DeKalb — NIU football kicked off this weekend when the team traveled to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, beginning the year with a 33-7 loss against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Huskies defense proved to be a force, limiting Iowa to only one field goal in the first half, but the 3-0 score at half-time was as close as the Huskies were going to get. The Hawkeyes scored thirty unanswered points after the break to take a commanding lead; they never looked back. Junior Safety Mykelti Williams led the team with seven solo tackles while 2017 All-American Sutton Smith added five more, including a sack and a forced fumble.

“It was a tale of two halves,” Head Coach Rod Carey said, according to NIU Athletics. “I thought we came out, should have had the lead at halftime and probably had the upper hand. In the second half, we didn’t play well. Their D-line took it to us. That was not Huskie Football in the second half.”

NIU’s special teams had a few key plays early on that helped keep the score close, including a blocked punt by senior wide-receiver Jauan Wesley.

The Huskies never got anything working on the offensive side of the ball. Sophomore quarterback Marcus Childers couldn’t get comfortable in the pocket, facing constant pressure that led to him getting sacked five times. Even while dealing with the Hawkeyes pressure, Childers managed to complete 14 of his 25 passes for 105 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Freshman running back Jordan Nettles rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries in the first game of his college career. Nettles had the hot hand and was leaned on while the Huskies attempted to get the offense going. With the Huskies facing a shutout late in the fourth quarter Childers found Wesley in the corner of the endzone to finally put the Huskies on the scoreboard.

“Congratulations to Iowa,” Carey said, according to NIU Athletics. “They are a really good football team. In the second half, their D-line got after our O-line, and our defense was on the field too much.”

While the final score may not reflect much positivity, the Huskies showed their ability to hang with a Big-10 school. They ran a few trick plays including a pass from senior wide-receiver D.J. Brown to Childers resulting in a five yard completion. The defense held its own and the team as a whole has a good sense of where they need to improve.

The Huskies schedule does not ease up. A tough matchup with the University of Utah Utes 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Huskie Stadium awaits them. The Utes trip will be historic, as they will become the first PAC-12 team to ever make the trip to DeKalb.