.

“For the time being, I don’t know how we can do it, unless by some chance their league would change some dates that would correspond to what we would have open,” Behrns said. “It’s always been a difficult game because it’s one everyone expects us to win, and if you don’t you have to explain all year why you got beat by Kearney. But I’ll miss having the good crowd that we’d have for that game and the chance to play against so many guys who we know.”

After playing the Lopers, UNO has a Thursday night game scheduled with Ouachita Baptist. The Tigers finished 6-4 last year and, combined with a 7-3 season in 2008, have posted their only winning seasons since joining the rugged Gulf South in 2000. The GSC is considered by many to be the equivalent of the MIAA as among the best in Division II. Ouachita Baptist began its transition from the NAIA to Division II in 1995.

Ouachita has five All-GSC players, one a first-teamer, returning. The Tigers knocked off nationally-ranked traditional powers Valdosta State (Ga.) and Delta State (Miss.) as part of a 4-0 start last year and were ranked as high as No. 14 before losing four of their final six. Though Valdosta and Delta had down seasons, Behrns said Ouachita is making progress. The one-time only game came about as director of football operations Scotty Hutton scoured the country for an opponent.

“They’re a very, very skilled football team and we’ll need to see something like that,” Behrns said. “That, and playing a playoff team like Kearney the week before, will get us prepared for playing in our conference.”

Behrns said the short turnaround time is preferred for both teams, giving them extra preparation for their league openers the following week.

“You have to squeeze more things into a shorter amount of time, but it’s worth it when you look at what’s next on our schedule,” Behrns said.

After Northwest Missouri comes to town Sept. 18, the Mavs play host to Missouri Southern and Emporia State before hitting the road for the first time Oct. 9 at Washburn. The Mavs play four of their final six on the road.

Contact the writer:

444-1027, rob.white@owh.com

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