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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

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...

Redshirt senior tailback Cameron Stingily rushes down the field Tuesday at Huskie Stadium against the Toledo Rockets. The Huskies used two second-half touchdowns from Stingily to help secure a significant victory in the MAC standings.

Football notches signature win

By Frank Gogola | November 12, 2014

Football did more in its win over the Toledo Rockets than position itself on the inside track to play in the MAC Championship game: It showed this year’s team deserves to make what has become an annual trek to Detroit.The Huskies (8-2, 5-1 MAC) showed...

Face Off: Better basketball season

By Steve Shonder | November 12, 2014

Men’s basketball comes into this season having completed the biggest turnaround in program history. It went 15-17 and 8-11 in the MAC last season, which was a 10-win improvement from the previous campaign. Now, the Huskies are returning four of their...

Breaking Down the Rockets

By Danny Albers | November 10, 2014

Football and the Toledo Rockets clash in a late-season mid-week battle for the top spot in the MAC West division.The Huskies (7-2, 4-1 MAC) conclude their 2014 home schedule 7 p.m. today at Huskie Stadium when they take on the Rockets (6-3, 5-0 MAC)....

Men’s basketball must make most of schedule

By Steve Shonder | November 10, 2014

Men’s basketball has to go through a solid non-conference slate before MAC play opens up.The Huskies put together a good performance Saturday at the Convocation Center in their 71-44 exhibition win over the Roosevelt Lakers, but there are still quite...

Breaking Down the Cardinals

By Ryan Simpson | November 4, 2014

Football looks to keep its MAC Championship game aspirations alive when it hits the road for a mid-week affair. The Huskies (6-2, 3-1 MAC) take on the Ball State Cardinals (3-5, 2-2 MAC) 7 p.m. today at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Ind. Beat writer Ryan...

Maddon hire provides jolt for Chicago Cubs

By Steve Shonder | November 3, 2014

The Cubs are ready to move on from the Lou Browns who have populated the manager job under Theo Epstein, president of Baseball Operations, and get a major leaguer.Joe Maddon, the former manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, was unveiled as the Cubs’ manager...

MAC Football Midseason Review

By Frank Gogola | October 27, 2014

Sports Editor Frank Gogola reassesses the MAC football landscape now that all 13 teams have played at least four conference games. With the MAC Championship game Dec. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit, who makes the cut?MAC East1. Bowling Green Falcons (5-3,...

Breaking Down the Eagles

By Danny Albers | October 22, 2014

After three consecutive home games, football will play its first conference road game of the 2014 season when it travels to Eastern Michigan. The Huskies (5-2, 2-1 MAC) will take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-5, 1-2 MAC) 4 p.m. Saturday at Rynearson...

Face Off: Football’s toughest game left

By Ryan Simpson | October 21, 2014

With the recent upset of Ball State over Central Michigan, football is in control of its destiny in the MAC. The Huskies’ fifth-straight MAC Championship game appearance is within reach, but some tough teams still pose a threat to their championship...