NIU @ EMU Live Blog

HERE WE GO HUSKIES HERE WE GO!!!

Pregame

-I don't see why EMU picked us as their homecoming game. But then again I don't see a team that they can beat in the MAC West. And we only won 2 games last year.

-EMU Cheerleaders - Not looking so hot

-EMU Linebacker Daniel Holtzclaw seems like he has been playing at EMU forever

-Hyping up Dan Nicholson? Hope he lives up to the hype


1st Quarter

-Huge boot by Mike Salerno out of the end-zone

-Man, there is nobody in these stands

-HUGE INT for Bradley "Playmaker" Pruitt. 2nd week in a row he's grabbed one.

-Montell Clanton gets the start today at TB

-Wow that was the worst Onyebuagu pronunciation I've ever heard. Did these announcers read the media guide?

-Run for no gain, bad rollout by Danny, bad screen to Greg Turner. Missed field goal. What a wasted opportunity. Hopefully this will not come back to bite us later in the game.

12:08

-We can't keep giving up so many yards from the QB rushing the ball. The EMU QB McMahon apparently has a hurt shoulder. A good opportunity for us, but I hope he's OK. Former starter Andy Schmitt goes in for the eagles.

-ANOTHER great play by Bradley Pruitt. He really is making the most out of his time at CB.

-LB blitz by Josh Allen forces Schmitt to throw the ball away on a 3rd and 10.

8:17

-Me'co Brown gets the next series and starts off strong with a nice carry

-I guess WR Matt Simon isn't playing today for some reason (Injured foot). What is going on with our WRs?

-Danny N almost throw up a pick and play is reversed to an incomplete pass

-Greg Turner is getting the bulk of the receptions today with the absence of Simon at WR

-It seems like Me'co Brown is just one broken tackle away from a TD on every play.

2:49

-Me'co Brown TD UNTOUCHED!!! 7-0. Great blocks by RG Dan Keller and RT Jon Brost.

-Salerno is kicking the crap out of the ball through the endzone

-Schmitt throws a pick right to LB McCarthy. Kyle Orton style.

-DeMarcus Grady does what he does best: Run the ball FOR A TD!!! 14-0

-EMU QB McMahon is in a sling now


2nd Quarter

-I'm NEVER having Burritoville again in my life

-Josh Allen with a huge play in the backfield. He is having a great game. Interesting note is that the announcer said that Kill announced at some point that he was hi most omplete linebacker.

-Mike Krause LAYED THE WOOD on a WR. WOW

-EMU doesn't convert the 4th and 3. Larry English is causing havoc.

10:22

-Montell Clanton with another run. Our RBs aren't getting touched on these big plays. Good play by a healthy? Jason Onyebuagu.

-We just had 2 fullbacks blocking for Me'co. Couldn't get it in though.

-Nice little reverse by Marcus Perez for a TD! 21-0

-Freshman DT Adam Coleman with a nice tackle

-Our defense looks awesome in this gmae for how long they've been out there. Unlike last year, our secondary is actually covering people.

-EMU just misses a FG. Let's hope for a shutout.


HALFTIME 21-0

-Me'co Brown is looking like the "special" back that Jerry Kill is looking for in this offense and getting the bulk of the carries.

-Haven't seen much of Britt Davis, who must be officially in Coach Kill's (or PJ Fleck's) doghouse

-TE Reed Cunningham is performing consistently, which is key for this team to perform. A decent TE is something we lacked completely last year.

-All of our running backs are productive. Brown, Clanton, Spann. All having good games.

-This is too easy. FB Kyle Skarb with his first career TD catch. 28-0 Huskies.

-McCarthy with a TEXTBOOK tackle

-I'm starting to think how this game would turn out if EMU's starting QB McMahon didn't get knocked out of the game. It would have changed the whole pace of the game with the offense being more successful and giving EMU more of a breather on defense. This game is nice for our offense, but overall I would say this may turn out to be an inconclusive victory.

-P Andy Dittbenner is locating inside the 20 a ton

4th Quarter (Huskie B Team)

-Me'co Brown goes down with a leg injury. I hope its not serious and that he can return. He really is the star of the game.

-We are SWARMING on defense. Even now.

-LB Tim McCarthy is having a banner game.

-QB DeMarcus Grady still perfect passing for the season.

-Justin Anderson in garbage time? Crazy. We have 5 capable running backs.

-The ice on Me'co Brown is on his lower foot area. It can't be that bad since he is still out there on the sidelines. He is limping off the field after the game unassisted, so I am confidence in his return this season.

-Safety by DJ Pirkle. He's having a great game.

37-0 W

The Sycamore Stomp

You all saw the massacre that was the 48-3 beatdown of the Indiana State Sycamores of Terre Haute, IN. You have to be careful with what you take away from this game because of how bad ISU is as a team.


INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Turnovers

We would have even won by a larger margin if it weren't for fumbles by both freshman Me'co Brown on a punt return and DeMarcus Grady in a 1st and goal situation. The Brown fumble was going to happen one of these days due to his lack of experience. Good thing we were up 31-0 at the time.

However, our defense did a tremendous job forcing 3 picks and a fumble Saturday for the Huskies. Usually our defense hardly ever causes turnovers, even against bad I-AA/FCS teams.

Due to all the turnovers, we were able to control the ball and move on the ground all game and gain 285 yds rushing by 6 different players.

QB DeMarcus Grady completed his first pass ever for a TD. I guess if he can get the yards on the ground, is there any need for him to throw the ball? The answer obviously is yes, eventually he will have to pass at a minimum, but he is performing well for right now.


FILM ROOM

Watching the the game and the highlights MadDawgz put up, I came to these conclusions:

Neither LG Kevin Skatrud or RG Dan Keller looked great at all watching video. Jason Onyebuagu can't be 100% healthy. I think we may need some more athletic guards on our roster to have a much more efficient running game. LT Trevor Olson rebounded with a great game Satuday.

MLB TJ Griffin made the most of his split time with Tim McCarthy and made some superior plays. McCarthy was awesome as well. It's excellent to see his intensity back with the team as a senior leader. He's been through so much turmoil throughout his career I can't see what he does this season in his 5th year.

CB Bradley Pruitt jumped on that interception by a mile. It wasn't even close. Kyle Orton-esque play by ISU.

DBs Patrick George and David Bryant DESTROYED that one guy in the 2nd quarter, which was an awesome highlight hit. Possible YouTube upload?

Bryant also did a good job punching the ball out of the ISU QB's hand in the 3rd quarter, as Sobol picked it up. George made a nice play on the lobbed pass the ISU QB threw up in the 3rd as well.


Right now it's important to build off this victory and focus on next week's conference matchup with EMU on the road.

Soccer Update/ISU Preview

In case you haven't checked out either our soccer teams, GO!

BOTH TEAMS ARE UNDEFEATED SO FAR!!!

The men's team is 5-0-2 (I hate ties) and are fresh off of an upset of #2 SMU today in OT. What a HUGE win for our program.

The next chance you have to catch the men's team at home is next Friday the 26th at home against Florida Atlantic. Conference play starts off with a bang a week after that on Saturday, October 4th against MAC rival Akron.

The women's team is 4-0-3 and start conference play next Friday as well @ 4 PM against Bowling Green.

I feel bad I haven't made a trip out to see the new Track/Soccer Field Complex and really want to check it out next Friday and watch both teams play throughout the day.

In basketball news, Chauncey Billups hooped it up with the Huskies the other day.


What to expect tomorrow

It's been too long since a home game for the NIU Huskies. We really need to get that winning taste back in our mouths. Indiana State is definitely a team that you can work on things against, as indicated from their record from 2005 to now. The game has been added to ESPN Gameplan, so fans across the country can check out the Huskies play on Comcast.

All signs point to QB Dan Nicholson starting the game tomorrow, as redshirt freshman DeMarcus Grady can shift in and play in certain situations. Can DeMarcus throw the ball?

"His strength is his athleticism, his weakness is experience," Kill said. "But he can throw the ball."

"I didn't throw a lot in high school but when I did, I was effective," he said.

He credits quarterbacks coach Pat Poore with helping him improve his footwork and throwing mechanics and Nicholson with helping him learn to read defenses better.

"Last year on the scout team I didn't have to read the defense," he said. "That's what this system is all about."

He was glad he didn't have to think about his debut.

"It was a blessing to me (getting thrown into the mix unexpectedly at Western Michigan)," he said.

With more reps in the last two weeks, he's beginning to feel much more comfortable.

"I like this coaching staff because they're teaching me to play the position the right way." NIU Update

Indiana State is having a QB rotation as well, but ours is more effective:

"The thing that's really amazed me and is we're probably the only team in the country to go through three quarterbacks in two weeks and we still moved the ball,' said Kill, who credits all the work all the signal callers got this fall with a new coaching staff continuing to install a new system.

Also, P Andy Dittbenner's excellent punting is getting noticed, as he has been added to the Ray Guy award watch list.

Neutral Site Games: The Other Side

September 1st 2007, the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Northern Illinois Huskies in the first FCS game played at Soldier Field in over a decade. Soldier Field is sold out months in advance in anticipation of the contest. Huskie and Hawkeye fans alike see the game as a great opportunity for both schools to play in a NFL stadium, on Lake Michigan, on Labor Day weekend. Both schools have activities planned throughout the city including Iowa Day at Wrigley Field. The Hawkeyes win a defensive game 16-3, but both teams go onto have sub-par 2007 seasons.

Fast forward fifty-four weeks later, and you find a fan base up in arms over the seemingly forgone conclusion of playing Wisconsin in 2008 at the same venue. After seeing BCS opponents Wake Forest, Maryland, and Iowa State come to DeKalb in a two year span, a BCS team has not traveled to Huskie Stadium in five years. Instead, NIU has played home out of conference games against Southern Illinois (twice), Tennessee Tech, Temple (at the time), Indiana State (twice), and finally Navy this season. They want to see better opponents, and nobody can blame them for that.

According to a UW official, the likely scenario appears to be a game at Soldier Field against Northern Illinois. The Huskies are scheduled to play host to UW on Oct. 24 next season in DeKalb, Ill., though that appears likely to change in the wake of the talks between the schools. “They’re driving it but we’re excited about it,” the UW official said of facing the Huskies at Soldier Field. “We have a big fan base down there and it is a pro venue.

However those who do not see the good reason to play this game at Soldier Field are truly being selfish. Yes, we as fans have to make sacrifices and pay more then we would if the game was at with Huskie Stadium, but to a mid major school with a small football budget, the money that NIU will receive for this game is too good to pass up. Fans can concoct ways to make more money by having the game in DeKalb by charging a premium for the Wisconsin game and making students pay for tickets, but in the end you alienate your fan base as much as you do by having the game at Soldier Field. The athletic department is run by people who are better at their job than people on a message board, and fans need to have faith in them. Northern made between a million and a million and a half dollars playing at Soldier Field and with a program that is desperately in need of an indoor practice facility and a new press box, the money is too much to pass up.

I think that it's a great idea to be able to play at Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears. More importantly, having a game at a professional stadium will give us more well-needed publicity and also will help greatly with our recruiting.-Britt Davis

In the end, we as fans make think it is all about them, but really it is about the student-athletes who leave everything out on the field every Saturday. To play in a professional venue is a special opportunity that most collegiate do not get the chance to do. It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase their skills on the biggest stage, against a BCS opponent. Good for them, and good for NIU.

Northern Star Commentary Rebuttle

I saw an article in the Northern Star yesterday that I didn't like the looks of at all.

Jerry Burns points out in his Tuesday piece that he believes that a playoff system would benefit the MAC and smaller schools as a whole.

The first problem I have is that he starts off the article exclaiming "As an Ohio State fan..." You have got to be kidding me. How are you going to root the most for a school you don't even go to? I could understand if you went to an Ohio MAC school, but you are way west of that area. He says he has little to complain about the system that put OSU in the title game, which shows major bias starting off.

He goes on to say, "A playoff system would greatly improve the quality of play when the BCS giants face the mid-major teams, or “cupcakes.” Instead of assuming a win and moving on, the giants would actually have to play with heart and a desire to win."

I don't know exactly how this playoff system would improve the quality of play over the current bowl system really, which is meant to give each team a strong challenge. The last part doesn't even make any sense. When does a team assume a win and move on, without playing with a desire to win? I'm befuddled.

Already this season, we have seen evidence that the MAC can compete with BCS-level opponents. In week one of the season Bowling Green unseated No. 24 Pittsburgh, and just last week Ohio University was one-half away from upsetting No. 3 Ohio State.

Ohio State was ranked #3 at the time, but not after last weekend's huge loss to USC, 35-3, showing that the Buckeyes aren't as good as advertised. He should really keep up with the rankings of his favorite team! Nary does he mention that Pittsburgh gave away the game to BGSU turning the ball over 4 times and the fact that the Falcons got destroyed this past weekend by Minnesota at home and by Boise St on the road.

I have trouble believing that these ranked teams were playing with 100 percent focus on their opponent.

You're disowning your own reasoning.

One little known fact – Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour rushed and passed for more yards than Heisman winner Tim Tebow last season, with only nine fewer touchdowns.

LeFevour's accomplishments have been thouroughly noticed throughout the media, as he also has a huge billboard of him outside Comerica Park in Detroit.

Because CMU and the MAC don’t factor into the BCS, despite facing Kansas and Clemson in 2007, LeFevour did not garner any Heisman talk.

That's because CMU got DESTROYED by both of those teams.

It’s my strong belief that MAC players would get more respect from the media if they were to factor in the BCS and the national championship, just like Colt Brennan, who faced lesser opponents than LeFevour last season.

Colt Brennan and other MAC stars would have to play teams like Georgia in the 1st round of the playoffs, whose players have so much more talent it would be next to impossible to win even one game in this playoff format.

Just remember how much the media and fans loved it when Boise State beat Oklahoma.

That was a completely different situation, wherein Boise St actually had the better team that season. They went undefeated, making it to the BCS as a mid-major. The bowl system should stay, as it is manageable still to make the BCS currently as a smaller school who goes undefeated and deserves to be in the mix for the National Championship.

Grady, Morris Getting Reps

Following the opening game lost to Minnesota, Jerry Kill was quoted as saying he expects to use all of his quaterbacks this season, little did we know how right he would end up being. Just two games later, Kill has used three quaterbacks and is preparing his fourth for game action. With Chandler Harnish out indefinitely due to a sprained foot and Dan Nicholson nursing a sore arm stemming from offseason surgery, DeMarcus Grady and Ryan Morris are taking all of the reps at quaterback leading up to Saturday's bout vs. Indiana State.

Dan’s shoulder is still bothering him quite a bit; we’re just going to have to wait and see. We’re hoping to know more on Tuesday. He hasn’t practiced a whole lot in the last week. We’ve been working with DeMarcus (Grady) and Ryan Morris at that spot right now. That’s kind of where we are. We hope Dan will be ready to play, but we'll know more on Tuesday.

Grady saw time at Western Michigan, but did not attempt a pass. He carried the ball seven times for forty-three yards and a touchdown, however. Morris has yet to see playing time this season, but appeared in eight games last season including three starts. Kill could start either Grady or Morris, but also has the option of using Grady for running plays like he did versus Western Michigan a week ago. If Nicholson is cleared ready for game action, he is the most likely candidate to start.

The Huskies (0-2) open their home slate against FCS opponent Indiana State (0-2) on Saturday.

Finally recovered from last weekend

First off:

I'm looking for writers to fill in when I'm extremely swamped with school work and whatever else.

Secondly:

From the Kalamazoo bars to late night pizza to not being able to find the mass of Huskies at the tailgate, this past weekend was an interesting one to say the least. My favorite pre-game moment was walking through the massive student tailgating section, getting booed and having beer cans thrown at the small gathering of Huskie fans with me.

This game was strange. It was kind of like bizarro world with what happened in K-Zoo.

The main thing about this game was that rFR QB Chandler Harnish went down with a sprained ankle in the 1st part of the 1st quarter of the game. This was disappointing because he showed so much promise during the game @ Minnesota. WR Britt Davis didn't even make the trip to Kalamazoo because of "health issues". Right there 2 of your best offensive weapons are taken away from you.

At RB, Me'co Brown got most of the carries. Why? Because he's quicker and can peform better out of the shotgun formation, per OC Limegrover. I guess that is mostly what we were going to use against the Broncos. Still would like to see one back being used over and over so he can gain some consistency and yardage.

Both SR Dan Nicholson and rFR DeMarcus Grady got turns at QB, with Grady running every time. Grady really needs to learn how to throw if he wants an extended stay at the position. ESPN's Graham Watson made the Overstatement of the day, assuming facts before anything is reported.

Dan N's shoulder is not going to hold up all season, so we may consider burning the redshirt off of Brandon Rogers and letting him get some playing time throwing the ball around.

An old-school connection between Nicholson and Marcus Perez was made, with MPZ getting 6 catches for 77 yds. Nate Palm continues to impress catching 4 passes for 78 yds.

LT Trevor Olson had some trouble keeping the defensive tackles out of the backfield, as our QBs were sacked 4 times.

DE Larry English will be playing with a club against Indiana State because of a broken thumb injury, which required surgery. Overall the defense wasn't that great while struggling with run defense and not sacking Tim Hiller once in this game.

Overall, starting your second road game in a row, in-conference, with a rotating door at QB, with one of your best WRs not making the trip, with a new coach, with an inconsistent running game, with a freshman at LT is not going to be a good situation.

31-27 and 29-26. 2 close losses to some tough teams. Minnesota blew out BGSU who just upset Pitt, while WMU is the class of the MAC West.

This is a great time for a bye week and an FCS team to play. Let this team develop and get their things together before the bulk of conference play up ahead.


Now...what exactly am I going to do this weekend?

Keys to beating the Broncos

Before the season, the majority of people I had talked to pretty much wrote this game off as a loss. Everybody figured that OK we might slip past Minnesota, but playing away at Kalamazoo against one of the top MAC teams would be a hard thing to do.

Most of this perception changed during our road opender @ Minnesota. The game really was all over the place. Our offense looked like world-beaters at times, yet there was a lot of inconsistency. Same thing goes for the defensive side of the ball and on special teams.

An early conference opener means so much to each of these teams. An early win in the stacked MAC West Conference could do wonders for the self-confidence of your team.


Key #1 - Put pressure on QB Tim Hiller and force him to make mistakes

Although we may not have a defensive line as good as Nebraska's, we can use the same game plan against the WMU Broncos this week. Due to the fact that the running game was ineffective, all of the pressure was put on Hiller to make plays. He did a pretty good job going 30 of 49 for 342 yds and 2 TDs plus an INT.

If I were Tim Hiller, I would be having nightmares of Larry English leading up to this game. WMU's offensive line is one of the worst in the MAC and are going to have their hands full keeping our defensive linemen out of their backfield. Last week the Huskers had 4 sacks against Hiller. All of this helps our defensive backfield make plays and cause turnovers.


Key #2 - Establish a strong running game

WMU's secondary is far and away the best in the MAC, so the only way our offense is going to get going is by running the ball up the gut several times. WMU's d-line has talent, but are undersized and I'm confident that our o-line will be able to handle them better than the big Minnesota boys. We can use this to our advantage lulling their secondary asleep and throwing some play-action plays in there.


Key #3 - Continue improving on special teams

Our kicking game is (thankfully) situated with Salerno kicking bombs of 39 and 49 yards. We also had a blocked punt which was nice. Now back to the basics: Kickoff Coverage. The KO team was so horrendous last week and you cannot give an opposing team that much field position to start off offensive drives. Another thing we need to work on is getting better return yards from Me'Co Brown and whoever else is going to be back there on kick returns.


Key #4 - Cover TE Branden Ledbetter

Our Defense was lacking in our last game covering the TE's. Either our LB's or our Safeties weren't doing their job on coverage. Hopefully the kinks have been worked out with our defense and we can complete these tasks now. Ledbetter performed against the Big Red, catching 9 passes for 123 yds and a TD.


So there you have it. If we accomplish these few things, this game is ours.

Huskies 24, Broncos 18

Tomorrow's MAC Headlines Today

Navy @ Ball St (-7)
THURS 6:00 PM, ESPN (HD)

Ball St tops Navy in high scoring affair

Even though Ball St and Nate Davis like to pass, they must control the ball on the ground rushing MiQuale Lewis if they want to win this game at home. Ball St 48-Navy 38.

Miami OH @ Michigan (-14.5)
11:00 AM, (ESPN or ESPN2) (HD)

Michigan manages to squeak by in their 2nd game with a win over Miami OH

Both of these teams weren't expected to lose their first games and will be butting heads. I still don't have any confidence in what the Wolverines are trying to do this year, but I think that Miami OH can bounce back the furthest from their 1st week disappointment against Vanderbilt. Michigan 21-14.

Connecticut @ Temple (+7)
11:00 AM, ESPNU (HD)

Temple finally gets their revenge against UConn

Last year was an absolute travesty with Temple getting screwed out of a TD at the end of the game at UConn's place. I can't comprehend why Temple isn't favored in this game after blowing out Army last weekend. I don't think people understand how long Temple has been waiting to play the Huskies again, as they return pretty much everybody from that game the year before. Chalk up a win for the Owls, 28-13.


Ohio @ Ohio St (-34)
11:00 AM, (ESPN or ESPN2) (HD)

Without Wells, Buckeyes still manage to blow out Bobcats

Ohio just doesn't have the weapons to stay with the Buckeyes at all. Especially with no McRae on offense. No need for Beanie in this blowout in the making. 48-7.


Eastern Michigan @ Michigan St (-21)
11:00 AM, BTN (HD)

Spartans too much for in-state Eastern Michigan Eagles

MSU barely lost to the Cal Golden Bears and probably can't wait to beat up on their in-state rivals in EMU. Eastern Michigan played Indiana St, one of the worst FCS teams out there and are ill-prepared to face the Spartans. MSU 38-EMU 21.


Central Michigan @ Georgia (-24)
2:30 PM, FSS (HD) / SUN (HD)

Close call for Georgia as LeFevour makes case for Heisman

This is a game that I looked at during the pre-season and I thought that it would be a huge case for the MAC and Central Michigan if they were somehow competitive in this game. Georgia didn't have that great of a performance last week and I am more confident now in my assumption. CMU is a test for the hurting Georgia who even may be looking forward to next week's conference matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Expect a fairly high scoring affair with Georgia coming out on top, 31-28.


Akron @ Syracuse (-4.5)
2:30 PM, FSOH

In battle of bottom-feeders, Akron finds a way to come out top against the Orange

The Zips showed some life on offense against Wisconsin. Syracuse is nowhere near the talent of the badgers, so I think Akron can win against the Orange who lost last week to NW. Akron 28-Syracuse 17.

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh (-13.5)
5:00 PM, SNY / ESPN-GP / ERTV

Pitt Panthers fall victim to yet another MAC team in Buffalo Bulls.

It wasn't the Bowling Green Falcons that had the best performance of Week 1, it was the Buffalo Bulls blowing out UTEP 42-17. The stats that BGSU put up against Pitt weren't even that impressive, as the Panthers gave the Falcons the game fumbling 3x and throwing an INT. The Bulls have way too many offensive skill players for Pitt to handle and have a better team overall than BGSU. Pitt 21, Buffalo 31.

Kent St @ Iowa St (-7)
6:00 PM, NO TV?

Jarvis shines in Kent State's upset over the Cyclones

Eugene Jarvis got shut down when Kent St played the brick wall run defense of Boston College. They get some easier competition this week against Iowa St. Jarvis should be able to run wild in a 28-17 victory of the Cyclones.


Minnesota @ Bowling Green (-6)
6:30 PM, ESPNU (HD)

Minnesota defeats 2nd MAC team in Bowling Green to start 2-0

Like I said in the Buffalo-Pitt writeup, I wasn't impressed by BGSU's offensive stats and they are due for a post-upset letdown against Minnesota. Even though the Falcons get the Gophers at home, it really isn't a good situation for BGSU. I think Minnesota can manage to win a close game, making NIU look great. Goophers 23-20.

Toledo @ Arizona (-23)
9:00 PM, NO TV?

Stoops in trouble after Wildcats fall to mid-major Toledo

I think this spread is so high because Arizona managed to beat the lowly Idaho Vandals last week 70-0. I believe this is an aberration, as the Toledo Rockets come in to Tucson with enough weapons to stay in the battle. I would like nothing better than for Toledo to beat Arizona, who has started to recruit our players in Illinois. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but the extra bye week has given the Rockets a little more chance to prepare. It all falls on which defense can perform better with this game expected to be a shootout. Toledo 28, Arizona 21.