Welcome to the future.

Ushered in by true freshmen linebackers Josh Allen and Phil Brown, tonight begins a new era for NIU football.

An era of speed and athleticism.

As more and more MAC teams open their offenses and rely on the pass, defenses have begun to adapt.

Big, hulking defenders are now outdated. Smash-mouth football has been replaced with finesse and quickness. All across the MAC, old-fashioned football is being phased out.

And this is where the freshmen fit in.

Allen and Brown will take over for Jason Hutton and T.J. Griffin. Neither of the freshmen fit the mold of a Dick Butkus or a Ray Lewis. Both stand under six feet tall and neither have the size to take on blockers. Allen weights 217 pounds and Brown isn’t much bigger at 225.

They’re smaller and lighter. And they’re exactly what the NIU coaches are looking for.

“Both these kids bring a lot of speed to the table,” NIU coach Joe Novak said. “With what we see offensively we want guys who can run on defense over big guys with size.”

Two years ago, Novak noticed the shift in MAC offenses and changed his recruiting strategy. The Huskies started going after defenders, especially linebackers, who can not only play the run but also drop into pass coverage.

Tonight will show the fruits of their efforts.

But just because they’re starting their first games doesn’t mean the two are ‘new’ players.

Both Allen and Brown have been playing since the opening game at Michigan.

Brown has nine tackles – one for a loss – and a fumble recovery. Allen also has made his presence felt with five tackles, two for loss.

But with the bonus of getting the extra speed on the field comes consequences. The coaches are going to have to live with its mistakes.

“It’s a little give-and-take,” Novak said. “They are really athletic but they lack experience. They are gonna make mistakes.”

Defensive coordinator Denny Doornbos already has gone about trying to make the freshmen’s lives a little easier.

He’s taken steps to simplify the defense, but even he knows mistakes are going to happen. But it’s their potential that has him excited.

“These two have proved they can play,” Doornbos said. “If we were worried about how they would do then we wouldn’t play them.

“You’d like to always have seniors but right now we are just trying to get the best players out on the field. And as long as they keeping improving they are going to be real good football players.”