Football is looking to rebound from an up and down 2015-16 season — the team went 8-6 overall and 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

The season ended in frustrating fashion for the Huskies when they lost their final three games. They dropped their final two games, the MAC championship game and Poinsietta Bowl against Bowling Green State University and Boise State University, respectively, with a combined score of 89-21. The lopsided score differential included a disappointing 55-7 showing in their finale against Boise State.

The team looks to improve their record after a successful first week of training camp. The Huskies have 16 returning starters this season, including junior All-American cornerback Shawun Lurry and MAC Special Teams Player of the Year senior wide receiver Aregeros Turner. Lurry is just the fourth NIU football player to earn All-American Honors and the first player since former quarterback Jordan Lynch in 2013.

Improving on a day-to-day basis is the most important thing, said head coach Rod Carey.

“We’re trying to get everything cleaned up,” Carey said. “We’re getting into football shape and getting game ready.”

Carey said starters have not yet been decided. Teammates are playing for starting positions during training camp, specifically at safety and running back positions.

“It’s nip and tuck every day,” Carey said. “There are veterans there and they are being challenged by some young players.”

One of the biggest setbacks for the Huskies last season was health as the team lost senior quarterback Drew Hare to a season-ending torn Achilles’ tendon on Nov. 3 against the University of Toledo.

“You can never plan for injuries like that, you just have to adjust on the fly,” Carey said. “Next man up.”

The Huskies turned to Ryan Graham, then a redshirt freshman backup quarterback after Hare’s injury to finish the season. Carey knows a healthy squad can make all the difference in a good or bad season.

“We just try to progressively get better and improve day-by-day,” Carey said.