The 6 foot 1 inch, 250-pounds, Shane Wimann, redshirt senior tight end, is finally getting used the way he should be to help the Huskies succeed.

Throughout the first four games of the season, the imposing down-field threat was relatively quiet only hauling in six catches, however, in the last three games, Wimann has tallied 11 catches for three touchdowns.

Wimann spoke at a news conference after the Huskies’ 24-3 home win Oct. 7 against Kent State, saying he was happy he was getting targeted more.

“The breakthrough felt good. I didn’t think I would be into game [four] with only a few catches,” Wimann said.

Wimann has had the difficulty of playing with three different quarterbacks this season, however, his production has been elevated more and more while having five touchdown receptions within seven games.

The John Mackey Award contender for best tight-end in the country has recognized the multiple quarterback changes but attributes his success to working well with all three of the quarterbacks.

“I feel like I’ve had pretty good chemistry with all three [quarterbacks],” Wimann said.

That might be the cliche answer, but it still has to be difficult for the veteran to develop a consistent comradery where he can gain confidence in the quarterback and the other way around when vital parts of the offense are consistently moving.

In the last two games where the redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Childers has started, Wimann had seven catches for 61 yards with two scores.

The threat Childers imposes with his legs puts the defense on their toes more, which leads to the senior tight end being more open and accessible.

With the departure of Kenny Golladay leaving for the NFL draft, players like senior wide receiver Christian Blake and Spencer Tears, redshirt sophomore wide receiver, have stepped up, but Wimann is Childers security blanket for future success.

Still, only averaging a little over two catches per game is not enough.

Head Coach Rod Carey acknowledges Wimann as one of the best tight ends in the Mid-American Conference, and one of the better ones in the country, regardless of his numbers to begin the season.

“We asked him to be more of a blocker [in the first few games], and he did great in that role,” Carey said. “I don’t want to say he has stepped up because he has been playing great the entire year. Now you’re getting numbers that are kind of measurable in the last few games because we have targeted him more.”

The modern day NFL salivates over big strong physical imposing tight-ends such as Wimann, but even the professional team in this state doesn’t know how to use their second round pick Adam Shaheen who has only one catch for two yards.

Tight ends can be an absolute blessing to have if thay are used properly in the offense. NIU has a man among boys with stellar hands who is a very instinctive football player.

The all-time leader in touchdown receptions for a tight end in NIU history with 15, has a total of 17 receptions to this point, but the teams NIU has played and the quarterback carousel has had a helping hand in that.

Going forward if Childers remains the starter and Wimann continues to be used more of a passing tight-end than a blocking one, this offense can hit the right stride at the best time going into MAC West play and potentially a bowl game.

NIU will return to action against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles 6 p.m. Thursday at Huskie Stadium. The team is undefeated in conference play with a 3-0 record and are 5-2 overall on the year.