DeKALB | Dave Doeren wanted his first spring game as NIU’s head football coach to be a celebration.

With hundreds of fans in attendance on a beautiful day, that’s exactly what the intra-squad scrimmage was.

Fans and players alike welcomed Devon Butler back to Huskie Stadium. Wearing his No. 9 Humanitarian Bowl jersey, the junior linebacker strolled across Brigham Field for the first time since he was shot off-campus, on April 5.

“Having Devon here was an inspiration,” said running back Akeem Daniels. “I think he touched a lot of people’s minds when he talked to each of us individually today. I thank God that he’s doing as well as he’s doing.”

Along with the rest of the Huskies prior to the game, Butler received his Humanitarian Bowl Championship ring. Shoulder pads quickly started crashing following the ring ceremony.

Quarterback Chandler Harnish and the first-team offense showcased how much progress it has made with Doeren’s no-huddle offense on the game’s first drive. Running back Jasmin Hopkins plunged into the end zone for a one-yard score, capping an impressive drive that started at the 25-yard line.

Harnish finished the day with 180 yards on 18-of-25 passing and two touchdowns. Still with only half the offense installed, the redshirt senior is excited about the possibilities of the up-tempo attack.

“The no-huddle can really slow the defense down, and make them play a vanilla-type defense,” Harnish said. “They have to play very basic stuff when you speed it up, and that makes them tired…and by the time this fall rolls around we are going to know this offense inside and out.”

While Harnish described the defense’s response to the offense as “vanilla,” Doeren wanted both sides of the ball to be bland on Saturday.

“I told the guys before that today is a celebration of 14 days of hard work,” Doeren said. “I told the coaches to make it fun for them; don’t make any tough calls. Make it easy for them, and let them play.”

Making the game look fun was Hopkins, who took the bulk of the first-team reps at running back on Saturday. The senior finished with 46 yards on 10 carries. Throughout spring practices, Doeren has liked Hopkins’ consistency, and said the running back will go into the summer as the team’s starter.

Finished with football until summer, the players’ focus can shift, if just for a couple months.

“It feels good to be done with the spring,” said safety Tommy Davis. “It gives us a chance to get rested and go home and see our families for a little bit, and focus on finals.”