STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point football team hopes an experienced group of returners will lead to a more consistent level of play as the Pointers look to build off last season's 7-3 record in 2015.

In 2014, UW-Stevens Point opened the season 5-0 on its way to its most wins (7) since the 2010 season. This year, the coaching staff hopes a greater level of consistency will help the Pointers improve off a 4-3 mark in the highly-competitive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).

"It's a new year but you always strive to build consistency," head coach Tom Journell said of the upcoming season. "You always want to take the next step, whether you won a championship or not. The games we lost last year were because we didn't execute like we did in our wins and programs that win championships practice consistently and have consistent systems."

UW-Stevens Point returns seven starters on both offense and defense from a team that ranked third in the WIAC in total offense (346.7 ypg) and fourth in total defense (361.5 ypg) and has the same core coaching staff back.

"With the number of guys we have coming back, you expect a level of consistency that is greater this year than last year," he said. "There are a lot of guys that have a lot of experience and understand what we're doing on offense and defense. We can't be the same as we were a year ago. That's our measuring stick."

Offensively, the Pointers return a pair of experience quarterbacks in Kyle Larson (Clayton, WI/Clayton) and Cody Nuernberg (Kewaskum, WI/Kewaskum) and both have shown improvement in camp. "Our quarterback play has impressed me," Journell commented. "Kyle and Cody both have elevated their levels of consistency because they understand the offense. Kyle has continued to execute and really understands what (offensive coordinator) Aaron Vlcko wants."

UW-Stevens Point returns its top-three wide receivers from last season in Matt Sosinsky (Princeton, WI/Princeton),Jared Pankow (Mosinee, WI/D.C. Everest) and Logan Taylor (Wausau, WI/Wausau East). Sosinsky led the WIAC in receiving yards per game (93.5) and hauled in a team-best six touchdowns on his way to Second Team All-WIAC honors.

In the backfield, the Pointers bring back De'Juan Wright, who led the team with 642 yards and five touchdowns last season. Britton Vernon (Stillman Valley, IL/Stillman Valley) and Christian Almonte (Menomonee Falls, WI/Menomonee Falls), who averaged 5.4 yards per rush last season, will also see time.

"All three of our running backs played last year and they're all good," Journell said of his backfield. "They all have different skill sets, so we'll try to take advantage of that."

Up front, UW-Stevens Point had to do some shuffling with the offensive line following the departure of three starters. Taylor Lucas (Brookfield, WI/East) and Connor Selvey (Elkhorn, WI/Elkhorn) return and will be joined by Adam Prince (Elkhorn, WI/Elkhorn Area), Tim Puralewski (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) and Adam Decker (Kronenwetter, WI/D.C. Everest).

"We are as big and athletic as we've been along the offensive line," Journell commented. "Coach (Marty) Costello has done a great job with that group of guys and it's exciting to have veterans in there. You see those guys being more confident because they understand the system better."

A defensive-minded coach himself, Journell was impressed with the offense in fall camp. "Offensively, we saw a dramatic improvement the first two days in terminology, getting aligned and going fast. Usually in camp the defense is way ahead of the offense but that wasn't the case this year."

Aaron Karlen (Edgar, WI/Edgar) headlines a group of seven returning starters on the defensive side of the ball after being named a D3football.com Third Team All-American last season. Karlen's 8.5 sacks were tied for second-most in the WIAC and he ranked second in the conference with five forced fumbles. He will be joined along the defensive line by Honorable Mention All-WIAC pick Dan Brown (Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee), Adam Wachowiak (Stevens Point, WI/SPASH) and Christian Stiehl (Black River Falls, WI/Black River Falls) after the departure of Honorable Mention All-WIAC defensive tackle Jordon Denfeld (Two Rivers, WI/Two Rivers).

"All of those guys have played a lot of football for us," Journell said about the defensive line. "Brown and Karlen will be two of the best defensive ends in the conference and in Division III. Wachowiak is a different player than he was a year ago and we've seen Stiehl's level of play increase."

The Pointers lost a pair of All-WIAC linebackers in Jake Luedtke (Sussex, WI/Sussex-Hamilton) and Bo Seibel (Kewaskum, WI/Kewaskum). John Kontowicz (Menomonee Falls, WI/Menomonee Falls) is back after ranking third on the team and tied for ninth in the WIAC with 68 tackles a year ago. Justin Dentici (Waukesha, WI/Catholic Memorial) and Brad Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, WI/Assumption) will step into starting roles this season and Journell is excited about the trio.

"Kontowicz does everything right from alignment to coverage to blitzing," he commented. "You don't know Dentici's name but he really has a flash on the field and is a really good tackler. Birkhauser is really, really solid and understands the whole game."

In the defensive backfield, UW-Stevens Point brings back three starters in Second Team All-WIAC selection Deion Jones (Racine, WI/Horlick), who led the WIAC with seven interceptions last season, Mike Longmeyer (Manitowoc, WI/Lincoln) and Matt Gaffney (Menasha, WI/Menasha). Longmeyer will move from corner to safety and will pair with Gaffney, while AJ Harris (St. Petersburg, FL/St. Petersburg) will man the other corner. The Pointers' secondary finished the regular season with the second-most interceptions (22) of any team in the country last season.

"Deion is a physical corner and you don't see guys like him in Division III," Journell said. "We have four corners right now that can all play and when you play our defense, it starts there. I think the move to safety best suits Mike and the strong safety spot more suits Matt's abilities."

Kicker Jesse VerVelde leads the special teams returners after connecting on 10-of-13 field goals last season. The 10 made field goals tied for the WIAC lead.

UW-Stevens Point opens its schedule at Albion College at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 5. After a bye week, the Pointers will host Coe on Sept. 19 for the team's Pink Game and Spud Bowl. UWSP concludes its non-conference schedule at first-year program Finlandia prior to opening WIAC play.

"Albion is a really good team and they have everybody back, so it's going to be a battle," Journell said of the opener. "Coe is looking to come in here and get some revenge. I don't know much about Finlandia but it's a really good non-conference schedule. We play two teams that are competing in their leagues for national playoff spots and that's what you want."

With a veteran-laden team, Journell hopes his team can take the next step this season. "Any time you have over 40 juniors and seniors back in this conference, you have a chance to do something special," he commented. "We also have a really good recruiting class that has come in and made us better, so if you're a junior or senior, there's someone nipping at your heels."