Smilin' Eyman makes big impact for UNI at receiver

JIM SULLIVAN, jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com | Posted: Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:00 am | (0) Comments
CEDAR FALLS - D.P. Eyman prepares for a contact sport by searching for a punch line.

Northern Iowa's senior receiver leaves the heavy metal music and game faces to his teammates. Eyman goes another way before the Panthers take the field on Saturdays, even if his approach occasionally bothers Panther co-offensive coordinator Mario Verduzco.

"I can't get too wrapped up in the drama, the anger side of football," said Eyman.

"It's … me just having fun, joking around. That's kind the way I do it. Sometimes, Verduzco gets on me a little bit about being too jovial. But I like to stay away from all the nerves. Have fun and laugh. Go make a play and laugh."

Last Saturday, Eyman laughed all the way up and down the Mondo turf at the UNI-Dome as he enjoyed a career game. Taking full advantage of some holes in the secondary coverage, the Iowa City High graduate caught nine passes for 197 yards, including a 47-yarder for a touchdown. With Eyman's help, UNI blasted South Dakota, 66-7.

Here's the punch line. When Eyman walked into the Dome Saturday, his career totals stood at eight catches, for 88 yards and a TD.

So Eyman was still smiling as he prepared for UNI's upcoming game with Saint Francis.

"I was happy with it," said Eyman.

"I was surprised a little bit, as far as how many times I got the ball in comparison with the rest of the guys. I mean, as far as being surprised that I was able to play well, that didn't surprise me too much. I just needed to get that feeling and get back in the groove of things."

Eyman came to UNI after being an all-state quarterback at Iowa City High. With the Panthers, he evolved into a purple-clad version of former Pittsburgh Steeler Kordell Stewart. Like Stewart, Eyman splits his time between quarterback and wide receiver. He still attends quarterback meetings, and he was officially Pat Grace's backup when a suspension sidelined Zach Davis for the Iowa game.

"I don't know how you describe D.P," said Grace. "He's our utility guy, I guess. You could say he can play just about any position besides offensive line."

Over his early years as a Panther, Eyman worried about staying sharp as he played only on a limited basis. He took the field more often as a junior in 2008, and then came an opening this season. When a knee injury knocked Josh Collins out for the year, Eyman stepped into a more prominent role.

"I was upset for Josh," said Eyman. "He's a great player, obviously. I enjoyed being around him and playing with him, but it kind of crept into my head that this would be an opportunity to step up and help out, hopefully the same way Josh did."

Eyman did just that against South Dakota, and he did it his way.

"He made the plays very calm," said UNI head coach Mark Farley. "He looks like he does it every day of the week. But his personality is such that he just plays. He likes to have fun. He's one of those guys where the fun part of it is why he plays the game, not because of the competitive part.

"It's nice to have on a football team, to have a balance of those kind of players."

D.P. Eyman

Position: Wide receiver

Height: 6-1

Weight: 187

Class: Senior

Hometown: Iowa City

Career highlights: A versatile athlete who can also play quarterback, Eyman enjoyed the biggest day of his college career against South Dakota. He caught nine passes for 197 yards and a touchdown.

Quote: "I like to stay away from all the nerves. Have fun and laugh. Make a play and laugh." - D.P. Eyman