Aug. 16, 2007

Editor's Note: Over the next 8 days, Northern Illinois' daily practice reports will contain a position-by-position look at the 2007 Huskie team. Today, a preview of the Defensive Ends. Coming Friday: the Offensive Line.

 

DeKalb, Ill. -- Northern Illinois defensive ends coach Mike Sabock hasn't had to make any hard decisions during preseason camp, as junior Larry English (Aurora, Ill. / Marmion Academy) and sophomore Brandon Bice (McCook, Ill. / Lyons Township) have continued their stranglehold at the left and right end.

 

"Larry English and Brandon Bice have solidified themselves as the starters," Sabock said.

 

English, who is on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, had a breakout sophomore year, tying the school-record with 12 sacks on his way to being selected to the 2006 All-Mid-American Conference First Team.

 

"Obviously with what Larry has done in the past, he can be a pretty darn good football player," Sabock said.

 

Despite the accolades, English always strives for that extra edge.

 

"[Larry] just knows he needs to be a good football player and there's things he needs to get better at," Sabock said. "He's working as hard as he's always worked and I expect big things out of him."

 

Could opportunities arise for English's teammates if opposing teams were to double-team the Aurora, Ill., native? Sabock concedes that it is a possibility, but he also expects the defensive line and other defensive end to shed their single blocks.

 

"We know on every play, certain guys are going to get one-on-one blocks," Sabock said. "Someone is going to get double-teamed, usually, and three other guys are going to get one-on-one blocks, we expect them to beat them.

 

"Whether it's Larry, Craig Rusch (Hilbert, Wis. / Hilbert), Alex Krutsch (Schaumburg, Ill. / Schaumburg) or Brandon Bice," Sabock continued.  "It's a team-defense. When you get one-on-one blocked, you have got to win."

 

Bice, a red-shirt sophomore, collected four tackles in three games in 2006.

 

Other defensive ends that are expected to contribute are sophomore Anthony Antonacci (Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley) and surprising red-shirt freshman Jake Coffman (German Valley, Ill. / Foreston).

 

"[Jake] is a 22-year old redshirt freshman who was in the Marines, who really hasn't played football in a long time," Sabock said. "He's a tough guy that we didn't know if he'd do the right things or understand the defense and he's done that very well.

 

"We were hoping that he'd be in our two-deep and he's shown that he's capable."

 

Thursday morning was a padded practice that showed that the "Dog Days of Summer" were truly upon the Huskies. The session featured work on red zone offense and an unscripted 11-on-11 practice.

 

"Practice was okay," Head Coach Joe Novak said. "You get to a certain point in two-a-days, but they pushed through it. It wasn't pretty, but they did push through it and we got some things done."

 

"I'm not completely surprised or disappointed," Novak continued. "There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm, but they worked.

 

"It was a controlled scrimmage that was a little sluggish, but they pushed through."

 

Northern Illinois opens the 2007 season on Saturday, Sept. 1 at Chicago's Soldier Field versus Iowa. The sold-out game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU. The Huskie Stadium opener will take place Saturday, Sept. 8 versus in-state foe Southern Illinois. Season tickets for NIU's five Huskie Stadium games are on sale now for just $95 at www.niuhuskies.com or by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at 815-752-6800.

 

                                                --NIU--