CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN?
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOTBALL PREVIEW THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2012
The defending MAC champs will look to a new starting QB to direct a youthful offense, and a veteran defense to pave the way back to detroit
Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
| HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW
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Repeat champions rare in MAC Feat has been accomplished 17 times since league’s debut in ’47 Defending the Mid-American Conference championship. For Northern Illinois football, that concept remains the dangling carrot, rarefied air, uncharted territory, the next major program step. “The challenge here,” said former Huskie head coach Lee Corso in 1984, “is to do it again.” One could easily change the attribution to current-day boss Dave Doeren and the date to 2012. Do it again? Easier said than done, gentlemen. Just ask any NIU taskmaster during the Huskies’ previous 26 seasons in their two MAC tenures. Past, present or future, this league is no cakewalk. Sure, the so-called national media “experts” may not know or respect the MAC or how competitive and balanced that the league has been for decades in relative anonymity because of the geographical proximity to the Big Ten Conference. That collective media ignorance and bias belies such accomplishment. Winning the MAC once is difficult enough. But backto-back? Locally, it was an extended Cardinal-and-Black drought from the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title three-peat (1963-65) in the Howard Fletcher era until 1983. Then NIU almost goes three more decades between MAC gridiron hardware with some near misses as West Division champs and heart-breaking setbacks in the league title games (2005 & 2010) before 2011. Repeat speculation? Historically, MAC title repeaters might be rarer than a 1938 mint-condition copy of Action Comics No. 1. During the 2000s, seven different schools have captured the past 12 MAC football crowns.
Since the league’s debut in 1947, seven football programs have won consecutive MAC championships only 17 times in 65 autumns. It took the Huskies 28 years to earn their second MAC crown. Many of us thought that would transpire in 1984. What happened? To this day, I’m still not sure and I was a program “insider.” In essence, after the memorable 10-2 year, MAC title and California Bowl success, NIU “traded” head coaches (and uniforms) with Indiana. Bill Mallory left the Huskies for Bloomington and Corso, after a sabbatical from coaching in 1983, came here. Say what you want, Corso had been a Division I head coach for 14 years – 10 in the Big Ten. It was an offseason conversation with one of those Chicago media types that I expressed my biggest personal concern. After finishing No. 30 in the final Associated Press major-college poll and witnessing my alma mater gain some football “legitimacy” in 1983, absolutely the worst thing that could happen to our Huskies, perception-wise, would be to win only four games in 1984. I should’ve gone to Vegas. NIU wound up an inglorious 4-6-1 and Corso left the program after nine games, putting DeKalb in his rearview mirror to coach the USFL Orlando Renegades. Incredible, I thought. Maybe the first hint of things to come transpired in the 1984 home opener against West Texas State. I’m not one to demean an opponent, but on paper, WTSU was a lowlevel Division I-AA program and went 0-10-1 the season before. The defending MAC champion Huskies had to rally from 10-0 and 26-21 deficits, prevailing, 40-33, on a 69-yard
KORCEK’S CORNER Mike Korcek pass play in the game’s final seconds. Wow and whew. Four games into the MAC schedule, NIU was 2-1-1 and then the wheels came off. Clunk. The Huskies dropped four of their final five, producing six, seven, eight, seven, and three points in those games. The morning of the Central Michigan home finale, the Corso-to-Orlando story broke in the Chicago Tribune. Before that I had a slight idea something was developing, and Lee called me into his office at 10 a.m. to explain the situation. I never will forget being on WGN-AM radio live via telephone at kickoff with Chuck Swirsky. “Mike, can you confirm that Lee Corso is going to Orlando?” Swirsky said. “All I can say,” I replied on-air, “is that right now Lee is on our sideline coaching Northern Illinois.” Chuck was not too happy with me at the time. In later years, we both laughed about it. In postgame, Corso made the appropriate comments after being rewarded with the NIU-CMU game ball by his student-athletes. To say the least, it was an awkward situation. In retrospect, the 1980s decade was the dawn of contemporary Huskie football. Bill Mallory’s original five-year timeline for serious MAC title contention was, believe it or not, 1984. NIU had upgraded its schedule and defeated its first Big Eight (Kansas in 1983) and Big Ten (Wisconsin in 1988) opponents. NIU football made its national TV debut with the 1983 Cal Bowl appearance (ESPN and Mizlou networks) and the 1984 Supreme Court deregulation decision opened the door for regional and local college football TV.
The aforementioned NIU-West Texas State game was carried live on WLS-TV with the late Tim Weigel on play-by-play, Mike Adamle on color and Jimmy Piersall on the sidelines. The same fall, Lee Corso’s weekly 30-minute Huskie highlight show joined WLS-TV’s impressive Sunday morning lineup with the Dennis Green (Northwestern) and Mike White (Illinois) programs. By 1985, NIU entered its long-time relationship with SportsVision and its various cable successors with five Huskie football games (three live and two on taped delay). Credit former athletic director Bob Brigham for the aggressive TV push as a burgeoning mid-major in the nation’s No. 3 market. At the time, no one else in the MAC had these type of media packages. I liked Lee Corso. Still do. As an SID and a college football fan, I thoroughly have enjoyed his work on ESPN “GameDay.” For 11 months in 1984, my staff and I worked very closely with him. Remember that after 11 years as Bud Nangle’s assistant, I was a rookie head SID that fall. What more could one ask? He was congenial, cooperative and supportive. The four standing-room-only introductory mews conferences in DeKalb, Aurora, Chicago and Rockford on Jan. 17, 1984, never could be duplicated (unless NIU named Mick Jagger or maybe Alabama’s Nick Saban as its next head coach). I am not exaggerating. The guy is/was a pro. I was there and saw the media interest firsthand. And, instinctively, Lee responded with that engaging smile, the one-liners and perfect sound bytes, whether it was national, Chicago, local or student media. Which might be the issue to this day, after all these years. There still is plenty of Corso-bashing in town. I can hear the “Dog Pound” bloggers now (“[Expletive], Corso never bought a house
here.”). I understand better than most. Maybe, just maybe, in the Corso hire, the administration put the media cart before the head coaching horse. Just FYI, Corso’s NIU contract included an “out clause” for any professional job opportunity. Would you turn down a reported $450,000 upfront from the USFL in 1984 and possibly be a heartbeat from the NFL in the case of further expansion? Don’t think so. For what it’s worth, Corso has also generously contributed to both the Yordon Center and the upcoming Chessick Indoor Practice facility. That’s class. I found a 1984 NIU media guide, perused the preseason team roster, and counted 32 returning lettermen from the year before, at least 18 professional players (six NFL draft picks – Doug Bartlett, Scott Kellar, Steve O’Malley, Curt Pardridge, Todd Peat and Clarence Vaughn), plus 19 redshirt freshmen from the Mallory era. Not to mention, two 1,000-yard rushers in Pete Roth (1,008 in 1982) and Darryl Richardson (1,204 in 1983). Corso’s No. 1 recruit from his Feb. 1984, signing class? Four-year QB starter Marshall Taylor (4,167 yards total offense in 1985-88). By any standard, the Huskie cupboard was not bare. What happened in 1984? Still, not sure. But put the situation in a 1983-’84-’85 context where big-name Huskie talent such as Peat, Bartlett, Kellar, Pardridge, Vaughn all played for three different head coaches in three different schemes in three different uniforms. Continuity counts. That’s a major “plus” for Dave Doeren for 2012.
• Mike Korcek is a former NIU sports information director. His historical perspective on NIU athletics appears periodically in the Daily Chronicle. Write to him at sports@daily-chronicle.com.
On the cover The Huskies hoisted their first Mid-American Conference championship trophy since 1983 after defeating Ohio, 23-20, on Dec. 2, 2011, at Ford Field in Detroit. The team begins its quest to return to Detroit and repeat as conference champs when the 2012 season kicks off against Iowa at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago.
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Photo Illustration by Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com
Junior quarterback Jordan Lynch (left) hopes to follow in the footsteps of Northern Illinois QB greats (from left to right) Chandler Harnish (2008-11), Stacey Robinson (1988-90), Tim Tyrell (1982-84) and George Bork (1960-63).
Change under center “I always prepared as if I was the starter the past three years. The feeling’s great. I love that pressure to become the starter and guys looking up to you. I love taking that leadership role.”
Jordan Lynch NIU starting quarterback
By STEVE NITZ snitz@shawmedia.com DeKALB – It’s been awhile since Northern Illinois had a quarterback not named Chandler Harnish get consistent playing time at quarterback. From the 2008 season opener at Minnesota until the GoDaddy.com Bowl win in January, it was Harnish usually taking snaps under center for the Huskies. The man drafted by the Indianapolis Colts set numerous records with NIU and was the 2011 Mid-American Conference MVP. But last season was the end Harnish’s long, successful run as the Huskies’ signal caller. Now, it’s time for a new era. The Jordan Lynch era. “I always prepared as if I was the starter the past three years,” Lynch said. “The feeling’s great. I love that pressure to become the starter and guys looking up to you. I love taking that leadership role.” The junior has bided his time since arriving at NIU in the fall of 2009. He redshirted that first season, but was able to see the field as the team’s
Lynch replacing all-everything Harnish as Huskies’ quarterback wildcat quarterback in 2010 and 2011. In the GoDaddy.com Bowl victory over Arkansas State, he was able to lead NIU on a touchdown drive when Harnish was out with a tweaked ankle. NIU coach Dave Doeren announced Lynch as the starting QB at the beginning of spring practice, not that it was a surprise to anyone. When Lynch takes the Huskies’ first snap in Saturday’s game against Iowa at Soldier Field, he finally will be taking that next step. In his first season as NIU’s starter, Lynch not only will be inexperienced, but he’ll be dealing with inexperience on both the offensive line, which has five new starters, and at running back. One thing he does have in his back pocket is being able to learn from arguably the Huskies’ greatest quarterback ever. Lynch watched Harnish perform for three seasons. He saw the running ability, his passing and the game-winning
drives. Lynch watched from the sideline and saw how Harnish handled adversity. He was there when Harnish took over. “One of the biggest things Chandler taught me, just watching him, was when the game came down to it, he was always the guy they went to,” Lynch said. “He always capitalized. He always played within himself, you know, very humble. “In the film room he taught me a lot about defenses and everything. Chandler helped me out tremendously. I’m the player I am today because of him.” Lynch also can rely on his experience from the past two years. He’s seen the field. He’s played in a bowl game. He’s been on the grass at Soldier Field, where the Huskies will open the season. “I already know what it feels like. Just not against Iowa, but I know what it feels like in a game situation,” Lynch said. “I
thought that helped me tremendously, you know, just getting some experience on the field.” The bowl game was sort of a coming-out party for Lynch. With his team trailing, Lynch took over and led the Huskies on a 78-yard touchdown drive. The possession included a 41-yard completion to Martel Moore, and ended with Lynch scampering three yards into the end zone. Lynch’s performance gave him confidence. When he took over as the starter in spring practice, he already had showed his teammates he could play. Performing the way he did in a bowl game, Lynch also was able to earn some confidence from his head coach. “Under pressure to do what he did in a game like that, I think it says a lot about how competitive that guy is and how clutch,” Doeren said. “That’s the thing you want to know, can you do it when it’s game on? You’re losing in a big game and you want to bring us back, and he did it. That says a ton about the kid’s character, I think.”
See LYNCH, Page 5
on certain things,” Doeren said. “That’s what he’ll go through in fall camp. He’s got a great secondary to compete against every day, so that will help him with that.”
• LYNCH
Continued from Page 4 FROM ONE OFFER TO STARTER
Lynch was a star at Chicago’s Mount Carmel High School, running the tripleoption with ease. Playing for a loaded Caravan team, he averaged six yards a carry his senior season and had 15 rushing touchdowns. The Division I interest was there. Big Ten schools wanted him. There was interest from the Mountain West. Problem was, none of those programs wanted him as a quarterback. Mount Carmel only threw the ball about eight times a game, according to Lynch. The schools recruiting Lynch wanted him as either a safety or an athlete. During his junior season with the Caravan, Lynch felt he could play quarterback at a high level. But NIU was the only school that thought Lynch could be a Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback. He said former NIU coach Jerry Kill had confidence in him, and that if it didn’t work out, he was going to be an athlete. “I know some colleges were probably a little iffy whether to take me or give me a try,” Lynch said. “At the end of the day, I’m happy I ended up at Northern. I think it was a perfect fit for me.”
RUNNING ABILITY A PLUS
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com
Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch throws a pass during practice Aug. 6 at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. HE CAN THROW
Lynch didn’t even start playing quarterback until he got to high school, he was always a running back. In a triple-option offense, the quarterback basically is a running back as it is, and Lynch figured he’d give it a shot. “They needed someone. I said I’d do it,” he said. “I guess it worked out pretty good.” Lynch said the Caravan
actually threw more than they ran in practice, so he had that experience. But he still had a ways to go throwing-wise when he got to DeKalb. Two things he had to pick up on were working out of the shotgun and his fivestep drop. Over his three years on campus, Lynch’s accuracy has moved forward. His arm strength has improved and he’s gotten more comfortable. In his minimal throwing
experience, he has completed 73 percent of his passes. He hasn’t thrown a lot during games because he wasn’t asked to. The coaching staff wanted to give Harnish a break, and Lynch’s job was to run the football. Doeren said Lynch has a quick release, a strong arm and can throw the deep out. “The biggest thing quarterbacks have to learn is when they should take the risk and when shouldn’t they
Doeren isn’t shy about talking about Lynch’s running ability, either. He’s even said Lynch is a better runner than Harnish. It’s something Lynch has been comfortable doing. He’s got good vision, which he said comes naturally, and works to pick up blocking schemes when he’s watching film. “He is a really good runner. And not just because he’s fast, but he can see,” Doeren said. “He’s got vision, and he’s physical. So we just have to be smart on how much we ask him to do it.” Lynch has the legs. He’s got the arm. The junior even has a good amount of experience for someone who never has started at the college level. It may be a little awkward for fans when it’s No. 6 taking NIU’s first snap at Soldier Field and not No. 12. Odds are, Lynch isn’t going to equal or surpass Harnish’s 2011 performance. But if Lynch performs the way he and the coaches think he can, NIU shouldn’t have to worry about the quarterback position the next two seasons.
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HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
As a former prep running back, Lynch’s strength is running
A LOOK AT THE
Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
| HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW
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vs. IOWA
vs. UT-MARTIN
at ARMY
vs. KANSAS
vs. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
at BALL STATE
2:30 p.m. Saturday (Soldier Field) on ESPNU
6 p.m., Sept. 8
11 a.m., Sept. 15 CBS Sports Network
TBA, Sept. 22 ESPNU/ESPN3
2:30 p.m., Sept. 29
2 p.m., Oct. 6
Northern Illinois Running Backs
NIU ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 1 Martel Moore WR 6-0 183 Sr. 2 Sean Evans CB 5-10 174 Jr.* 3 Akeem Daniels RB 5-7 184 Jr. 4 Da’Ron Brown WR 6-0 194 So.* 5 Jamal Womble RB 5-10 246 Sr. 6 Jamaal Bass LB 5-10 225 So.* 6 Jordan Lynch QB 72 6-0 Jr.* 7 Perez Ashford WR 5-11 182 Sr. 8 Ladell Fleming LB 6-0 194 Fr. 9 Rasheen Lemon S 6-0 206 Fr.* 9 Matt McIntosh QB 6-1 197 Fr.* 10 Tommylee Lewis WR 5-7 155 So. 11 Rashaan Melvin CB 6-2 193 Sr.* 12 Drew Hare QB 6-1 200 Fr. 12 Matt Williams QB 6-1 188 Fr. 13 Charlie Miller WR 5-10 176 Fr. 14 Courtney Stephen S 6-0 194 Sr.* 15 Jimmie Ward DB 5-11 192 Jr. 16 Charles Ivory CB 6-0 160 Fr. 17 Marckie Hayes CB 5-8 176 So.* 18 Ryan Neir P 6-3 208 Sr.* 19 Johnny Eagan QB 6-0 200 Fr. 19 Demetrius Stone CB 5-10 203 Sr. 20 Keith Harris Jr. RB 5-8 181 Fr. 21 Dechane Durante S 6-2 196 So.* 22 Jamison Wells WR 5-11 193 Jr.* 23 Leighton Settle RB 5-9 199 Jr. 24 Dominique Ware CB 5-11 180 Jr.* 25 Giorgio Bowers RB 5-8 218 So.* 26 Tyler Wedel P/K 5-11 186 So. 27 Bobby Winkel LB 6-1 227 So.* 28 Jhony Faustin CB 5-8 174 Jr. 29 Paris Logan CB 5-9 179 Fr. 30 Marlon Moore CB 5-9 180 Fr. 31 Anthony Brooks CB 5-11 175 Fr. 32 Nate McNeal S 5-10 171 Jr.* 33 Tre’ Moore S 5-9 194 Fr.* 34 Conner Gavin S 5-11 197 Fr. 34 James Spencer RB 5-8 181 So.* 35 Videl Nelson LB 6-0 230 Fr.* 36 Tyrone Clark LB 5-10 219 Sr. 37 Desroy Maxwell TE 6-2 245 Fr. 38 Alex Morrow RB 5-8 194 Fr. 39 Mark Strbjak P 6-3 200 Fr. 40 Victor Jacques LB 5-11 228 Sr.* 41 Cody Hazelett LB 6-2 200 Fr. 42 Cameron Stingily RB 6-1 244 So.* 43 Jess Striedl TE 6-1 221 So.* 44 Perez Ford RB 6-0 218 Fr. 45 Boomer Mays LB 6-0 230 Fr.* 46 George Rainey DE 6-2 222 Jr.* 47 Rob Sterling FB 5-10 231 So. 48 Ricky Connors FB 6-1 246 So.* 49 Jason Meehan DE 6-1 241 So. 50 Ryan Gorrell LB 6-1 225 So.* Roster continued on Page 7
Akeem Daniels Junior • 5-7 • 184
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he Huskies have plenty of experience coming back at the receiver position. Seniors Martel Moore and Perez Ashford combined for 94 catches, 1,277 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2011. Moore saved his best for last, catching eight passes for 224 yards and a touchdown in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Sophomore Tommylee Lewis had a strong fall camp and will see consistent time at receiver. Fellow sophomore Da’Ron Brown should improve on his 24-catch, 322-yard output from a year ago. Other guys who could see some action include junior Jamison Wells and redshirt freshmen Angelo
Quarterbacks Jordan Lynch
Analysis:
Junior • 6-0 • 216
By STEVE NITZ snitz@shawmedia.com
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or the first time since 2007, Northern Illinois will have a quarterback not named Chandler Harnish as its regular starter. However, junior Jordan Lynch is a player fans have familiarity with. He’s ran the ball the past couple of years, and led the Huskies on a 78-yard touchdown drive when Harnish was injured in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The coaching staff likes his throwing ability, as well. Lynch isn’t going to be the 2011 version of Chandler Harnish, but he has the ability to be an All-Mid-American Conference quarterback. “I always prepared as if I was the starter the past three years,” Lynch said. “The feeling’s great. I love that pressure to become the starter and guys looking up to you. I love taking that leadership role.” After Lynch, there are question marks and inexperience. Redshirt freshman Matt McIntosh is the backup. After him, there’s two true freshmen – Matt Williams and Drew Hare.
Photos:
By ROB WINNER rwinner@shawmedia.com
Sebastiano and Juwan Brescacin. At tight end, Jason Schepler is back after a knee injury sidelined him for 2011. Sophomore Tim Semisch has great size (6-8, 266) and had a strong camp.
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our starters are gone from last There will be a heavy dose of freshyear’s group. The men in the unit, one returning as guards Aidan Offensive Line starter, senior Logan Conlon, Matt Killian Pegram, suffered a and center Andrew Aidan Conlon Ness all have taken lower leg fracture in Freshman • 6-3 • 287 first-team snaps. preseason practice Junior Matt Kremand is out indefinitely. Pegram was transitioning from guard pel and sophomores Tyler Loos and to center when he suffered the injury. Ryan Brown are in the mix at tackle.
Receivers Martel Moore
Senior • 6-0 • 183
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ast year was just the second season since 1999 Northern Illinois didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher at running back. Harnish ran for 1,379 yards, and tailback Jasmin Hopkins came close, rushing for 956. Hopkins is gone, and there’s a lot of inexperience in NIU’s backfield. NIU’s leading returning rusher is junior Akeem Daniels, who actually had a better yards-per-carry average (5.4) than Hopkins (5.1) last season. Daniels has gotten the majority of the first-team snaps in practice. Senior Jamal Womble and
junior Leighton Settle also should see a consistent amount of carries. Freshman Keith Harris Jr. really came on in NIU’s Aug. 18 scrim-
mage, scoring three touchdowns, and got more reps the last week of preseason practice. He also could be a back who sees some time.
E 2012 SEASON
7
at AKRON
at WESTERN MICHIGAN
vs. MASSACHUSETTS
vs. TOLEDO
at EASTERN MICHIGAN
2:30 p.m., Oct. 13
11 a.m., Oct. 20 ESPN Plus/ESPN3.com
11 a.m., Oct. 27 ESPN Plus/ESPN3.com
2:30 p.m., Nov. 3
8 p.m., Nov. 14 ESPN2/ESPNU
TBA, Nov. 23 ESPNU/ESPN3
llinois’ top dawgs T
he linebacking corps should be Devon Butler was expected to start at strong in 2011, with senior Tyrone middle linebacker, but was dismissed from Clark returning the team before fall camp from a yearlong and has transferred to Linebackers suspension at one outside Western Illinois. Senior spot and sophomore Victor Jacques started Tyrone Clark Jamaal Bass at the other. out as a first-team middle Senior • 5-10 • 219 Clark was the Huskies’ linebacker before sufferdefensive MVP in 2010, ing a leg injury. Redshirt when he had 78 tackles and four intercepfreshman Boomer Mays took over the tions. middle after Jacques’ injury.
NIU ROSTER
Defensive Line Sean Progar
Senior • 6-2 • 254
T
Defensive Backs Rashaan Melvin Senior • 6-2 • 193
Special Teams Tommylee Lewis
Sophomore • 5-7 • 155
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his unit came up big last season. There was Mathew Sims’ game-winning field goal that gave the Huskies a MAC title. Sophomore Tommylee Lewis had two huge kickoff return touchdowns in the Toledo win. Both are back. Lewis has a year of experience under his belt and will add punt returning to his duties, while Sims is coming off a season where he hit 20 of 28 field goals. Kickoff specialist Tyler Wedel’s strong leg should result in a good amount of touchbacks with kickoffs now at the 35-yard line. Senior Ryan Neir is slated to handle the punting duties.
T
here’s a lot of talent and experience here. Rashaan Melvin has had a good camp and will be NIU’s top cornerback. He tied for the team lead with three interceptions last season. Senior Demetrius Stone has been opposite Melvin on the first team during camp. At free safety, second-team allconference selection Jimmie Ward and his 100 tackles are back. Sophomore Dechane Durante, who started NIU’s final nine games as a redshirt freshman last season, will handle the strong safety spot.
• Thursday, August 30, 2012
here’s a lot of experience on the line. Seniors Sean Progar and Alan Baxter are back at defensive end and fellow senior Nabal Jefferson will be key at defensive tackle. Junior college transfer Ken Bishop should see heavy time at defensive tackle, as well. NIU rotated 10 players on the defensive line a year ago and the coaching staff plans on doing the same this season. Sophomore Jason Meehan and juniors George Rainey and Joe Windsor also are in the mix at defensive end, and true freshman Mario Jones is expected to see some time at defensive tackle.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 51 Zach Anderson DT 6-1 300 Jr.* 52 M. Santacaterina LB 5-10 210 So.* 53 Matthew Baltimore DE 6-3 230 Fr. 54 C. Clinton-Earl DE 6-1 244 Fr.* 55 Andrew Ness OL 6-3 286 Fr.* 56 Daniel Green DE 6-1 242 Sr.* 57 Cornelius Henry DT 6-0 250 So.* 57 Scott Taylor OL 6-2 295 Fr. 58 Mike Cotton LB 6-1 224 Fr. 59 Michael Gegner C 6-3 283 So.* 60 David Green DL 6-2 315 So.* 61 Aidan Conlon OL 6-3 287 Fr.* 62 Patrick Husain OL 6-7 309 Jr. 63 Larry Lloyd DT 6-0 244 So.* 64 Sal Arceo OL 6-1 292 Fr. 65 Wes Ott OL 6-3 281 So.* 66 Matt Battaglia OL 6-3 287 Sr. 66 Bobby Ramlet DS 6-3 236 Fr. 67 Tyler Pitt OL 6-5 292 So.* 68 Ron Brown OL 6-3 377 Fr. 69 Corey Thomas DT 6-2 308 Fr. 70 Logan Pegram OL 6-3 306 Sr.* 71 Levon Myers OL 6-5 267 Fr. 72 Josh Ruka OL 6-5 295 Fr. 73 Matt Killian OL 6-5 303 Fr.* 74 Dustin Adams OL 6-3 306 Fr. 75 Tyler Loos OL 6-5 282 So.* 76 Brad Steger OL 6-6 346 Fr. 77 Jared Volk OL 6-3 315 Jr.* 78 Ryan Brown OL 6-6 283 So.* 79 Matt Krempel OL 6-5 307 Jr.* 80 Jordan Gruettner P 5-11 225 Fr. 80 DeVonte’ Majors WR 6-1 237 Fr.* 81 Clayton Glasper WR 6-4 202 Fr. 82 Juwan Brescacin WR 6-4 219 Fr.* 83 Luke Eakes TE 6-3 250 So.* 84 Brian Mayer DS 6-2 205 So.* 84 Kevin Tennenbaum TE 6-3 239 Fr.* 85 Angelo Sebastiano WR 6-0 205 Fr.* 86 Jacob Brinlee WR 5-9 185 Fr. 87 Jason Schepler TE 6-2 274 Sr.* 88 Tim Semisch TE 6-8 266 So.* 89 Stephen O’Neal DE 6-3 235 Jr.* 90 Alan Baxter DE 6-0 240 Sr. 91 Anthony Wells DT 6-3 276 Jr.* 92 Mario Jones DT N/A 275 Fr. 93 Ken Bishop DT 6-1 308 Jr. 94 Donovan Gordon DT 6-0 275 So.* 95 Sean Progar DE 6-2 254 Sr.* 96 Michael Ippolito DE 6-3 259 Fr. 97 Joe Windsor DE 6-0 236 Jr. 98 Lincoln Howard TE 6-5 285 Fr. 99 Nabal Jefferson DT 6-0 287 Sr. 99 Mathew Sims K 5-9 181 Jr. * – Denotes redshirt
HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com
vs. BUFFALO
“We feel like we should have one of the best defenses in the MAC and one of the best defenses in the country. If we play like we should, our defense should be able to carry us.”
Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
| HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW
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Sean Progar
NIU senior defensive end
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Northern Illinois defensive end Sean Progar (left) goes up against Andrew Ness during practice Aug. 10 at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. Unlike last season when the inexperienced defense was the team’s biggest question mark, the unit is considered the Huskies’ strong suit heading into Saturday’s season opener against Iowa at Soldier Field.
‘D’ to spearhead title defense By ANTHONY ZILIS sports@daily-chronicle.com CHICAGO – Senior defensive end Sean Progar could tell the Northern Illinois football team was afraid to make mistakes when it played Wisconsin at Soldier Field last year. Coaches caught glimpses of players looking up at the 41,068 fans surrounding them, and the Huskies’ defenders were on their heels throughout the 49-7 loss. “We came out slow, and Wisconsin jumped on us early,” Progar said at the Aug. 19 walkthrough at Soldier Field. “We didn’t play the way we thought we
Huskies counting on experienced unit to lead the way back to Detroit would. We didn’t make plays that we knew we could make.” For the veteran offense, the poor play proved to be an aberration, but for the defense, the wide-eyed performance was all-too familiar. With several new starters on defense, the Huskies allowed more than 500 yards three times in four games early in the season, including the 621 they gave up against Wisconsin. NIU
gave up less than 26 points only twice in its first nine games. “I think as a defense, we had a new staff, we didn’t know all of our assignments down to a ‘T’,” Progar said. “You can’t play football thinking; you have to just react, and we weren’t reacting. We were just waiting for plays to happen. You can’t play defense like that.” The Huskies’ defense improved dramatically toward the end of the 2011
season, allowing more than 20 points only once in its last five games. This season, NIU returns eight defensive starters, along with 2010 defensive MVP Tyrone Clark, who was suspended last season. “When you do something for a longer period of time, it’s easier for you and there’s less thinking involved. That’s what we’re doing on defense,” coach Dave Doeren said. “We’re just playing and not thinking. The best thing I think they have going for them is that chemistry.”
See DEFENSE, Page 9
Ward: We will be ready for Iowa at Soldier Field
9
Continued from Page 8 NIU held a walkthrough at Soldier Field to prepare for its season opener against Iowa. The Huskies are confident that this year’s game in Chicago, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday, against a Big Ten team will be different. “Coming into this game last year … our defense was young, we had a new coaching staff and we really didn’t know the system that much,” safety Jimmie Ward said. “Now, we’ve got a whole year that we’ve played with their playbook. We’re really excited.” Roles are reversed this season, with the offense returning only two starters. Doeren is confident the learning curve won’t be as steep for this season’s offense as it was for the
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Northern Illinois linebacker Michael Santacaterina adjusts his helmet during practice Aug. 10 at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb. 2011 defense, because most of the players have experience working with Doeren’s coaching staff.
But some sort of learning curve is inevitable, and the defense feels ready to carry a heavy load.
“We feel like we should have one of the best defenses in the MAC and one of the best defenses in the
country,” Progar said. “If we play like we should, our defense should be able to carry us.”
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HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
• DEFENSE
Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
| HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW
10
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com
Northern Illinois kicker Mathew Sims (99) lines up to kick while holder Ryan Neir (18) waits to receive the snap during practice Aug. 6 at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
Sims knows big-game pressure By STEVE NITZ snitz@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Mathew Sims was focused. The Northern Illinois kicker took his warmup. He took a few steps back, taking a deep breath. Finally, he let the kick go. Sims had dealt with pressure spots before, but this was the biggest kick of his career. A make would give the Huskies their first Mid-American Conference championship since 1983. A miss meant Sims and the rest of the team would have to sweat out at least one overtime session. NIU’s kicker wasn’t new to a big situation. Two weeks earlier, he had two big field goals in the final three minutes in a victory against Ball State. One that tied the score and one that gave the Huskies the lead with eight seconds left. But this was the biggest game of the year. Sims didn’t disappoint, hitting a 33-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Huskies the title with a 23-20 win against Ohio at Detroit’s Ford Field.
Huskies’ title defense this season possible thanks to his clutch kicks “The kick to beat Ohio, that was probably the best feeling being a kicker,” Sims said. “Kicking the gamewinner to win your conference championship, you can’t really beat that.” Still, when Sims thinks about that game, the kick that comes to mind is the extra point he missed with 7:36 left. There was a good snap and a good hold. Sims just pushed it to the right. A routine make would have brought the Huskies within six points of the Bobcats. But with Sims’ miss, NIU wasn’t able to take the lead after Nathan Palmer’s 22-yard touchdown catch with 2:52 left. Sims had to put the missed extra point behind him, waiting for another opportunity. There wasn’t much doubt in his mind that the Huskies were going to get the ball back and score. He just had to get his mind where it needed to be and not dwell on the past.
“Just to move on,” Sims said. “Last-play mentality.” After the Ohio win, Sims would go on to make a 22-yard field goal in NIU’s GoDaddy.com Bowl win. He finished the season making 20 of 28 field goals, including 10 in a row at one point. NIU’s offense dominated in 2011. The defense started to come on as the season went along. The special teams played its part as well. Sims had those big kicks. Who can forget Tommylee Lewis’ kickoff-returning ability and his two touchdowns in the 63-60 win over Toledo? Sims’ performance was a long way from his freshman year, where he made just 2 out of 3 field goals while missing two of his six extra-point attempts. He started the year out as NIU’s kicker before losing his job to fifth-year senior Michael Cklamovski. NIU coach Dave Doeren wasn’t
really impressed with Sims at first. But by the time the season rolled on, Doeren knew his kicker was someone who could be trusted. “I didn’t have a whole lot of expectations for him, just because he lost his job the year before I got here,” Doeren said. “And he’s not a real talkative guy, so it’s kind of hard to gauge his confidence. But when we got into fall camp, he was on fire. You could tell he worked really hard all summer. And then as we got into the season, the way he was kicking the ball, and the money kicks that he made.” Sims’ confidence, something he didn’t necessarily have in 2010, got better and better as the season went on. By the time he was getting ready to kick the Huskies to a MAC title, there wasn’t much doubt the kick would go through the uprights. “My confidence just started to build throughout my entire season. I got the trust of my teammates and I got the trust of my coaches,” Sims said. “I obviously had confidence in myself. I just had to perform on the field.”
2011 SEASON BY THE NUMBERS Date Opponent Result Sept. 3 vs. Army W, 49-26 Sept. 10 at Kansas L, 45-42 Sept. 17 vs. Wisconsin^ L, 49-7 Sept. 24 vs. Cal Poly W, 47-30 Oct. 1 at Central Michigan* L, 48-41 Oct. 8 vs. Kent State* W, 40-10 Oct. 15 vs. Western Michigan* W, 51-22 Oct. 22 at Buffalo* W, 31-30 Nov. 1 at Toledo* W, 63-60 Nov. 8 at Bowling Green* W, 45-14 Nov. 15 vs. Ball State* W, 41-38 Nov. 25 vs. Eastern Michigan* W, 18-12 MAC Championship Game Dec. 2 vs. Ohio# W, 23-20 GoDaddy.com Bowl Jan. 8 vs. Arkansas St.+ W, 38-20
*–Mid-American Conference game ^–At Soldier Field #–At Ford Field in Detroit +–At Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Overall Team Statistics NIU OPP. SCORING 536 424 Points Per Game 38.3 30.3 FIRST DOWNS 333 319 Rushing 158 143 Passing 149 152 Penalty 26 24 RUSHING YARDAGE 3,278 2,343 Yards gained rushing 3,581 2,772 Yards lost rushing 303 429 Rushing Attempts 595 582 Average Per Rush 5.5 4.0 Average Per Game 234.1 167.4 TDs Rushing 34 23 PASSING YARDAGE 3,386 3,470 Comp-Att-Int 253-408-6 271-478-13 Average Per Pass 8.3 7.3 Average Per Catch 13.4 12.8 Average Per Game 241.9 247.9 TDs Passing 29 29 TOTAL OFFENSE 6,664 5,813 Total Plays 1,003 1,060 Average Per Play 6.6 5.5
Average Per Game 476.0 415.2 KICK RETURNS: 58-1,149 83-1,729 PUNT RETURNS: 16-109 10-10 INT RETURNS: 13-119 6-22 KICK RETURN AVG. 19.8 20.8 PUNT RETURN AVG. 6.8 1.0 INT RETURN AVG. 9.2 3.7 FUMBLES-LOST 19-13 19-12 PENALTIES-Yards 77-748 86-758 Average Per Game 53.4 54.1 PUNTS-Yards 62-2,213 61-2,378 Average Per Punt 35.7 39.0 Net punt average 35.5 34.9 TIME OF POSS./Game 28:45 31:15 3RD-DOWN Conv. 87/197 84/221 3rd-Down Pct 44% 38% 4TH-DOWN Conv. 11/14 19/32 4th-Down Pct 79% 59% SACKS BY-Yards 28-229 12-90 MISC YARDS -9 0 TDS SCORED 68 54 FIELD GOALS-ATT. 20-28 17-24 ON-SIDE KICKS 2-4 1-2 RED-ZONE SCORES (61-70) (55-62) RED-ZONE TDS (44-70) (40-62) PAT-ATTEMPTS (64-66) (45-47) ATTENDANCE 132,323 110,749 Games/Avg Per Game 7 /18,903 5 /22,150 Neutral Site Games 2/25,893 Score by quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Northern Illinois 100 163 133 140 536 Opponents 117 88 76 143 424
Overall Individual Statistics RUSHING Att Net Avg TDs Long C. Harnish 194 1,379 7.1 11 68 J. Hopkins 187 956 5.1 15 57 A. Daniels 56 303 5.4 3 25 J. Lynch 45 246 5.5 3 66 J. Womble 37 124 3.4 1 19 P. Ashford 10 85 8.5 0 26 L. Settle 16 84 5.2 0 48 T. Lewis 8 74 9.2 1 20 N. Palmer 6 30 5.0 0 14 J. Wells 3 20 6.7 0 16 W. Clark 3 18 6.0 0 8
C. Bell J. Spencer D. Brown R. Neir
7 2 1 2
18 2.6 7 3.5 3 3.0 -25 -12.5
0 0 0 0
7 5 3 0
PASSING Cmp-Att-Int Pct Yards TDs C. Harnish 237-384-6 61.7 3,216 28 J. Lynch 15-20-0 75.0 166 1 RECEIVING Rec. Yards Avg. TDs M. Moore 47 747 15.9 7 N. Palmer 47 695 14.8 7 P. Ashford 47 530 11.3 3 D. Brown 24 322 13.4 2 W. Clark 18 292 16.2 4 A. Daniels 15 252 16.8 2 J. Wells 14 112 8.0 0 A. Johnson 13 174 13.4 0 J. Hopkins 12 54 4.5 1 L. Eakes 6 49 8.2 1 J. Womble 2 58 29.0 1 D. Grady 2 51 25.5 0 P. McAvoy 2 16 8.0 0 L. Settle 2 14 7.0 0 J. Marks 1 13 13.0 0 T. Semisch 1 7 7.0 1
Long 55 71 39 25 56 79 18 25 10 13 58 27 12 8 13 7
PUNT RETURNS Ret. Yards Avg. TDs T. Davis 9 53 5.9 0 P. Ashford 5 31 6.2 0 J. Ward 1 9 9.0 0 D. Brown 1 0 0.0 0 C. Stephen 0 16 0.0 1
Long 26 33 0 0 16
INTERCEPTIONS INTs Y ds. Avg. TDs D. Durante 3 47 15.7 1 R. Melvin 3 -5 -1.7 0 J. Faustin 2 2 1.0 0 Z. Anderson 1 2 2.0 0 D. Stone 1 29 29.0 0 N. Jefferson 1 25 25.0 1 J. Ward 1 0 0.0 0 M. Santacaterina 1 19 19.0 0
L ong 36 0 2 2 29 25 0 19
T. Lewis
KICK RETURNS No. Yds. Avg. TDs L ong 30 755 25.2 2 100
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Over 65 Years
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T. Davis 9 P. Ashford 7 A. Daniels 4 P. McAvoy 3 R. Sterling 1 Team 1 J. Meehan 1 J. Wells 1 M. Santacaterina 1
145 122 72 10 14 0 0 13 18
16.1 17.4 18.0 3.3 14.0 0.0 0.0 13.0 18.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 25 28 9 14 0 0 13 18
FUMBLE RETURNS No. Yds. Avg. TD Long Jenkins, Kyle 1 5 5.0 0 5 M. Sims J. Hopkins C. Harnish N. Palmer M. Moore A. Daniels W. Clark J. Lynch P. Ashford T. Lewis J. Womble D. Brown L. Eakes C. Stephen N. Jefferson D. Durante T. Semisch C. Harnish J. Hopkins J. Lynch A. Daniels J. Womble P. Ashford L. Settle T. Lewis N. Palmer J. Wells C. Bell W. Clark J. Spencer D. Brown R. Neir
SCORING TDs FGs XPs 0 20-28 64-66 16 0-0 0-0 11 0-0 0-0 7 0-0 0-0 7 0-0 0-0 5 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 0-0 3 0-0 0-0 3 0-0 0-0 3 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0-0
Pts. 124 96 66 44 42 30 24 18 18 18 12 12 6 6 6 6 6
TOTAL OFFENSE Rush Pass Total Avg/G 1,379 3,216 4,595 328.2 956 0 956 68.3 246 166 412 31.7 303 0 303 21.6 124 0 124 10.3 85 0 85 6.1 84 0 84 8.4 74 0 74 6.7 30 0 30 2.1 20 0 20 1.5 18 0 18 1.5 18 0 18 1.3 7 0 7 1.4 3 0 3 0.2 -25 4 -21 -1.5
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Overall Defensive Statistics DEFENSIVE LEADERS Tackles Solo Ast. Tot. Sacks INTs P. Schiller 42 73 115 2.0 . J. Ward 48 52 100 1.0 1 J. Delegal 46 36 82 0.5 . R. Melvin 54 24 78 . 3 J. Faustin 47 23 70 . 2 J. Bass 23 39 62 . . D. Durante 34 23 57 0.5 3 D. Stone 35 20 55 . 1 S. Progar 22 30 52 5.5 . R. Newcomb 23 26 49 4.5 . A. Baxter 19 29 48 5.5 . N. Jefferson 17 29 46 . 1 T. Davis 17 21 38 . . K. Jenkins 11 18 29 1.5 . M. Santacaterina 9 19 28 0.5 1 J. Meehan 12 14 26 0.5 . S. Evans 17 7 24 . . V. Jacques 7 13 20 . . J. Windsor 5 15 20 . . D. Ware 11 8 19 . . A. Wells 10 6 16 2.0 . M. Hayes 7 7 14 . . G. Porter 5 8 13 . . F. Boenzi 3 9 12 1.0 . S. O’Neal 7 5 12 3.0 . D. Brown 1 10 11 . . T. Wedel 3 3 6 . . G. Barksdale 2 4 6 . . C. Stephen 1 3 4 . . A. Daniels 3 . 3 . . Z. Anderson 1 2 3 . 1 C. Bell 2 1 3 . . B. Winkel 2 . 2 . . S. Wedige 2 . 2 . . P. McAvoy 1 . 1 . . J. Lynch 1 . 1 . . D. Grady . 1 1 . . P. Ashford 1 . 1 . . J. Wells 1 . 1 . . G. Rainey 1 . 1 . . A. Kiel . 1 1 . . R. Fillingim 1 . 1 . . R. Sterling 1 . 1 . .
HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
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Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com • Thursday, August 30, 2012
| HUSKIEWIRE.COM 2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW 12