After watching the Huskie Bowl, I can’t say I’m 100 percent certain as to how the football team will do this season.

The biggest issue I see is that the team is very dependent on senior quarterback Jordan Lynch. Redshirt freshman Drew Hare has found the most success in the limited action this spring, but that is in no way indicative of anything come game time. Lynch will need to be healthy and be as good–if not better–than last year if NIU hopes to bust the BCS again.

The defense looks good, though. Despite the inability to actually tackle the quarterback, the defense made big plays against one another in the Huskie bowl, especially stopping the run. While the Huskies are not throwing out big time running backs, there were no big breaks aside from one Cameron Stingily run of 25 yards. With the losses of Sean Progar, Alan Baxter, and Nabal Jefferson, the defensive line will have to step it up.

However, I think the Huskies maintain the same presence from at least one defensive end with the opening of a spot for senior Joe Windsor. Windsor proved to be effective last season, recording seven sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. Another candidate to take time at defensive end would be senior George Rainey, who is in line with an Baxter mold of being a bit undersized but quick off the ball.

The defense in the Huskie Bowl was highlighted by interceptions, with five total. This was more of a product of some under or errantly thrown passes, but senior cornerback Sean Evans made two nice picks in the end zone, one off of Lynch. Evans saw time in 13 games last season and recorded 24 tackles with a pick. He is a member of the secondary, which also has shoes to fill with the departure of Rashaan Melvin and Demetrius Stone.

Head coach Rod Carey believes despite the loss of Melvin and Stone, his remaining players are more than capable in terms of ability and size. Melvin was a deterrent on his side of the field, especially with his size, but Carey believes it was kind of an added bonus.

Opposing secondaries will be the receiving corps that lost two top tier receivers. With the loss of Martel Moore and Perez Ashford, I see redshirt sophomores Juwan Brescacin and Angelo Sebastiano getting a lot of targets their way. Both players were the leading receivers for their respective teams in the Huskie Bowl, with Brescacin going for 120 yards on just three catches, and Sebastiano for 92 yards on seven catches.

Brescacin led the team last season with average yards per catch, seemingly having that knack for the big play. At 6-foot-4 and possessing the ability to be a “go-up and get it” receiver, I think Brescacin has shown enough skill to be a potent target for Lynch this season.

Sebastiano is coming off a season of just five catches and 64 yards. I think those numbers go up considerably, although he is probably farther down the depth chart. In a system with Lynch as the quarterback and there being the options of throwing or running, a receiver like Sebastiano who has the quality of being in the right spot at the right time is something you need.

A factor that was missing from view during the Huskie Bowl was that of two of the running backs from last season. Both senior Akeem Daniels and sophomore Keith Harris Jr. are out with minor injuries at this point, but both will be big swing players for NIU this year. If Daniels starts the year as the No. 1 man and gets the opportunity to show what he did at the end of last season, I think it would benefit not only the team to mix things up but also Lynch to take away some of the wear and tear of running the ball–I feel that is what will ultimately determine the success of the team. Diversity in play calling will be a large factor, especially if NIU is to find themselves back in the MAC championship and a bowl game.

Lynch was utilized a lot in the game against Kent State and Florida State last season and it did not always work. The ability to run Daniels out and find success with a traditional run game would help greatly.

I think the offense still has enough weapons and a surprisingly successful young offensive line returning; that the real sticking point will be defense.