DeKALB – After suffering a 14-11 upset in Saturday’s home opener against Southern Illinois University, NIU football (1-1) is ready to hit the road, gearing up for a showdown against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (0-2).
Despite amassing over 100 yards more than the Salukis, NIU succumbed to three turnovers, including an interception in the last 40 seconds of regulation.
“From an execution standpoint, we didn’t do enough to win the game,” said NIU football head coach Thomas Hammock. “We put ourselves in a bad situation the whole game. Turnovers, special teams play, just not where we want to be. So we just have to focus on us and getting better.”
Hammock stated how determined he was to forge a more balanced and efficient offensive strategy. That all starts with the establishment of a strong ground attack.
“We got to find a way to get the run game going, and I don’t care what it looks, we need to get our run game going,” Hammock said. “So we got to do some things differently. We got to be a little more balanced. We may need to throw to set up to run, and that’s fine. So whatever it takes to play better and more efficient on offense, we’re going to try to do because our defense is playing too well right now.”
Nebraska is reeling from a 36-14 blowout loss to the then-No. 22 University of Colorado Boulder in Saturday’s game. The Cornhuskers started the season with a disappointing 0-2 record, averaging just 12 points per game.
Despite facing offensive challenges and conceding 36 points to Colorado, the Cornhusker defense recorded eight sacks last Saturday. Nebraska is currently tied for first in the country with a total of 11 sacks.
“Nebraska is one of the top, I think they lead the country in sacks,” Hammock said. “They got a tremendous D-line that’s going to create pressure, they got linebackers that’s going to plug gaps, so we got a tremendous challenge to protect our quarterback, and that’s where it starts.”
Nebraska native and NIU junior defensive tackle Cade Haberman eagerly anticipates returning to the vibrant atmosphere of Memorial Stadium.
“It’s a great environment, I’ve gone to a handful of games growing up,” Haberman said. “Memorial Stadium is just a fantastic stadium, and I’m excited to play there in front of a very passionate crowd.”
The Huskies take on Nebraska at 6 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The game will be televised on FS1 and the radio broadcast will be available on the Huskers Radio Network, Huskers Athletics and the Huskers app.
