Northern
Illinois Huskies
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
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2009 Northern
Illinois Preview
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2009 NIU Offense
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2009 NIU Defense
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2009 NIU Depth
Chart
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2008 NIU Preview
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2007 NIU Preview
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2006 NIU Preview
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Head coach: Jerry Kill
2nd year: 6-7
16th year overall: 110-64 |
Ten
Best Huskie Players
1. C Eddie Adamski, Sr.
2. DE Brandon Bice,
Sr.
3. FS David Bryant, Sr.
4. LB Alex Kube, Jr.
5.
QB Chandler Harnish, Soph.
6. OG Jason Onyebuagu, Sr.
7. OT Trevor Olson, Soph.
8. LB Cory Hanson, Sr.
9.
RB Me'co Brown, Soph.
10. RB Chad Spann, Jr. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 0-0
9/5 at Wisconsin
9/12 Western Illinois
9/19 at Purdue
9/26 Idaho
10/3 Western Michigan
10/10 OPEN DATE
10/1
at Toledo
10/24 at Miami Univ.
10/31 Akron
11/5 Eastern
Michigan
11/12 Ball State
11/21 at Ohio
11/27 at
Central Michigan |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2008 Record: 6-7
8/30 at
Minnesota L 31-27
9/6 at Western Mich L 29-26
9/13 OPEN DATE
9/20
Indiana State W
48-3
9/27 at Eastern Mich W 37-0
10/4 at Tennessee L 13-9
10/11
Miami Univ. W
17-13
10/18
Toledo W 38-7
10/25 Bowling Green W 16-13
11/5 at Ball State L 45-14
11/12
Central Mich L
33-30 OT
11/18 at Kent State W 42-14
11/22 OPEN DATE
11/25 Navy L 16-0
Independence Bowl
12/28 Louisiana Tech L 17-10 |
The
conventional wisdom was that Jerry Kill was walking into a goldmine.
NIU went 2-10 in 2007 but was one of the nation's hard-luck teams
with as bad a run of injury luck as any team could possibly have to deal
with. The injuries, on top of the year of rebuilding needing to be done,
made the Huskies a sleeper team going into last year, and Kill and his
staff helped speed up the overall process. Now the question is whether
or not NIU is ready to take another step forward or if more building
needs to be done.
2007 wasn't just a good bounce-back year; it
was a season that was this close to being truly special. The
Huskies were a fourth down stop away from beating Minnesota in the
season opener, lost to Western Michigan by three, lost to Tennessee in a
heartbreaker, and lost to Central Michigan in overtime. While there were
some close wins over lousy teams, too, last season showed that the team
lacked enough overall consistency to come up with every big win
possible. While this year's team has some major holes to fill, it could
be better overall.
The line play should be terrific. The
offensive front doesn't have a superstar, but center Eddie Adamski leads
a talented group that has solid depth and good size. The defensive front
looses Larry English, possibly the greatest defensive end to ever play
in the MAC, but there's a relatively quiet confidence around the program
that the line might turn out to be better as the season goes on with a
slew of tremendous prospects ready to be in the spotlight. English might
be gone, but Brandon Bice is an all-star and Jake Coffman is a nice new
face in the mix.
The linebacking corps could be the best in the
MAC, if Pat Schiller is as impressive in the middle as he was all
offseason, and the safeties are deep and talented. The running backs
didn't do enough last year, but there are four great options who could
all be in the hunt for a starting job anywhere in the league.
And
then there's quarterback Chandler Harnish, the team's leading rusher
last year and a good all-around playmaker who was asked to do too much
as a freshman. While he won't get the publicity of the other top MAC
quarterbacks, he could turn out to be one of the most effective players
for what NIU wants to do. What NIU wants to do is win.
Kill and
his staff have a nice mix of good veterans and dangerous young players
waiting in the wings. With more consistency on offense, better play
against the run, and more pop in the passing game, this could be a MAC
championship season. If it doesn't happen this year, NIU will be the
preseason favorite in 2010. But after what happened last year, Kill has
no problems with moving up the expectations timetable.
What to watch for on offense:
More from the running backs. Me'co Brown, Chad
Spann, and Ricky Crider all go around 5-9ish and around 190 pounds.
They're smallish, quick backs who can cut on a dime and have the
potential to rip off big runs when given the chance. They're all
tremendously athletic, and they all have the potential to carry the
ground game from time to time. Throw in Justin Anderson into the mix,
the star of 2007 who hasn't been able to stay healthy, and NIU is loaded
with good runners. So why did QB Chandler Harnish lead the team in
rushing with just 539 yards? That will change this season, and while
Harnish won't stop running, the backs will carry the ground game.
What to watch for on defense: Pat Schiller. The 6-2, 225-pound
sophomore could be the key to the defense. Starting in the middle in
place of Tim McCarthy, he could become a statistical all-star with
everything being funneled to him. If he's great, the linebacking corps
will be special with stars Alex Kube and Cory Hanson on the outside. The
line has work to do and the secondary has questions at corner, but the
linebackers could carry the team at times against the better MAC spread
attacks.
The team will be far better if … the passing game is more
efficient. This could be a problem with the receiving corps likely to be
the team's weak spot. Harnish was just getting his feet wet last year
and he threw too many interceptions over the second half of the season,
but he had two nice veterans in Marcus Perez and Matt Simon to help him
out. Last year's passing game was 11th in the league in efficiency and
100th in the nation in yards. There's too much speed and too much upside
to not get more out of the receivers, even if they might need a little
time to take to their starting jobs.
The Schedule:
Playing in the West, the NIU season is all about
when and where the games against the heavy hitters come. Last year, the
Huskies lost to the big three teams in the division (Ball State, Western
Michigan and Central Michigan). This year the Huskies play WMU at home
and CMU on the road, with the battle against the Chippewas coming to end
the regular season. There's a nice three-game home stretch in the second
half of the season, but back-to-back road games at Toledo and Miami
University could be sneaky-tough. Missing Buffalo from the East is a
plus, but Akron could be a a dangerous team by late October. The
non-conference schedule isn't horrible, getting winnable games against
Western Illinois and Idaho to go along with road dates at Wisconsin and
Purdue.
Best Offensive Player:
Sophomore QB Chandler Harnish. He threw nine
picks over the second half of last year and he struggled to come up with
a really big win over a good team, but he has a year of experience now
to go along with his combination of mobility and passing skills. Unlike
last year when he had a veteran receiving corps to help him out, he has
to make everyone around him better.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior DE Brandon Bice. The second-banana on the other side of Larry
English, Bice didn't exactly set the world on fire even though everyone
was paying attention to the superstar. This year, Bice needs to be a
steady pass rusher, and he has the talent to do it. He's quick, tough
against the run, and the type of player the rest of the line can work
around. However, he needs to step up his game and be even better than
last year when he made 6.5 tackles and 12 tackles for loss.
Key player to a successful season:
Junior CBs Kiaree Daniels and Patrick George. They have the speed and
they have the ability, but it has to translate into production as they
step into the starting roles. Unlike recent NIU corner tandems, Daniels
and George have to do something to pick off passes. Without English to
terrorize quarterbacks, the pass rush won't be as strong. That means the
new corners have to be great even though they'll receive less help.
The season will be a
success if ... NIU
wins the MAC title. If Buffalo could win it last year ... that's what
every MAC team is going to say going into the year, but NIU has the
combination of talent and experience to make the giant leap forward and
win it all. The schedule works out as well as can be asked for, while
the coaching staff knows the league now. That's why it'll all likely
come down to ...
Key game: Nov. 27 at Central Michigan. The MAC opener against
Western Michigan is a must win to give NIU a fighting shot to win the
West, but it'll take a victory over the Chippewas to clinch it. At least
that's the hope. It could be the MAC game of the year if everything
breaks right.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter
scoring: Northern Illinois 8 - Opponents 29
- Sacks: Northern
Illinois 25 for 143 yards - Opponents 16 for 82 yards
- Time of
possession: Northern Illinois 31:58 - Opponents 28:02
-
2009 Northern
Illinois Preview
|
2009 NIU Offense
-
2009 NIU Defense
|
2009 NIU Depth
Chart
-
2008 NIU Preview
|
2007 NIU Preview
|
2006 NIU Preview