Spring practices began Monday for the NIU football team, kicking off the first preparations for the April 23 Spring Game.

The game, which usually takes place on a Thursday night, will be moved to a Saturday at noon in hopes of a better turnout.

NIU football coach Joe Novak said he hoped to raise the 1,543 attendance from last season.

“We’re hoping to do some things to hype it up and make it a bigger deal,” Novak said.

Practice makes perfect

The NIU football team is practicing without pads on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings.

The workouts will help Novak determine the front runners for open starting positions.

“Every year a team changes,” Novak said. “That’s what spring is all about.”

The backs are back

Novak is most excited about the return of running backs A.J. Harris, and first team All-MAC Garrett Wolfe, whom he said could potentially be the best running back tandem in the nation.

“They’ve played a lot of football,” Novak said. “But we’ve also got guys like Adrian Davis, Cas Prime and Montell Clanton. It’s going to be an interesting year.”

Still, Novak said he plans to stick with the Wolfe-Harris duo, which combined for 2,478 yards last season.

“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” said Novak of his team’s offensive core for next season in Wolfe and Harris. “They’ve established themselves as great players.”

Quarterback choices

Novak maintained that all positions are open, including quarterback.

With three-year starter Josh Haldi’s graduated, the contenders for the spot are Phil Horvath, Britt Davis, Dan Nicholson and Zach Ullrich.

Novak said Horvath will have the advantage with nine games of playing experience under his belt.

Horvath completed 71 of 123 passes last season. Ullrich was second in 2004, as he completed only 1 of 2 passes.

Horvath started three games for the Huskies while Haldi sat out with a stress fracture to his right foot.

Other question marks

Before last season, it was the defensive line. This year, the team’s main “question marks” left to fill from graduating seniors will be in the secondary, offensive line and punter positions, Novak said.

The Huskies lose punter Anthony Gallagher and Dennis Tovar, his backup, to graduation. They will likely have to turn to freshman recruit Andy Dittbenner.

Horvath was second on the depth chart for much of the year at punter, but Novak said he doesn’t plan to use the junior as a quarterback/punter.

“I think that would be an emergency thing,” said Novak, who also mentioned a possible walk-on playing at the punter position.

Go (MAC) West, young man

Eastern Illinois University will lose two of its football coaches to MAC teams for next season.

EIU defensive line coach Derrick Jackson will join the NIU staff this spring, and Panthers offensive coordinator Jon Carr left for Toledo last month.

Lee, Van Acker honored

Senior linebacker Javan Lee and senior center Brian Van Acker were named to the 54-player preliminary Rotary Lombardi Award “watch list” Tuesday.

“That’s fantastic for Javan and Brian,” Novak said in a press release, “not to mention our entire football program.”

The award is given to any down lineman or defender who lines up within five yards of the football.

Both Huskies return as First-Team All-MAC players.