In the upcoming game against Tennessee-Martin, NIU football will be eager to get on the field to rebound after its loss last week.

For NIU to be able to come up with a victory, it will obviously need to be a team effort all around. However, there will be certain members on offense and defense that will have to step up and put a stamp on the game.

Quarterback: NIU will be led by Jordan Lynch in what will be his first start at home. Lynch will look to continue his prowess on the ground, as he is currently 31st in the FBS division in rushing yards. He also has the 6th overall longest run at 73 yards, ranking first among quarterbacks. Where Lynch will have to prove he can get the job done is in the air, as he completed just 6-16 passes for 54 yards. The key for Lynch will be being able to strike a balance between rushing and passing for effectiveness, If he can find that middle ground, NIU will be primed to control the ball on offense and spare their defense time on the field.

Running Back: Although the running backs were featured sparingly compared to Lynch, the key player will be junior Leighton Settle, who rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries. Head coach Dave Doeren believes that Settle and senior Jamal Womble earned more opportunities to carry the ball with their hard-nosed running in the Iowa game. If Settle can provide similar results, it should serve to help keep Tennessee-Martin off-balance.

Wide Receiver: The key player will be Martel Moore, who led the Huskies in receiving yards and times targeted in the first game of the season with 39 yards on three catches. Moore also showed his playmaking ability with his fantastic second quarter catch, which was good enough to make a top play on SportsCenter. If Lynch and Moore can play a little more pitch and catch than in the last game, the possibilities for big plays remain the same.

Offensive Line: The key player on the line will be red shirt freshman center Andrew Ness. While the offensive line as a whole was efficient in most regards against Iowa, one problem that may exist was shotgun snapping. On one occasion, whether it was the snap or not, the ball was fumbled at least 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage against Iowa. On other shotgun snaps it seemed Lynch was working hard to corral the ball. Ideally for the Huskies, this gets worked out in practice and will not become a story against Tennessee-Martin.

Defensive Line: Straying from a popular pick, keep an eye out for junior defensive end Joe Windsor. While not a starter, Windsor could be working his way into an increased role as he parlayed his replacement duties into two sacks against Iowa for a combined loss of 19 yards. Windsor showed incredible speed and athleticism on both sacks. He also had two solo tackles and two assists. Obviously, no one expects to get two sacks in every game, but if Windsor can come in and bring the energy and threat from a substitution role, he will greatly increase the effectiveness of the entire defensive line.

Linebacker: While this features a repeat of last week’s key player, that doesn’t detract from it being any more true. Senior outside linebacker Tyrone Clark showed why he was the defensive MVP two seasons ago, as he racked up a total of 11 tackles against Iowa, one of which was for a loss. Clark was seemingly everywhere at times, flying to make tackles and hit his opponents hard. Clark will have to continue his knack for finding the ball to hold together the linebacking core.

Secondary: Seemingly on an upward trend from a successful 2011 campaign, junior Jimmie Ward was a strong force at defensive back against Iowa. Ward tallied a total of 12 tackles in the game, several of the big hit variety. Ward was also effective against the pass, breaking up two passes. Wards role becomes even bigger in this game, against an opponent that features the pass as much as Tennessee-Martin does.

Special Teams: It’s hard not to focus on a player who has the possibility of breaking out for a long run or touchdown anytime he gets the ball. That’s what NIU has in special teams player Tommylee Lewis. Lewis compiled 62 yards on only three returns against Iowa. While not world-beating, Lewis can not only put up the threat of scoring, he can also be solely responsible for helping the offense start in a better position to score.