Football’s season opener went exactly as it was expected to go: The Huskies (1-0) dismantled the Presbyterian Blue Hose (0-1), of the Football Championship Subdivision, in a 55-3 romp Thursday at Huskie Stadium.“I’ll put it as simple as I can: We...
Quarterback: Without a doubt, the difference maker for the Huskies is senior Jordan Lynch. As he goes, the Huskies offense goes.
Lynch produced one of the most historic seasons in college football history last season, becoming the only quarterback to run for more than 1,500 yards as well as throw the ball for more than 3,000 yards. Going into this season, Lynch looks to continue that success starting with Iowa. In the season opener against Iowa last year, it was Lynch’s first collegiate start and was seemingly one-dimensional, relying heavily on the running game. Lynch is a different quarterback than he was then so expect him to exploit the Iowa defense throw the air as well as on the ground for big plays.
Running back: Senior Akeem Daniels has had trouble staying on the field due to nagging injuries. Cue junior Cameron Stingily as he is expected to get the start and carry the workload for the Huskies. Stingily came into NIU as a middle linebacker but last season he was converted to running back. Stingily does not have a lot of experience under as belt as last season he made one carry for 5 yards. But he will be a strong addition to the run game as a power back, something the Huskies have lacked the last few of seasons. You can expect Stingily to pound the ball right up the middle and fight for every extra yard.
Wide receiver: Junior TommyLee Lewis comes in this season as the most experienced wide receiver on the team. He will need to step up to fill the void left by former receivers Martel Moore and Perez Ashford. With Lewis generally playing in the slot, he creates mismatches for defenses with his speed and is able to create a number of big play opportunities. He can make big plays by stretching the defense or catching short passes and running for big gains after the catch. Last season, Lewis made 48 receptions for 539 yards and five touchdowns.
Offensive line: Protecting the quarterback’s blind side may be the most important job for the offensive line. That’s why junior left tackle Tyler Loos will be such a factor against Iowa as well as the rest of the season. Last season, Loos and the offensive line did a great job of protecting Lynch’s blind side and they only gave up eight sacks all season. Loos and the line not only kept Lynch off the ground but they opened up numerous, gaping holes for Lynch and others to run through for big gains. If Loos and the rest of the line are able to contain Iowa’s bigger defensive line, the Huskies’ offense should thrive in Iowa City.
Defensive line: Last season in the Huskies’ matchup against the Hawkeyes, the Huskies recorded six sacks. Senior Joe Windsor led the Huskies that game with his two big sacks for a loss of 19 yards in limited action. In a backup role all season, Windsor made a case that he could even be a starting defensive end as he was third on the team with seven sacks. With Windsor’s speed around the edge he is a constant threat, and he should put a lot of pressure on Iowa’s new starting quarterback, Jake Rudock. Now that Windsor will start, expect to hear his name called a lot.
Linebacker: Junior Jamaal Bass is someone who just has a nose for the football. You can expect him to be around the ball at all times making big tackles left and right. Last season, Bass was third on the team with 83 tackles, 45 of them solo. He was behind senior defensive back Jimmie Ward and former linebacker Tyrone Clark. With the departure of Clark and his 86 tackles from last season, Bass becomes the leader of the line backing core. Bass doesn’t come in as the biggest guy on the field, standing at 5’10”, 225 pounds, but he makes up for it with his speed and ability to cover the field.
Defensive Back: The leader of the defensive backs and defense falls on senior Jimmie Ward.
Last season, Ward did it all for the Huskies. He led the team in tackles by recording 104 and 65 of them solo. His mentality for each game is to record at least 10 tackles a game and he prides himself on making big stops. He was also a ball hawk in coverage for the Huskies, leading the team with three interceptions and was second with 11 pass breakups. You can expect Ward to continue flying around the field this season recording tackle after tackle.
Special teams: Coach Rod Carey has said the keys to victory against Iowa are to have good ball control and a strong kicking game.
Although not really needed for anything more than extra points last season, senior kicker Mathew Sims has been more than reliable. Last season he went 15-19 on field goals. He’s also proven his clutch factor as he made one of the biggest kicks in NIU history, a 40-yard field goal against Kent State in the MAC Championship to tie the game and send it into double overtime. Sims has also proven he can be good from beyond 50 or more yards as he hit a 54 yard field goal against Western Michigan last season.
With football’s fall camp in full swing, things are beginning to heat up on the practice field.While no quarterback has emerged in the race to replace Jordan Lynch, a number of players, including Tyler Loos, Rasheen Lemon and Jamaal Bass, are making...
The Huskie Bowl, 3 p.m. Saturday at Huskie Stadium, will have a new format but should bring the same competitive feel.Instead of the teams originally drafted and the seven-series-apiece scrimmage used in the past, this year’s format will be more of...
No. 23 football (12-2, 8-1 MAC) suffered its second loss of the season – and second loss in a row – as it fell, 21-14, to the Utah State Aggies (9-5, 7-2 MW) in the 2013 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Thursday at Qualcomm Stadium...
Handling kickoff, punt and field goal duties is nothing new for junior punter and kicker Tyler Wedel.Wedel was thrust into field goal duties when senior kicker Mathew Sims was not able to play in Saturday’s Akron game due to injury. Sims suffered a...
In front of a capacity crowd at Huskie Stadium, No. 23 NIU football came away with a 27-20 victory in its Homecoming matchup with Akron on Saturday.The victory increased the Huskies’ (6-0, 2-0 MAC) home-game winning streak to 23, which is a new MAC...
One thing football proved in its 30-27 victory over Iowa on Saturday is it is one very confident group.Facing a 10-point deficit against the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium with five minutes remaining, “confident” is one thing a lot of teams would not...
Revenge may not have been on NIU football’s mind, but that’s exactly what the team got Saturday in Iowa City.In a rematch with the Hawkeyes (0-1), the Huskies (1-0) rolled into hostile Kinnick Stadium and rallied for a 30-27 victory in their season...
On the biggest stage NIU football has ever played on, the bright lights of the Orange Bowl proved to be too much in its matchup against Florida State on New Year’s Day. The Huskies played the Seminoles close for three quarters, but the 31-10 Florida...
