Each week during the college football season, the Northern Star will recap the most interesting NIU grades published by Pro Football Focus, a sports analytics company that evaluates every player on every play of every game. Season and single-game grades are based on a 0-100 scale. To learn more about PFF’s grading system, click here.
For the first time in roughly three years, the Bronze Stalk trophy is back in DeKalb.
The Huskies got the better of their archrival Ball State on Saturday, racking up over 300 rushing yards and three takeaways in a 21-7 victory at Huskie Stadium. While the game was a demonstrable team effort for NIU, Saturday’s result wouldn’t have been possible without a few standout performances.
NIU (73.8 overall): It’s not much, but it’s an improvement. The Huskies received their highest overall grade of the season-to-date in their rivalry win, with a 67.5 offense grade, a 72.4 defense grade and a 61.0 special teams grade. NIU was especially powered by a 75.6 rushing grade and a 77.5 run defense grade.
Jasper Beeler (87.1 defense): The free safety helped anchor NIU’s standout defensive performance against Ball State, as he snagged his second interception of the season. Beeler received the Huskies’ highest defense, tackling (81.9) and coverage (86.9) grades, finishing with two tackles and two assists while allowing just one catch on seven targets. He also earned a spot on PFF’s Week 9 College Football Team of the Week.
Quinn Urwiler (82.2 run defense): Two weeks after an abnormal outing at Eastern Michigan, Urwiler posted his second straight performance with double-digit tackles. The linebacker made 14 stops on Saturday, putting him six shy of the top mark in the Football Bowl Subdivision (103). His run defense grade led the team and his tackling grade (78.6) was second to Beeler.
Chavon Wright (74.0 offense): Saturday’s game was the closest Wright has come to his Charleston heyday, as he bulldozed his way to 166 yards on 37 carries. The running back was NIU’s highest-graded offensive player and received the highest pass-blocking grade among skill players (72.7).
Josh Holst (78.4 rushing): Surprisingly, NIU’s leading rusher against the Cardinals didn’t take home the team’s top rushing grade. Instead, it was the quarterback. Holst ran three times for 36 yards and scored on a 7-yard touchdown run — his first at Huskie Stadium — to give the Huskies an early second-half lead. Ironically, he also earned NIU’s worst offensive grade (47.1) and passing grade (29.2).
