April 3, 2006
DeKalb, IL -- Six practices into 2006 spring drills, long-time Northern Illinois University head football coach Joe Novak could be described as both optimistic and pragmatic, or maybe somewhere in between.
"Listen, I do know this, we're not exactly ready to play Ohio State right now," Novak mused about the Huskies' September 2 season-opener at the fabled Horseshoe in Columbus. "I'm very pleased with the spring so far, our work ethic, our energy, and our enthusiasm. At this point, we have some rough edges. I do think we can be a good football team. There's no doubt there. But we have a lot of work to accomplish this spring and August before we play at Ohio State."
The basis for the ultra-positive Northern Illinois outlook is obvious. The Numbers: Six-four-two. Try (a) six consecutive winning seasons, (b) four Mid-American Conference West Division crowns (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005) in five years, and (c) two recent postseason appearances (2004 Silicon Valley Football Classic and 2005 MAC Championship Game).
With Big Ten Conference co-champion Ohio State leading off the Huskie schedule, Iowa late in October, 42 returning Northern Illinois lettermen working in spring practice, 15 starters back overall -- including legitimate All-America candidates Garrett Wolfe (Chicago / River Grove Holy Cross) at tailback and Doug Free (Manitowoc, WI / Lincoln) at offensive tackle, there's more anticipation in Camp Huskie than in a vintage 1970s Heinz ketchup television commercial.
Further Cardinal and Black motivation may not be so obvious. Novak's squad opened the year at 1-3, journeyed into November at 4-4, and lost three times in 2005 by a touchdown or less (one point twice and six points). Sure, Northern Illinois advanced to its first MAC Championship Game by winning three straight down the stretch, but the 7-5 won-lost record was not acceptable inside the Huskie locker room. The proverbial Northern Illinois performance bar has been raised considerably.
"Imagine that," Novak said. "Think about where we came from seven or eight years ago. Our kids were really resilient last season. And, to their credit, they responded. We were 4-4 after the loss to Ball State and I was concerned. We lost our quarterback, lost two tailbacks, but fought right back into the MAC Championship Game. Sure, we were disappointed, but that comeback at the end of the year showed mental toughness."
During the next three weeks and the annual spring game on Saturday (April 22) at 3 p.m. (CDT) in Huskie Stadium, Northern Illinois and Novak still have more pressing issues to "sort out" for the 2006 campaign.
Pressing Camp Issue No. 1: How do the Huskies replace their one-two receivers in the graduated Sam Hurd (65 receptions fo 1,074 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2005) and Shatone Powers (43 catches for 494 yards and three TDs last autumn)? "No, you can't replace that type of experience. We may not have an 80-catch guy this year," Novak said. "But we've got some speed and young talent at wide receiver. Collectively, this might be the fastest group of wide outs we've had in my tenure here. We're young, relatively inexperienced here, but have great potential at WR."
For a so-called running team, Northern Illinois can throw and catch the football. The most promising person in the WR corps might be precocious and athletic soph All-MAC flankerback candidate Britt "Baby VIck" Davis (Broadview / Riverside-Brookfield) who toyed with the idea of playing quarterback before catching a school frosh-record 42 passes for 441 yards and three TDs last fall. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder made at least one reception in all 12 games, caught a season-best eight balls vs. Ball State, and started nine times as a red-shirt frosh in 2005.
Two reasons why the aforementioned Davis did switch to WR last autumn? Sophs-to-be Marcus Perez (Elkhart, IN / Central) and Matt Simon (Farmington, MN) missed 2005 due to academics and injury (ankle fracture), respectively, after both winning letters as true frosh. Between the two, the 5-11, 172-pound Perez generated the most stats in 2004 with 10 receptions for 166 yards, seven kickoff returns for 145 yards, and a 61-yard TD pass vs. Ball State.
Watch 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior WR Jarret Carter (Florissant, MO / Hazelwood Central), a Hurd body clone with long arms, height, and five receptions for 65 yards last year. Sticky-fingered grey-shirt soph Greg Turner (Glendale Heights / Addison Driscoll) could become the Huskies' best possession receiver since P. J. Fleck. Two talented red-shirt frosh encourage Novak's staff -- FLK Orlando Moore (Chicago / Morgan Park) and WR Preston Williams (Urbana). Sophomore Evans Adonis (Miami, FL / Southwest) and red-shirt frosh-to-be Ryan Gierke (Elburn / Maple Park Kaneland) also figure in the mix.
Traditionally, Novak digs tight ends who block and catch. Northern Illinois senior TE Jake Nordin (Lake Lillian, MN / Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) more than fills the bill at 6-foot-3 and 258 pounds. Compared to former Huskie TE classmate Brad Cieslak (now with the National Football League Buffalo Bills), Nordin earned Second-Team All-MAC honors with 26 catches for 266 yards and one TD in 2005. Six-four and 261-pound junior Brandon Davis (Broadview / Riverside-Brookfield) and 6-3, 227-pound soph Brandon Beal (Kirkwood, MO / Vianney) both lettered last season at TE.
Pressing Camp Issue No. 2: Always an advocate of speed and pursuit in his Attack Four-Three defensive scheme,Novak wants even more to combat the increasing number of spread offenses in the MAC. "Yes, we must upgrade the athletic ability we have on defense," the 11th-year Huskie bossman said. "We need to make tackles and plays in the open field."
Statistically, what category did the Northern Illinois "D" do best in 2005? Believe it or not, the answer is scoring defense (22.8 points-per-game yield) -- which put the Huskies a respectable No. 2 in the MAC and No. 34 nationally. In games when Northern Illinois allowed 447 yards or more on total offense, the locals were 1-4. Giving up over 400 yards passing, the Huskies were 0-2 (Akron both times). Novak's gameplan? Speed. Coverage. Pursuit. Respect the run. But more speed on defense equals less vulnerability to the pass. "Finishing No. 2 in MAC scoring defense indicates we were doing something right," Novak added. "At times though, we were inconsistent on defense."
Future Northern Illinois OLBs will be glorified safeties. The "hot" Huskie commodity of the spring might be 5-10, 193-pound red-shirt frosh LB David Bryant (St. Louis, MO / Ladue Horton Watkins). Signed as a CB, moved to TB, and red-shirted at FS last fall, Bryant moved to WLB this spring. "David Bryant is going to be good," Novak said. "He's athletic, fast, physical, and has great instincts."
While Bryant got acclimated to college, some of his National Letter of Intent classmates played right off the bat -- sophs Josh Allen (North Chicago) and Phil Brown (Chicago / Morgan Park) both won starts last year. Initially in the Huskie secondary, the 5-11, 217-pound Allen played in 12 games, started four times at WLB, and contributed 37 tackles as a true frosh. The 5-11, 225-pound Brown apprenticed with three starts at SLB and 51 stops in 10 appearances.
Basically, Novak's grizzled LB veterans still don't shave everyday. After three years on the squad, Northern Illinois SLB Keenan Blalark (Elgin / Larkin) earned 10 starts at MLB (two) and WLB (eight), plus notched a career-best 95 tackles a year ago. But the 5-10, 228-pound Blalark rates as the only upperclassman on the roster with LB experience.
Currently listed at No. 1 at "Mike" is soph Tim McCarthy (Neenah, WI), an old-school six-foot, 226-pound plugger who produced the school's most single-season freshman Huskie tackles (101 in 11 games) since Hall of Fame LB Frank Lewandoski (130 hits in 1976) and parlayed that rookie success into two prestigious postseason Frosh All-America honors (first-team by the Football Writers Association of America-Scripps and honorable mention by The Sporting News). Ex-TB-turned-LB and fellow soph T. J. Griffin (Carol Stream / Wheaton North) won four starts at SLB in 2005. Soph Luke Athans (Manhattan / New Lenox Lincoln-Way Central) is the sixth returning letterman at LB. Two red-shirt frosh -- Cory Hanson (Minneapolis, MN / DeLaSalle) and Zach Larsen (Northfield, MN) -- will also be factors in the spring LB evaluations.
"This is part of that sorting out process," Novak explained. "We've definitely got some athletes at linebacker. It's just a matter of getting the best ones on the field." The sign of the times (40 times, get it?)? Incoming 6-2, 200-pound frosh John Tranchitella (Addison / Driscoll) -- a two-way All-State regular (WR-DB) last fall -- is a LB on the 2006 Huskie depth chart.
Pressing Camp Issue No. 3: Outside of the Phil Horvath vs. Dan Nicholson battle at QB, the most competitive situation in Camp Huskie this spring might be both cornerback spots where seniors-to-be Adriel and Alvah Hansbro (Madison, WI / Edgewood) have combined for six varsity letters, seven pass interceptions, 39 starts, 296 tackles, and 3,315 career snaps during the last three campaigns. Basically, it's the Hansbro Twins Establishment vs. the Young Turks -- highly-touted sophs Bradley Pruitt (Chicago / Hyde Park) and Melvin Rice (Chicago / Morgan Park).
"The Twins" both started 12 times in 2005, contributed on at least five special teams units, and played 1,506 snaps in 12 appearances last year. The 6-1, 180-pound Pruitt played 153 snaps and the 5-10, 185-pound Rice went 142 snaps in 2005 -- mostly on special teams. Again, Novak seems to be favoring playmakers.
At FS, senior All-MAC candidate Dustin Utschig (Winneconne, WI / Fox Valley Lutheran) appears to be a lock after coming into his own as an 11-game starter with a team-leading 121 tackles and three pass interceptions last fall. The toughest shoes to fill in the Northern Illinois secondary probably belong to junior SS Mark Reiter (New Lenox / Providence) who must replace 2005 First-Team All-MAC selection and team tri-captain Ray Smith (82 tackles, four pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and one interception as a 12-game starter in 2005). The 6-1, 191-pound Reiter earned one start and contributed 35 stops, two deflections, and one "pick" last season as Smith's back-up and 236-snap special teams performer.
Pressing Camp Issue No. 4: Upfront, Novak believes the Huskies boast "more quality" with nine lettermen across the four-man defensive frontline. The Good News: The Northern Illinois D-line registered 40 of the team's 66 tackles for loss in 2005. The Bad News: Due to graduation, Novak and Company lost 15 defensive front starts last season with the departure of First-Team All-MAC DT Quince Holman (team-best 13 tackles for loss, five QB sacks, and four blocked kicks) and NT Martin Wilson (21 tackles). "Holycross could be ready to have a real breakout season for us," Novak said about the improved 6-7 and 284-pound junior-to-be DT Zack Holycross (Georgetown / Ridge Farm).
Senior Ken West (Calumet City / South Holland Thornwood) and soph Larry English (Aurora / Marmion Military) make superlative Huskie bookends on defense. As a red-shirt frosh in 2005, the fleet 6-3, 236-pound English posted a Northern Illinois D-line-best 78 stops, seven tackles for loss, and 13 QB hurries-pressures, plus nine starts in 11 games.
West, a 6-1, 238-pound three-year letterman, owns 19 career starts (11 in 2005) and 15 career TFL. Back-up DE Craig Rusch (Hilbert, WI) made Third-Team CollegeFootballNews.com Frosh All-America, started four times, contributed 39 hits and six tackles for loss, and might work some time at DT-NT. Other returning D-line vets include senior and three-year letter-winner Eric Pittman (Milwaukee, WI / Vincent) and soph Alex Krutsch (Schaumburg) at DT, plus senior and First-Team MAC All-Academic pick Brad Benson (Sycamore) and junior Adam Schroeder (Loves Park / Rockford Boylan) at NT, and junior Robert Oruche (Bensenville / Fenton) at DE. Also on the Huskie radar are red-shirt frosh Anthony Antonacci (Naperville / Neuqua Valley), Brandon Bice (McCook / LaGrange Lyons Twp.), and Adam Grimm (Mequon, WI / Homestead) at DE, plus soph Zach Osburn (Holland, MI / West Ottawa) at NT. Indeed, the defense will be quicker.
(For further information, please contact Mike Korcek) -- NIU --
