This Thursday the NIU football team will open its season in Cyclone-Trice field to take on the Cyclones of Iowa State.

And for once, at least in the last three years, there is not a quarterback controversy to add to the mystery of how the Huskies are going to fare for the year.

Now in the Big West, the Huskies may be feeling a little more settled, and the confidence in senior quarterback Scott Crabtree makes it evident that the Huskies are putting both feet on the ground.

Although Crabtree may not be All-American material, he has learned how to play football in the Huskie system, and his athletic ability is what the Huskies need to put them over the top.

Crabtree was offered his first opportunity to play Division I-A football in 1992 after playing two years of junior college football at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M. While playing for the NJCAA powerhouse, Crabtree broke single season passing records completing 115 of 208 passes for 1,931 yards in 1991, and led the team to the NJCAA national championship game, where he was named offensive MVP.

After coming to NIU in 1992, Crabtree was named number two quarterback behind senior Rob Rugai. Crabtree did have his opportunities late in the season when he started six games.

In the six games Crabtree started the Huskies were 3-3, including a 23-10 upset of Southern Mississippi where he threw for 159 yards.

The Huskies did have a better winning percentage with Crabtree in the driver’s seat, but his personal statistics would not reveal this.

In 1992 Crabtree completed just 41 of 106 attempts for 535 yards. But Head Coach Charlie Sadler said Crabtree has improved dramatically from last fall.

Crabtree was not able to participate in spring-ball before the 1992 season, and Sadler said that was a main reason why his completion percentage was under 38 percent for the 1992 season.

This year Crabtree did play spring-ball, and that is where his improvements began to stick out. This past spring he completed over 70 percent of his passes, and around 85 percent in two-a-day camp.

“He has certainly made tremendous strides as far as having an understanding of our offensive system,” Sadler said.

Crabtree is known for athletic abilities and his strong arm. Now with a better understanding of the offensive system and how to read defenses, he could bring NIU what fan-favorite Rob Rugai couldn’t in 1992. A winning season.

“He is a better player and athlete than Rugai,” said offensive coordinator Joe Dickinson. “He has a better arm and he understands the offense, which he didn’t last year.

“He just has more versatility at the position and he has good speed, which makes him hard to sack.”

The Huskies feel they have a strong offense with the likes a of Scott Crabtree and LeShon Johnson in a backfield behind a line that averages over 290 pounds. Barring injury Scott Crabtree should lead the Huskies into the end zone often enough for NIU to reach the Las Vegas Bowl in December.

“He (Crabtree) is a better player and athlete than Rugai. He has a better arm and he understands the offense, which he didn’t last year. He just has more versatility at the position and he has good speed, which makes him hard to sack.”

Joe Dickinson

offensive coordinator