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Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student media since 1899

 

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

NIU men’s basketball: Huskies inch toward brighter future

By Steve Shonder | March 16, 2015

Injuries and inconsistent play were the biggest factors in men’s basketball’s season going awry, but a strong foundation for next season is present.The Huskies ended the regular season playing their best basketball of the year — the blowout loss...

NIU women’s basketball: Head coach Kathi Bennett guides Huskies through troubling times

By Frank Gogola | March 16, 2015

Women’s basketball won 12 games and lost 17 times in 2014-15. It went 8-10 in conference play and was bounced from the MAC Tournament in the first round. It registered only three victories away from home.Yet, 2014-15 proved to be head coach Kathi Bennett’s...

NIU football: Grading the Huskies’ 2015 schedule

By Frank Gogola | March 2, 2015

Football’s 2015 schedule, released by the MAC Friday, features eight Saturday games, two Tuesday games and two Wednesday games.After a three-game homestand near the middle of last season’s schedule, a weeknight game in August and a weeknight game...

NIU men’s basketball: Consistent defense imperative for Huskies’ success

By Steve Shonder | February 19, 2015

With the MAC Tournament approaching, it’s time men’s basketball finds some consistency, especially on the defensive end.Despite their 4-9 record in MAC play, the Huskies are far from the team their record shows. NIU’s success or lack thereof has...

Northern Star staff Super Bowl XLIX picks

By Northern Star staff | February 1, 2015

The Seattle Seahawks are looking to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots, their opponent Sunday, won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX in 2004 and 2005, respectively.The Seahawks and Patriots will play 5:30 p.m....

NIU women’s basketball: Now or never for Huskies

By Frank Gogola | January 26, 2015

Women’s basketball’s (6-10, 2-4 MAC) five upcoming games will be as season-defining as they could be season-crushing.Starting Wednesday, the Huskies will play four of their next five games at home after finishing up a stretch of four of five games...

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones (12) is sacked by Alabama Crimson Tide line Xzavier Dickson (47) in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game Jan. 1 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

NIU football: Way too early preview: Ohio State Buckeyes

By Frank Gogola | January 12, 2015

NIU football fans may very well get to see a glimpse of the Ohio State team that the Huskies will take on next season in today’s national championship game.The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-1) will square off with the No. 2 Oregon Ducks (13-1) 7:30...

Redshirt sophomore Drew Hare plays in the 2014 Marathon MAC Championship game against the Bowling Green Falcons on Dec. 5 in Detroit. Hare is the third NIU quarterback to win the MAC Championship in the past four seasons.

Hare flashes potential for solid career

By Frank Gogola | December 7, 2014

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Drew Hare has as many MAC Championship game victories as former greats Chandler Harnish and Jordan Lynch. Let that sink in for a minute.Hare picked up his first postseason win in his first attempt, leading the Huskies (11-2)...

Breaking Down the Falcons

By Danny Albers | December 3, 2014

Football is heading to the MAC Championship game for the fifth-straight season and will play the Bowling Green Falcons for the second year in a row, NIU having lost 47-27 in 2013. The Huskies (10-2, 7-1 MAC) and the Falcons (7-5, 5-3) kick off 6 p.m....

Breaking Down the Broncos

By Frank Gogola | November 25, 2014

The No. 14 football team will close out its regular season with a matchup against Western Michigan at 6 p.m. today at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies (11-0, 7-0 MAC) will look to win their 12th straight game, increase their nation-leading home winning streak to 26 games and extend their nation-leading conference winning streak to 25. The Huskies also look to claim the school’s first undefeated record as an FBS program in school history. Sports writer Brian Earle (@NSSBrianE22) will break down the Broncos.

Quarterback: The Broncos’ starting quarterback job has been back and forth all season between senior Tyler Van Tubbergen and redshirt freshman Zach Terrell. Van Tubbergen has made six starts compared to Terrell’s five, but he is out the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Terrell started in the Broncos’ most recent game against Central Michigan. He has been up and down in his first season, throwing eight touchdowns as well as eight interceptions. He completes 53.3 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,463 yards this season. He is not a mobile quarterback as on the season he has totaled -15 rushing yards.

Running back: The Broncos feature two running backs in their backfield with a similar number of carries. Senior Dareyon Chance has carried the ball 138 times for 658 yards while senior Brian Fields has 143 carries for 552 yards. Fields has done a better job of finding the end zone this season as he has six rushing touchdowns compared to Chance’s two touchdowns. In the red zone, Fields will see the bulk of the carries. Fields is used sparingly in the passing game as he has caught 13 passes for 122 yards.

Wide Receiver: The playmaker in the Broncos’ offense is freshman Corey Davis. Davis leads the Broncos and the nation’s freshman wide receivers in receiving yards, receptions, receiving yards per game, yards per catch and receiving touchdowns. He has recorded 64 receptions for 913 yards and six touchdowns. He averages 14.3 yards per catch and 91.3 yards per game. On the season he has recorded two 100-yard receiving games. With 87 more yards he will become the fourth wide receiver in MAC history to reach 1,000 yards in his freshman season.

Offensive line: The most experienced member of the Broncos’ offensive line is senior Terry Davisson. He is the anchor of a line that has surrendered 20 total sacks for a loss of 142 yards this season. They will be challenged by the Huskies’ defensive unit, which is fourth in the MAC with 28 sacks this season. Since Terrell is not a very mobile quarterback, the offensive line will have to buy as much time as it can for Terrell to find an open receiver. If Terrell doesn’t have any time to throw, it could be a long day for Western Michigan.

Defensive line: Senior Travonte Boles has done a little bit of everything for the Broncos at defensive tackle this season. He has recorded 51 total tackles on the season and been a force at stopping the run, with five tackles for a loss of 12 yards. Boles can also get after the quarterback as he has 1.5 sacks as well as a quarterback hurry on the season. Boles has also been solid in pass coverage this season as he grabbed an interception and broken up three passes. He is also coming off a game in which he blocked a PAT attempt against Central Michigan.

Linebacker: Senior Kyle Lark has been a tackling machine for the Broncos this season. He is the second-leading tackler on the team with 88 total tackles. He has been strong against the run, making five tackles for a loss of 11 yards. He has not recorded a sack on the season, but in pass coverage he has recorded two pass deflections and two pass breakups. He has not picked off a pass, but he has one fumble recovery on the season.

Secondary: The leader of the defense is junior strong safety Justin Currie. The strong safety leads the Broncos with 103 total tackles, 54 of them solo. He is a hard-hitting defensive back, recording two fumbles on the season. He has made seven tackles for a loss of 20 yards and gotten to the quarterback once this season. He is strong in pass coverage as he has picked off three passes while breaking up nine passes. The Huskies will want to be aware of where Currie is on the field at all times.

Special teams: Sophomore kicker Andrew Haldeman has been the Broncos’ leading scorer this season. He has been responsible for 66 points this season, which is 30 more than the next-highest scorer. He has been an accurate kicker this season, hitting 16-18 field goals. He has been busy kicking field goals of late as nine of his 16 field goals have come in the last two games. Haldeman hit six field goals against Eastern Michigan and three against Central Michigan. He also has not missed an extra point, hitting 18-18 PATs.

It’s time to stockpile fantasy talent

By Steve Shonder | November 19, 2014

You need to be ready for the week-in, week-out grind of fast-approaching football playoffs.It isn’t the NFL Playoffs or the College Football Playoff, but it’s the fantasy football playoffs.Getting your fantasy team in playoff shape is an uphill battle...

Breaking Down the Bobcats

By Frank Gogola | November 17, 2014

Football’s simplest path to capture the MAC West title is to win its final two games. The Huskies (8-2, 5-1 MAC) start their two-game road trip when they take on the Ohio Bobcats (5-5, 3-3 MAC) 7 p.m. today at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio. Sports Editor...