2010 Northern Illinois Huskies Football Preview

2009 Results: 7-6, Lost International Bowl vs. South Florida

Head Coach: Jerry Kill (3rd year, 13-13 @ NIU, 68-45 Overall)

Home Venue: Huskie Stadium (24,000), DeKalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois was a surprising success in 2009. Coming off a bowl trip in ‘08, they were short on experience but that didn’t matter as they took Wisconsin to the limit early before upsetting Purdue in West Lafayette. Considering those games, if NIU has a strong campaign this fall, no one will be surprised. The Huskies return most of their major contributors from last season and are considered one of the favorites in the MAC West. Can 3rd year coach Jerry Kill lead NIU to their first division title since 2005?

OFFENSE

The Husky offense was dominant on the ground last season, running for nearly 200 yards per game! This was the primary reason that they scored nearly 29 points per contest. With so many key parts from that rushing attack returning this season, Northern Illinois has a great chance to be another dominant unit.

The key character in the ground game will be senior tailback Chad Spann (1,038 yards, 19 TDs), who was a 1st Team All-MAC selection in 2009. After splitting carries about 60-40 with departed Me’co Brown, he will be responsible for more of the burden this season. However, the good news is that junior Jasmin Hopkins could be one of the biggest impact newcomers anywhere in the country after leading all JUCO rushers last season.

Another great sign in the ground game is the veteran Husky O-Line. Three junior starters return from last season’s group of road-graders, though they do have to replace two 1st Team All-MAC linemen. However, there was a lot of depth last season and the new starters should both be upperclassmen, so expect another strong unit.

Finally, NIU’s ground dominance is sealed by the dual threat abilities of junior QB Chandler Harnish (1,670 pass yards, 229 rush yards, 13 Total TDs, 6 INT), who missed Spring practice with an injury but should be healthy this fall. If he holds onto his starting spot like I expect, then he will play a big role in the running game while orchestrating an effective play action passing attack. That said, the passing game is a concern after NIU finished the 2009 season with the league’s 3rd worst aerial attack and senior Landon Cox (45 catches, 535 yards, 4 TDs) was the team’s top wideout despite his average production.

Overall, Northern Illinois is going to win a lot of games running the football this season. However, their passing game is not going to be any more than a complimentary piece and I am very concerned about their ability to score points throwing the football. That said, the Huskies should boast one of the league’s best running games this fall and that should be enough for this team to be extremely effective at putting points up on the board.

DEFENSE

The biggest positive of Kill’s short tenure at Nothern Illinois is the quality of the defenses that he has overseen. Last season, his team allowed a paltry 21.6 points per game, 3rd best in the MAC, while notching a league-high 34 sacks! What makes those numbers even more impressive is that there were only three starters back from the 2008 unit, something that won’t be a concern this fall with eight returnees.

The best part of last season’s defense was a stout run defense and that was largely due to a great D-Line. Well, that unit looks to be pretty tough once more this fall. Highlighted by sophomore DE Sean Progar (30 tackles, 6 sacks), this line looks capable of generating a solid pass rush. Furthermore, the D-Tackles look very strong, as senior D.J. Pirkle (21 tackles, 2 sacks) should benefit in a major manner from the return of classmate Mike Krause, who missed the entire 2009 season after starting every game in 2008. I think that this will be one of the deepest and most talented lines in the league.

The linebackers also look quite good, led by senior Alex Kube (60 tackles) and junior Pat Schiller (82 tackles). Both players were very productive last season and should be in for another impressive campaign behind an improved line.

The Huskies also should have a stout secondary. Seniors Chris Smith (70 tackles) and Patrick George (46 tackles, 2 INT) are a very solid corner tandem in run support and junior safety Tracy Wilson (93 tackles) was the team’s top stopper in 2009. My only concern with this group is that while they are strong supporting the run, these three only combined for 2 picks all season! Furthermore, they oversaw a defense that allowed more than 40 yards per game more than in 2008, so there is definitely room for improvement.

All things considered, Northern Illinois should be in for another strong season on defense. With a very good front seven that generated the league’s top pass rush and one of its top ground defenses in 2009, I think that teams will be hard-pressed to run against the Huskies. I also think that the secondary should allow fewer yards through the air this season as their veteran defensive backs are primed for a good campaign. I fully expect this defense to finish once more among the best in the league in 2010.

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SCHEDULE

Northern Illinois does itself no favors with the non-conference schedule this fall, traveling to BCS opponents Iowa State, Minnesota and Illinois in the season’s first month. While that will surely be a difficult run, all three of those teams will struggle to be bowl eligible this fall. On top of that, the Huskies did upset Purdue in West Lafayette last year, so I will not be surprised at all if they repeat that feat this September.

In MAC play, they draw weaklings Buffalo and Akron from the East, though they do also host East favorite Temple. Finally, the MAC West schedule sees them travel to Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Ball State, leaving them with only two home division games. With a schedule that only includes five total home games, this will be a challenging slate for the Huskies

OUTLOOK

Northern Illinois has all of the key ingredients to contend in the MAC West. They have a coach who has a winning track record in D-1AA, a pair of strong units in the trenches and enough playmakers on both sides of the football to produce a favorable turnover margin. While there are some clear concerns with the passing game, I think that NIU’s excellent running game will keep defenses off balance enough to succeed in play action. While they play one of the toughest schedules in the MAC Conference, I strongly believe that Northern Illinois is a major contender for the MAC West crown. On top of that, I believe that the Huskies will upset Iowa State on the season’s opening day and that will propel them into the postseason for the 3rd consecutive season.

That said, Northern Illinois is vulnerable to a strong passing attack as their secondary’s inability to get their hands on interceptions is the one glaring flaw on defense. That will cost them in the West chase as I think an explosive Toledo passing game will give NIU their first loss in conference play in early November and that will end up being the tiebreaker that puts the Rockets over the top in the West. The Northern Illinois Huskies are my choice to finish 2nd in the MAC West Division in 2010.

PREDICTED RESULT: 8-4 (6-2 MAC)