DeKALB | With 15 practices in the books, the NIU football team closes up shop until next fall with the Spring Game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Huskie Stadium.

Five burning questions were addressed in the pages of the sports section this week, and Saturday is the opportunity for fans to potentially have some of those questions answered.

With an experienced core returning on the defensive side, head coach Joe Novak has been ecstatic about the play of his linebackers and secondary.

The 12-year coach said there are six different athletic linebackers he is excited about, and that in the secondary, the play of junior cornerbacks Melvin Rice and Bradley Pruitt have stood out this spring.

“They’ve taken the next big step this spring,” Novak said. “I’m pleased with the confidence they’ve started to play with; they could be two of the best corners that we’ve had here.”

Combine that talent with junior Larry English rushing from the defensive end position, and NIU has the makings of a stout defense.

After racking up a ferocious 12 sacks last season, English is on the Rotary Lombardi Award watch list.

Lining up at the opposite defensive end position will be sophomore Brandon Bice. With all eyes focused on English, the Lyons Township product could have a break-out year and should be a player to keep an eye on.

“I’m real excited with the way he’s played this spring,” Novak said. “It takes every kid a year or two to get their feet on the ground to be an active and productive player.”

While it looks like NIU is lining up to be a defense-oriented team, a bit of a transition from the past few years, don’t go to sleep on an offense with some familiar names in key skill positions.

The most notable offensive returnee is junior quarterback Dan Nicholson.

In 2005, the Brother Rice product took over for an injured Phil Horvath, went 3-0 in the regular season, orchestrated the first win at Toledo since 1972 and led NIU to a MAC West title.

A year removed from once again waiting behind Horvath, Nicholson takes the reins of an NIU offense with some unproved players up front and in the back field.

Novak has been pleased with the play of junior wide receiver Britt Davis. Now in his third year as a wide receiver, the athletic Davis will be the No. 1 target of Nicholson.

Davis set NIU records for number of receptions in both his freshman and sophomore years. He has reliable depth around him as Matt Simon, Marcus Perez and Greg Turner all have seen considerable action.

The key to a good offense, though, for Novak starts with the big guys in the trenches.

Novak said Eddie Adamski has continued to be solid at center and junior Jon Brost has rebounded from a somewhat off year to have a good spring.

The left tackle position is still a competition between senior Chris Acevedo and sophomore Tony Holmes.

“Our offense will get better as our line continues to mature,” Novak said. “This will be an important summer in the weight room for those guys. We lost four kids that will be in NFL camps this summer: Garrett Wolfe, Doug Free, Jake Nordin and Phil Horvath. We need guys to play with confidence and the only way to get that is to get experience.”