Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, IL
Maybe the view was skewed by the high bar of some past Huskie offenses, but NIU’s offense was inconsistent during parts of the season.
With former Huskie running back Thomas Hammock taking over as head coach this year, it will be interesting to see what effect he and his coaching staff will have on the offense.
One game does not a picture make, but Huskie fans will get a look at the Hammock Huskies Saturday when they host Illinois State.
The Redbirds finished 6-5 last year after winning five of their first six and losing four of their last five. They did end on a positive note, pulling out a 35-28 victory over Youngstown State. That win gave the Redbirds their ninth winning season in 10 campaigns under head coach Brock Spack.
With 16 starters returning, ISU should have the material to emerge victorious on most days/nights again this year. For the opening matchup, Illinois State’s offense against the usual stalwart Huskie defense should be interesting. On the flip side, NIU’s offense faces a Redbird defense that was ranked in the top 20 nationally in several categories.
ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE
➤➤ While ISU managed another winning campaign, it missed the FCS playoffs for a second straight year after three straight appearances. A four-game losing streak that started in late October proved to be fatal. Getting back to the FCS Show will certainly be a target in 2019.
➤➤ Among the 16 returning starters are seven players who earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors.
➤➤ Illinois State outscored opponents 134-30 in the fourth quarter last year. The only quarter in which it was outscored was the second (96-86).
➤➤ Quarterback Brady Davis returns after completing 55.9 percent of his passes for 1,935 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions.
➤➤ FCS All-American tailback James Robinson provided 1,333 yards and 12 of the Redbirds 22 rushing scores.
➤➤ He’ll be running behind an experienced line as six O-lineman have starting experience and get a boost from former Illini Adam Solomon (6-6, 325, Sr).
➤➤ Sophomore Andrew Edgar averaged 17.0 yards per catch as a freshman, grabbing 44 balls for 746 yards with four touchdowns.
➤➤ DBs Luther Kirk (1st Team) and Devin Taylor (2nd Team) earned All-Conference honors.
➤➤ The Redbird defense ranked No. 10 nationally in scoring defense (20.0 ppg) and No. 13 in total defense (309.8 ypg).
ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
➤➤ The Huskies ranked second among MAC teams in scoring defense (22.1 ppg) but were 10th in scoring offense (20.1 ppg)
➤➤ After taking his team to another MAC championship in 2018, Rod Carey took the head coaching job at Temple. Former NIU running back Thomas Hammock, who had been coaching running backs with the Baltimore Ravens, was selected at Carey’s replacement.
➤➤ Northern Illinois returns 16 starters (7 offense, 7 sevens, 2 special teams and 52 letterwinners.
➤➤ Among those returning on defense are the Huskies top four tacklers -- LB Antonio Jones-Davis (130), LB Kyle Pugh (106), S Mykelti Williams (75) and DB Lance Deveaux (67).
➤➤ Quarterback Marcus Childers completed 234 of 397(58.9%) for 2,175 yards and 15 TDs. He was, however, sacked 43 times and tossed 10 interceptions. The junior also ran for 531 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns.
➤➤ Tre Harbison is back after averaging 5.0 ypc (206/1034) and scoring five TDs in 2018.
➤➤ Senior Spencer Tears is the top returning WR, coming off a season with 40 catches for 422 yards and four scores.
For a full preseason preview on the Huskies, click HERE