Aug. 3, 2007
While putting together a string of seven straight winning seasons and making three straight postseason appearances, Northern Illinois has built a reputation for literally running over its opponents with a series of star running backs. Thousand-yard rushers like Michael "The Burner" Turner, Thomas Hammock and Garrett Wolfe have powered a Huskie offense that featured the run in a day of shotgun passes, four-wide receiver sets and spread formations.
Entering 2007, it's not the Huskie running backs or offensive linemen who have garnered preseason attention. No one is talking about the NIU wide receivers, quarterback or tight ends. Even senior kicker Chris Nendick, one of the nation's leaders in scoring and field goals a year ago, has drawn only passing notice.
This year, all eyes are on the Northern Illinois defense. And that's just fine with Head Coach Joe Novak, who spent 18 years as a collegiate defensive coordinator before taking the helm of the Huskie program in 1996.
"We've been a really good offensive football team and an average defensive football team at times [over the last seven year]," Novak said. "This is a little bit different, but I go back, as an old defensive coach, to that saying `defense wins championships'. Defense will keep you in every game. On offense, you've got good days and bad days, hot and cold, dropped passes and bad throws. Defense can be your constant, so it's nice to think you've got a good defensive football team and they'll be able to keep you in every game."
With experienced leaders like defensive end
Larry English, who tied the school record for single-season sacks as a sophomore in 2006, and middle linebacker
Tim McCarthy with his back-to-back 100-tackle campaigns, the Northern Illinois defense features depth, experience and athleticism.
"Defensively, I feel solid about everything. I think we're deeper in the secondary than we've been - the linebacker spot is good and we've got some kids up front that can play," Novak said. "So it's a matter of staying healthy and continuing to get better."
DEFENSE
Northern Illinois returns seven starters off a unit that gave up just 21.2 points per game a year ago and held eight opponents below that mark. The Huskies' shutout of Eastern Michigan in the regular season finale was the first by an NIU defense since the 2002 campaign.
Despite losing three senior starters in the secondary, Novak calls that position Northern Illinois' deepest. Seniors Mark Reiter and juniors Bradley Pruitt and Melvin Rice each started at least seven games a year ago. Rice tied for the team lead in interceptions and Pruitt broke up three passes while playing both corner and safety during the year. Reiter is the leading returning tackler among the DBs with 77 stops and a pair of fumble recoveries in 2006.
But they are just the top of the depth chart. Youngsters like safeties Spencer Williamson, Justin Stewart and Alex Kube, and transfers Chase Carter and Anthony Mason at corner, have Novak watching the competition in the defensive backfield.
"This is the deepest secondary that we've had," he said. "I'm anxious to have that sort itself out [in August]. I like the athletic ability we have there and I feel good about the quality of athletes we have out there. Quality-wise, it's our deepest position and that's going to help our team."
The Huskie linebackers are in a similar state. In addition to McCarthy, a preseason All-MAC choice who anchors the trio as the middle linebacker, the linebacking corps is bolstered by the return of sophomore Phil Brown. Injured during 2006 spring drills, Brown sat out the entire 2006 season after making 51 tackles as a freshman. He joins fellow sophomores Cory Hanson, a 12-game starter who ranked fifth on the team in tackles with 72 in his rookie season, and John Tranchitella, who provided the Huskie highlight in the Poinsettia Bowl when he returned a blocked punt 32 yards for a touchdown. Also competing for playing time at linebacker are senior Saul Ibarra and juniors Josh Allen and T.J. Griffin.
"The competition at linebacker is going to be interesting, with probably six or seven players there, so that will be interesting to see how it sorts itself out," Novak said. "Even without a senior starter, it's one of the most experienced positions on our team."
Up front, NIU is led by English, one of 39 players named to the 2007 Preseason Watch List for the Bronko Nagurski Award and a preseason All-MAC choice. Just a junior, the Aurora, Ill. product enters the season with 13 career sacks and 23 tackles for loss. A year ago, he became a big play man on the Huskie defense by forcing four fumbles to go with his 51 tackles. After English went down with a knee injury in the Poinsettia Bowl versus TCU, so did the fortunes of the NIU defense.
Craig Rusch and Alex Krutsch, along with seniors Adam Schroeder and Zack Holycross, give the Huskies four dependable players with experience at the interior line positions. Rusch ranked second on the team with 14 tackles for loss and six sacks a year ago while Krutsch and Holycross look to avoid injuries which limited their playing time in 2006. Redshirt freshman Mike Krause is coming off a breakout spring and looks to enter the rotation at tackle in 2007. "He's a strong, tough, son-of-a-gun" says Novak of his young tackle.
English's cohorts at defensive end include sophomore Brandon Bice and Anthony Antonacci, along with senior Robert Oruche.
OFFENSE
While NIU's potential defensive prowess has overshadowed the Huskies' offensive capability, Northern Illinois will not lack offensive weapons in 2007, beginning with a brother combination at wide receiver and tight end in Britt and Brandon Davis, and continuing with quarterback Dan Nicholson and any one of a host of Huskie rushers.
Britt, the younger of the two Davis', has set the Northern Illinois records for pass receptions by a freshman and by a sophomore in the last two years with 42 and 57 catches, respectively. He already has 1,172 career receiving yards and has caught six touchdown passes, showing his potential as a big play man for the Huskie offense.
Speedster Marcus Perez also has shown his ability to get into the end zone as he led all NIU receivers with five touchdown passes a year ago, including some highlight reel catches. Matt Simon and Greg Turner are sure-handed, experienced pass-catchers; Simon had a 62-yard catch and run in the bowl game while Turner is coming off a solid spring.
"I like our receivers, I really do," Novak said. "We have four or five receivers that I feel really good about. They are all competitors and tough guys. I think we can spread the ball out well, with Britt [Davis] being the big name of the group. With Greg Turner and Matt Simon and Marcus Lewis and Marcus Perez, I think we have pretty good balance and then you add Marcus Lewis and some freshmen coming in. They're all very capable. I think as a group, we can have a very successful group of receivers."
Complementing both the receivers and offensive line are the Huskie tight ends, led by the elder Davis. After spending the first half of the season as NIU's No. 2 tight end, Davis stepped in when Jake Nordin went down and responded with 23 catches for 243 yards on the year. Strong and athletic, Davis can elude or run over linebackers.
Junior David Koronkiewicz also had a chance to develop at the position in 2006 and caught 11 passes for 111 yards. With Davis and Koronkiewicz sitting out most of spring, youngsters Brandon Beal, Reed Cunningham and Vernon Sims had the chance to develop.
"Tight end is an important position in our offense," Novak said. "We use our tight ends extensively, not only in the passing game, but as blockers. We expect them to be able to handle both roles equally well."
While the receivers and tight ends must perform for the offense to perform to its capacity, the Huskie head coach knows that the key to offensive production in both the passing and rushing games, starts with the offensive line, an area which fell short last year.
"We got a little spoiled," Novak said. "The previous couple years, the line we had here was one of the best I've been around in my years of coaching. They were good. We slipped a little bit there last year, and we've got to get that back, because that's been our trademark [to have] big, physical, strong offensive lines. So our offensive line needs to grow up. We only have one senior so the development of our line is going to be key."
That senior - Chris Acevedo - was moved to left tackle during spring where he is slated to replace four-year starter and Dallas Cowboys' draftee Doug Free. Junior Jon Brost is back on the other side at right tackle, where he started the first seven games of 2006 before moving to guard, and sophomore Tony Holmes made a push for playing time during spring workouts.
A trio of sophomores line up in the middle of the line, led by 2007 Freshman All-American Eddie Adamski at center, and Jason Onyebuagu, who saw extensive action as a true freshman in 2006. Novak called the youngster from Indianapolis the top freshman offensive lineman he has seen. At guard, Tim Mayerbock made strides this spring as did fellow 300-pounders Dan Keller and Kevin Skatrud.
Will the line be paving the way for Northern Illinois' ninth straight 1,000-yard rusher? Maybe. But Novak said he'd be just as happy to see three backs gain 600 yards apiece. Another distinct possibility as several players vie for the position vacated by 2006 NCAA rushing and all-purpose yardage leader Garrett Wolfe, a third-round draft choice of the hometown Chicago Bears.
Leading the way among that group is junior Montell Clanton, Wolfe's back-up a year ago until falling prey to a knee injury versus Buffalo. The Rockford native looked good in limited action this spring as did sophomore Justin Anderson. Also in the mix at running back are sophomore David Bryant, a converted linebacker, and senior Cas Prime, who ranked second on the NIU team in rushing with 142 yards last season.
"It might be [tailback by committee] this season," Novak said. "In the past, we have kind of had one guy carrying 90 percent of the load. This year, it might be 60/40, it might be 60/20/20. We will just have to see. Certainly, I think Montell Clanton is the lead guy going in, but we are anxious to see what those other kids can do. It will probably be more by-committee than it has been for quite a while."
The trigger-man for Northern Illinois' 2007 offense is junior Dan Nicholson, a tough, strong-armed South Sider. Nicholson has started five games, relieving Phil Horvath late in both the 2005 and 2006 seasons when the NIU starter went down to injuries. He has completed 56.7 percent of his career tosses (119-of-210) for 1,479 yards and 11 TDs over the last two seasons. As a freshman, he completed 19-of-27 passes for 320 yards and two scores to lead Northern to a win over Central Michigan.
"Dan is a great, great, great competitor. He's a leader. When he gets in the huddle, the kids respond to him. He's tough. I like all those things in a quarterback. He sometimes will try to make a play that's not there; he's got to become a little bit better decision-maker. He's certainly got the talent, but he has to make sure that he's running this football team efficiently, not turning the ball over and keeping the chains moving."
Behind Nicholson is former walk-on Ryan Morris, who has seen action in just three career games. NIU signed three quarterbacks in 2007 and one of them is guaranteed to be at least the Huskies' third QB as a rookie.
"Ryan Morris is our back-up right now and I think he's capable, but we will take a good look at the three freshmen and try to at least pick one of them to come in and compete for the back-up job. If he doesn't beat Ryan out he'd be the third, which we always want to get ready."
Four of the most important newcomers to the Huskie offense in 2007 will not see the field, but patrol the sidelines. Novak replaced four of his offensive coaches, the new staff is led by coordinator Roy Wittke. Novak cautions fans not to expect one of those "wide open, basketball on grass" offenses due to the coaching change.
"We have some new ideas, but it's not going to be like people are going to be up in the stands and not be able to recognize what we're doing," he said. "One of the reasons we've been so successful is we haven't changed. People are always quick to change, but it's still a matter of execution. I like what we're doing. Will there be some things coached differently, sure. Will we go to some different formations, sure, but it's not going to be wholesale where people are going to say `wow this is all different.' "
SPECIAL TEAMS
Definitely not different are Novak's expectations for his specialists. Chris Nendick enters his senior season as one of the top kickers in the nation and is one the verge of setting several NIU career scoring and kicking records. The Naperville native provides Northern Illinois with a great weapon on kickoffs (36 touchbacks) and has made 45 field goals over the last three seasons. He ranked ninth nationally in field goals a year ago.
At punter, Andy Dittbenner averaged 37.9 yards per punt a year ago and owns a 38.2-yard average for his career. Novak looks for more consistency in that area, and improvement in the return game, in 2007. The Huskies averaged 13.2 yards per punt return but just 17.3 yards on kick returns.
The Huskies' schedule takes them east to west to in-between with non-conference games at Navy (Nov. 17), Idaho (Sept. 22) and Wisconsin (Oct. 20) along with league trips to Central Michigan (Sept. 29), Temple (Oct. 6) and Toledo (Oct. 27). Northern Illinois will open the season by playing host to Iowa at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 1 before 50,000-plus fans and meets Football Championship Subdivision power Southern Illinois in the Huskie Stadium opener Sept. 8. NIU will also meet Eastern Michigan (Sept. 15), Western Michigan (Oct. 13), Kent State (Nov. 10) and Ball State (Nov. 24) in DeKalb in what is expected to be a wide-open West Division race.
"I think our five non-conference games are certainly very challenging," Novak said. "In our league, our western division, every year I've been here has been more competitive. This year I see four or five teams, maybe all six, that can compete for the championship. Western Michigan is tough, Central won it last year, Toledo's going to get better and Ball State's got a great quarterback."
Of course Northern Illinois, which has won four West Division titles in the last six years, has its sights set on not just a division crown, but on the MAC Championship.
"We always have a goal to win the Mid-American Conference Championship," Novak said. "That isn't going to change, that goal is constant. This is an interesting football team. It's kind of a question mark team. We're going to have to wait and see what happens and who steps forward. To a large degree, how that happens will determine how good we are. We've got a lot of question marks, more than usual, but I think the potential is very good."
View the 2007 NIU Football Media Guide here.
