DeKalb | The key to finding success in any avenue of life is having the ability to be flexible and adapt to new situations.

This is especially true in sports, as coaches and players will see patterns and habits developing not only over the course of a season, but within one single game as well.

In the opening game of the season for NIU football, the offensive play calling was very conservative and for the most part, one dimensional.

Last season with junior quarterback Jordan Lynch serving as back-up, he would often come into the game and be used in running situations as opposed to using his arm.

In the matchup with Iowa, Lynch’s numbers appear very effective from a running standpoint, with a total of 136 yards in the game on 18 rushes., averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

This number is affected by the outlier of his 73 yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, however.

The passing game was almost used a decoy, as numerous times the Huskies ran an empty back-field set, only to rush Lynch up the middle. This was actually the set-up that led to Lynch’s 73 yard run.

The problem became apparent, however, in the fourth quarter, when Iowa was able to recognize that NIU was not able to pass effectively and put more pressure on Lynch.

Head coach Dave Doeren believes that playing against Iowa was perhaps a different look than his team will see the rest of the way.

“One thing about Iowa is they can play you light in the box and get off the blocks and take away the pass game,” Doeren said. “A lot of other teams won’t be able to do against our O-Line. We’ll always try to put our kids in the best position we can.”

Going from that, it seems that maybe the best position for Lynch was a run heavy attack.

On the game, Lynch carried the ball more than all the running backs combined.

With limited passing attempts and a heavy workload for the quarterback, there wasn’t a lot to keep Iowa off balance.

If it proves to be effective, early skepticism will be just that, but with the receivers that NIU has at their disposal, the possibilities for a more fleshed out, explosive offense is ripe for the taking.

What will be interesting to see is the progression of play-calling, Lynch’s evolution as a possible dual-threat quarterback, and the possibility of the offense catching up to what has the potential to be a defense that no one will sleep on.

If those two factors can coalesce into one, Huskie fans have more to look forward to than simply reminiscing on a good time at Soldier Field.