While it may appear there are too many holes to fill on football’s defensive line, all is well for the Huskies on the home front.Last season, the defensive line was one of the nation’s best. The Huskies as a team were 17th in the nation in sacks by...
Football was back in the air in DeKalb on Wednesday, when the Huskies took the field in pads for the first time this summer.The Huskies are coming off an historic season in which they repeated as MAC Champions, defeating Kent State in the MAC Championship,...
The Florida State Seminoles won the opening coin toss in the Orange Bowl and chose to defer possession. The NIU Huskies went three and out on their opening possession, but got the ball back on a Nick O’Leary fumble, forced by Rashaan Melvin and recovered...
While getting a BCS berth has certainly panned out to be one of the best ways to send out the winningest senior class in NIU history, it helps the returning players as well. “It sets a tone for them, it really does,” said coach Rod Carey. “It shows...
NIU football has not faced a ranked team this season. It has not faced a team that has the playmaking ability on either side of the ball like Florida State has. Defensively, this puts a lot of pressure on all the players, but especially the secondary....
For some teams, game planning for a dual-threat, mobile quarterback can be a challenge. However, this will not be the case for NIU’s defense. The Huskies’ defense will feel comfortable going up against Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel, as they...
While the Orange Bowl match-up has been billed as David versus Goliath, as well as an explosive offensive versus a suffocating defense, there is more than meets the eye. The offense of NIU is not the only aspect that has allowed it to become the first...
After sitting out the 2011 season due to personal issues, senior linebacker Tyrone Clark was back on the field for NIU football, playing as well as he did when he was a sophomore. In his return to the field, Clark recorded 82 total tackles, 48 solo tackles...
With 15 of his 16 career sacks coming in the last two seasons, senior defensive end Alan Baxter has come on strong the last two years of his career. Baxter’s efforts during the regular season schedule were good enough to lead the team in sacks and tackles...
“We’re taking our talents to South Beach!” That’s how senior defensive end Sean Progar ended his speech at the NIU Discover Orange Bowl pep rally in the Convocation Center on Wednesday. The rally, which took place at halftime during the NIU men’s...
While NIU has been ripped apart by sports analysts all over the TV and internet since it earned a bid to the Orange Bowl Sunday, it has not gotten involved in all the talk. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit leads the charge against the Huskies and called their...
Despite the last couple hectic days for NIU football, the Northern Star found time to sit down with one of the anchors of NIU’s defense: senior defensive end Sean Progar. Progar has been a big factor in the Huskies’ 12-1, MAC Championship-winning...
