College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Northern Illinois Huskies season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Northern Illinois Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 5-7 overall, 4-4 in MAC
Head Coach: Thomas Hammock, 2nd year, 5-7
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 112
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 92
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 88
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Northern Illinois Huskies Offense 3 Things To Know
– Northern Illinois football has been about running it behind a great offensive line, getting an efficient enough passing game to get by, and controlling the clock and tempo.
The time of possession side of things was great under new head coach Thomas Hammock, but that was about it for an O that finished 104th in the nation overall, averaged just 23 points per game, and didn’t get the running game going well enough. In comes South Dakota State offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness to try changing all of that with a bit more of a wide-open attack.
It’s going to take a whole lot of work.
CFN in 60 Video: Iowa Preview
Northern Illinois at Iowa, Sept. 26
– The running game worked around Tre Harbison and his 1,021 yards and eight touchdowns. Now he’s a Charlotte 49er. QB Marcus Childers was the second-leading rusher – he’s gone, too.
Jordan Nettles is back, though, as a 177-pound speed option who ran for 274 yards – that’s about it. Freshman Jevyon Ducker and JUCO transfer Erin Collins will get their shot for an O that has to find a main man from out of all the young running back options.
The O line wasn’t up to its normal Northern Illinois snuff, and now it has to be better with center CJ Perez off to Temple. There’s experience coming back, starting with senior Benn Olson at one guard spot and 6-6, 317-pound sophomore Marques Cox working at tackle.
– The quarterback situation needs to get the backup situation in order, but former Cal transfer Ross Bowers is a good starter if the gets the help to do more. He’s not a runner, but he only threw seven touchdown passes and eight picks. New recruit Dustin Fletcher is the most talented backup option, but the proven depth is non-existent.
Cole Tucker led the team with just 38 catches for 531 yards and a score, and former JUCO transfer Tyrice Richie returns after coming up with a team-high four touchdown passes. However, losing top TE Mitchell Brinkman to USF hurts – he was second on the team in receiving yards.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Northern Illinois Huskies Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Northern Illinois Huskies Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defense that finished fourth in the MAC didn’t generate nearly enough pressure into the backfield and it couldn’t make up for the problems on the offensive side. Now it has to try fixing its line while looking for a whole lot of improvement.
Along with losing top RB Tre Harbison to the transfer portal – he took off for Charlotte – the Huskies suffered a brutal blow losing top DE Matt Lorbeck and DT Jack Heflin. Heflin is off to Iowa, and Lorbeck will likely end up on the Hawkeyes.
Weston Kramer is a 294-pound defensive tackle, and 222-pound junior Michael Kennedy is a promising pass rusher, but the front four requires a rebuild.
– The linebacking corps should be a whole lot better in a big hurry. Second-leading tackler Vinny Labus is back, and sophomore Nick Rattin can play on the inside. The hope is for Duke transfer Greg DeLuca to become a factor, but the stars of the show are back.
Kyle Pugh – who made 106 tackles in 2018 – returns after missing almost all of last year, and Lance Deveaux is also back at an outside spot after also getting knocked out of the mix last season – he was fourth the team with 67 tackles two years ago.
– The pass defense was the third-best in the MAC – allowing 300 yards just once and allowing one touchdown pass or less in seven games … and it picked off a mere four passes.
Leading tackler Mykelti Williams is done from one safety spot, and fourth-leading tackler Trayshon Foster is gone at the other. The corner combination of Dillion Thomas and Jalen McKie can hit, but the safeties are going to be very, very green.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Northern Illinois Huskies Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Northern Illinois Huskies Players
Best Northern Illinois Huskies Offensive Player
QB Ross Bowers, Sr.
The Cal transfer couldn’t stay healthy last year, and he wasn’t all that great when he was on the field. He only hit 58% of his passes for 2,130 yards and seven touchdowns with eight picks, but he has a live arm, can move just enough to buy himself some time, and now he has the experience in the system, to go along with his time at Cal. He can make the offense go if all the other parts are solid.
2. WR Cole Tucker, Jr.
3. OT Marques Cox, Soph.
4. PK John Richardson, Soph.
5. RB Jordan Nettles, Jr.
Best Northern Illinois Huskies Defensive Player
LB Kyle Pugh, Sr.
The 6-0, 225-pounder was second on the team in tackles in 2018 with 106 stops on the way to all-star honors, but he only lasted two games in 2019 before getting knocked out for the season with a shoulder injury. He might not be all that big, but he can move, he can hit, and he’s going to be back and healthy – along with Lance Deveaux – to boost up the linebacking corps.
2. LB Lance Deveaux, Sr.
3. LB Vinny Labus, Jr.
4. DT Weston Kramer, Sr.
5. CB Dillon Thomas, Jr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Northern Illinois Huskies Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Northern Illinois Huskies Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Northern Illinois Huskies Offense
Start moving the ball better. The Huskies had no problems controlling the clock, and the running game was okay, but the O was miserable on third downs as drive after drive just stalled.
The Huskies were 117th in the nation in third down conversion percentage, managing to convert just one try in the loss to Central Michigan, one in the win over Western Michigan, and failing to hit 30% six times. When the O converted 40% or more, the team was 3-1.
Biggest Key To The Northern Illinois Huskies Defense
1) Generate more of a pass rush so that 2) the secondary might be able to pick off more passes.
Four. That’s how many more throws the NIU defense intercepted than you did, and two came against Akron. The eight picks in 2018 weren’t great, either, but before that … 15 in 2017, 14 in 2016, 22 in 2015, and 24 in 2014.
The 2013 NIU D picked off as many passes in a win over Purdue as the defense came up with all of last year. Here’s the thing, though – that 2013 defense generated 34 sacks.
The defense didn’t always come up with 43 sacks like the 2017 version did, but the 14 from last year was just pathetic.
In 2017, Sutton Smith came up with 14 all by himself.
Key Northern Illinois Huskies Player To A Successful Season
DT Weston Kramer, Sr.
What was supposed to be a strength is now a massive issue with Matt Lorbeck and Jack Heflin transferring away from the defensive front. The Huskies desperately need a veteran leader to be the anchor, and that’s going to have to be the 6-1, 294-pound Kramer.
He followed up a strong 38-tackle sophomore season with 23 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, but now he’ll have to be even more of a factor for the rebuilt line.
Key Game To The Northern Illinois Huskies Season
Central Michigan, Oct. 10
Where is the program at under Thomas Hammock compared to 2018? Last season, the Huskies seemed like they were going to get over a bad start after shocking Ohio on the road. They were just about to pull up out of the nosedive, and then the … ugh.
Central Michigan 48, Northern Illinois 10
This time around, it’s right in the middle of the season, and it’s in DeKalb. The schedule works out well with a whole lot of winnable games, but lose to CMU again, and all but forget about the MAC West title.
– Northern Illinois Huskies Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Northern Illinois Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: NIU 32:45 – Opponents 27:15
– Sacks: Opponents 23 for 164 yards – NIU 14 for 99 yards
– Interceptions Thrown: NIU 11 – Opponents 4
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Northern Illinois Huskies Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Northern Illinois Huskies Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
Northern Illinois went to six straight MAC Championships from 2010 to 2015, and won the conference title in 2018.
Last year’s team should’ve been better.
It was a weird, weird first season for head coach Thomas Hammock and the program.
The miserable offense moved the ball a bit on a Utah defense that allowed fewer yards against six Pac-12 teams.
The Huskies were able to push Vanderbilt, and then lost at home to Ball State. It got by Toledo, but and then totally whiffed at home to Eastern Michigan, and then screwed up Western Michigan in a horrible-weather win to close things out.
There wasn’t a lick of consistency, and there likely won’t be a whole lot of that this year, either.
The lines that defined those great years for the program still need a whole lot of reworking, and the schedule isn’t going to allow a whole lot of time to get things together.
Set The Northern Illinois Huskies Regular Season Win Total At … 5.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 5.5
NIU will beat Rhode Island to open the season, but they have to go on the road for the next three games with two against Maryland and Iowa.
The rest of the slate isn’t a breeze considering home games against Kent State, Central Michigan, BYU, Buffalo and Toledo aren’t light-and-breezy layups.
It’ll be another quirky year with the team finding a way to get to five wins, but can it get that sixth win to go bowling? Going back to 1999, every time the program had a losing season, it followed it up with either a bowl game or a winning campaign.
No pressure, or anything, but it’s been over 20 years since Northern Illinois had back-to-back losing seasons.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
