DeKALB | Hypothetical situation: It’s Sept. 3, 2011 and the NIU football team is down by one to Army. There are only three seconds left in regulation, and the ball is on the 20-yard line.

One of the biggest problems facing NIU head coach Dave Doeren this spring is that he couldn’t say who would line up for this hypothetical field goal. The first-year head coach also can’t say who is going to handle the punting duties in 2011.

Kicker Michael Cklamovski and punter Josh Wilber both left the Huskies after the 2010 season. Cklamovski connected on 17-of-27 field goals, 55-of-61 extra points, and notched 27 touchbacks when kicking off.

Wilber averaged 39.8 yards a punt and had 12 punts land inside the 20.

Unsatisfied with the talent on the current roster to replace Cklamovski, Doeren signed junior-college transfer Josh Gallington. A junior-college All-American in 2009 at Bakersfield College in California, Gallington succeeded on 27-of-34 field goal attempts in 2009 and 2010 at Bakersfield. Gallington will join NIU when fall practices begin in August.

Returning Huskies battling for the kicking duties this spring are sophomore Mathew Sims and redshirt senior Ryan Fillingim. Up until Tuesday mornings’ practice, both kickers had been connecting on 78 percent of their kicks, according to special teams coach Eddie Faulkner.

“They are both pretty consistent, and right now they are both pretty equal,” Faulkner said. “Hopefully they continue to compete, and make it hard for us to decide which one is going to get on the field.”

Faulkner acknowledged, however, that the coaches won’t know who’ll get the permanent duties until they have seen the kickers in a scenario that inspires more anxiety than a morning spring practice.

“There is nothing more pressure-filled than being out there in front of everybody on game day,” Faulkner said. “That’s where the separation will come in when we have them out there.”

While Gallington may skew the kicking picture when he arrives in August, the Huskies’ punting job will probably come down to redshirt junior Ryan Neir, walk-on Jeremy Neuman, and incoming freshman Tyler Wedel. Listed as a punter/athlete by NIU, Wedel will join the Huskies in August.

Neir has received the lion’s share of the reps with the first team this spring, but has not done much to separate himself from Neuman. After spending the last three seasons on the practice squad, though, Neir has become rather accustomed to competition.

“It’s a great opportunity. I’ve been third string, second string, but now I’m taking reps with the first-team punt unit,” Neir said. “I’ve waited for my opportunity and hopefully I can make the most of it.”

Kickers and punters are usually out first at spring practices. After taking some early kicks, the group goes in to break down film before going out to finish practice. Instead of worrying about a crowd or game situation, the group can concentrate simply on their technique and how the ball is coming off their foot.

Fillingim believes the best way to approach the season is to have short-term goals in order to accomplish the long-term goal of becoming the Huskies’ starting kicker.

“We don’t worry about having to fill in footsteps or next season,” Fillingim said. “We just worry about the next kick.”