Sept. 18, 2007

Complete Weekly Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

2007 NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOTBALL
Game 4: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Idaho Vandals
Sept. 22, 2007 - 4 p.m. (CDT) - Go Vandals Network
Moscow, Idaho - Kibbie Dome (16,000)

HUSKIE FACTS
2007 Record: 0-3
2007 MAC Record: 0-1
Head Coach: Joe Novak
Alma Mater/Year: Miami (OH) 1967
Record at NIU/Year: 61-69/12th
Career Record/Year: Same
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Enrollment: 25,208
Conference: Mid-American (West Division)
Colors: Cardinal and Black
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
Surface/Capacity: Field Turf /24,000
President: Dr. John Peters
Associate VP/Athletic Director: Dr. Jim Phillips
Ticket Information: 815-752-6800

NIU SCHEDULE & RESULTS

HUSKIE HEAD COACH JOE NOVAK
The dean of Mid-American Conference coaches, Joe Novak is in his 12th season at the helm of the Northern Illinois football program and owns a career and NIU record of 61-69 as a head coach. Novak has led the Huskies to a school-record seven consecutive Football Bowl Championship Subdivision winning seasons, along with post-season appearances in each of the last three years. Northern Illinois has won or shared the MAC West title in four of the last six years. Entering 2007, Novak ranks tied for ninth among MAC coaches all-time in victories (60) and is tied for 10th in league wins (46). The Huskies' victory in the 2004 Silicon Valley Classic marked NIU's first bowl game in 21 seasons, since the year Novak helped Northern Illinois to the California Bowl as the Huskies' defensive coordinator. Novak spent four seasons (1980-83) in that role on Bill Mallory's staff before following Mallory to Indiana for 12 seasons and making six bowl trips. A native of Mentor, Ohio, Novak played for Bo Schembechler at Miami (Ohio) and began his collegiate coaching career there in 1974.

VANDALS' FACTS
2007 Record: 1-2
2007 WAC Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Robb Akey
Alma Mater/Year: Weber State 1988
Record at Idaho/Year: 1-2/1st
Career Record/Year: Same
Location: Moscow, Idaho
Enrollment: 12,894
Conference: Western Athletic Conference
Colors: Silver and Vandal Gold
Stadium: Kibbie Dome
Surface/Capacity: RealGrass Pro/16,000
President: Dr. Timothy White
Athletic Director: Dr. Rob Spear
Ticket Information: 208-885-6466

IDAHO SCHEDULE & RESULTS

NIU NEWS & NOTES

HUSKIES HEAD NORTHWEST: Northern Illinois makes its way to Moscow, Idaho for its first road game, and third non-conference game, of the 2007 season. After a 1,700-plus mile journey, NIU will take on Idaho beginning at 4 p.m. (Central) in the Kibbie Dome on Saturday.

RECORD ON THE ROAD: Under Joe Novak, Northern Illinois is 24-38 in road contests over the last 11 years, with 17 of those 24 victories recorded since the beginning of the 2002 season. The Huskies have compiled a 3-3 record in their road games in each of the last two seasons, winning at Ball State, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan last year. NIU has won six of its last nine road games.

106 AND COUNTING: NIU is playing its 106th season of intercollegiate football in 2007 with an all-time record of 486-437-51 (.526) after seven straight winning campaigns. The Huskies played their first games in 1899 and moved into the realm of "major college" football in 1969.

NON-LEAGUE SLATE: Since re-joining the Mid-American Conference in 1997, NIU is 13-24 in non-conference games, including a 2-2 mark in its 2006 non-league contests. NIU will play five non-league games in 2007, versus Iowa (in Chicago) and Southern Illinois at home, and at Wisconsin, Idaho and Navy. Northern's non-conference opponents since '97 also have included Ohio State, Kansas State, N.C. State, Northwestern, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama and Wake Forest.

SERIES STORY: Northern Illinois and Idaho played a four-game set between 1969 and 1975 with the Huskies winning a pair of games in DeKalb (47-30 in 1969, 27-21 in 1974) and the Vandals claiming two victories in Moscow (31-13 in 1972, 25-24 in 1975).

THE LAST MEETING: Idaho kicker Charles Filippini hit a 31-yard field goal with 1:15 left on the clock to give the homestanding Vandals a 25-24 win over NIU. Northern Illinois had taken the lead on its previous possession when Pete Miskov made a 22-yard field goal. The game was a run-dominated, turnover-ridden affair as the Huskies piled up 528 yards of total offense, including 293 rushing on 53 carries but turned the ball over six times (four fumbles, 2 INTs) while Idaho tallied four fumbles and three INTs and 280 yards on 51 rushes.

WEEK 3 RECAP: A pair of holding calls on Northern Illinois' final drive pushed the Huskies back to the 33-yard line, and Chris Nendick's 50-yard field goal attempt with 0:01 on the clock did not have a chance, as NIU fell to Eastern Michigan 21-19 at Huskie Stadium to drop to 0-3 on the season. Northern Illinois led 13-0 after a Justin Anderson one-yard TD run and two Nendick field goals, but EMU got on the board as the half ended after a 39-yard pass completion put them on the one-yard line. The Eagles took the lead in the third quarter on a 68-yard run on an end-around by DeAnthony White and took advantage of an NIU interception to go up 21-13 with 5:29 remaining.

SLOW START: The 0-3 start by the Huskies this season marks the first time NIU has lost its first three games of the year since 1999. That year, Northern Illinois opened 0-4 en route to a 5-6 record. NIU started 0-2 in both 2005 and 2006.

11 STRONG: NIU Head Coach Joe Novak enters his 12th season at the helm of the Huskie program as the dean of Mid-American Conference coaches. Novak, who ranks second all-time at NIU in games coached (130) and is third in victories (61), also is tied for ninth on the MAC career wins list with 60. His 46 league wins are tied for 10th in MAC history.

ON THE LISTS: Huskies Chris Nendick and Larry English have been named to the Watch Lists for the Lou Groza Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, respectively. Nendick, a senior from Naperville, Ill., was one of 30 candidates named to the preseason watch list for the 16th Annual Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top kicker, after leading the MAC and ranking ninth in the country with 1.54 points per game. English joined 48 other defenders on the Nagurski Trophy list. That trophy goes to the nation's top defender.

SELECT COMPANY: Northern Illinois looks to extend its streak of winning seasons to eight in 2007 as the Huskies have posted a winning mark every year since the 2000 season. NIU is one of only 18 FBS schools in the country that can make that claim, and has the longest current string of winning campaigns in the Mid-American Conference. The seven straight winning seasons is also a modern-day school record. The Huskies came into the 2007 season with the 25th-best winning percentage among FBS schools this decade (since 2000) with a .639 mark and a 53-30 record. That ranked the Huskies ahead of Notre Dame, Texas Tech, Clemson and Iowa, to name a few.

JUST-IN TIME?: With the bulk of the tailback duties now on his shoulders as NIU's most experienced remaining running back, sophomore Justin Anderson (Chicago/Steinmetz HS) has recorded the best two games of his career in the last two weeks. After rushing 21 times for 78 yards and a score and catching eight passes for 87 yards and two TDs versus Southern Illinois, Anderson more than doubled his rushing total versus Eastern Michigan. He totaled 168 yards on 28 carries to average 6.0 yards per tote. He was also NIU's leading receiver for the second consecutive game with six grabs for 45 yards for a career-best 213 all-purpose yards.

A GREAT EIGHT: Anderson's eight catches versus Southern Illinois marked the highest single game total for an NIU running back dating back at least 25 years. Northern Illinois has not had a running back catch as many as eight passes in a game since at least the 1983 season, which is as far back as media guide single-season bests exist. His eight catches are the most by any Huskie player in a game this year. Last season, WR Britt Davis twice made nine catches in a game.

LEADING MAN: Through the first quarter of the season, Justin Anderson leads NIU in rushing (249 yards, 83.0 avg.), receiving (19 catches, 159 yards), scoring (4 TDs) and all-purpose yards (408 yards, 136.0 avg.). Anderson ranks fourth in the MAC in rushing, sixth in all-purpose yards and seventh in catches per game. With 19 catches in three games, Anderson is on pace to catch 76 passes, which would destroy the NIU single season record for catches by a running back which is 43, set by Jack Dean in 1963.

HIGH PERCENTAGE PASSING: On the year, NIU junior quarterback Dan Nicholson is completing 69.1 percent of his passes to rank 12th in the nation among NCAA FBS passers. In the last two games, the Chicago native has hit 74.5 percent of his passes (41-of-55). The school record for completion percentage in a season is 70.6, set by Phil Horvath in 2005.

HOTTEST STREAK: Nicholson quietly set a school record for most consecutive pass completions during the SIU game when he hit 15 straight while leading the Huskies to their four touchdown drives. He broke the record set by Phil Horvath, who completed 13 consecutive throws versus Akron on Sept. 24, 2005. Nicholson's streak began on the Huskies' first drive of the second quarter with an eight-yard completion to Greg Turner and continued until he missed Britt Davis on a deep pass in the third quarter.

HANSON HEATS UP: After missing the SIU game with the after-effects of a concussion, sophomore linebacker Cory Hanson came back with a vengeance versus Eastern Michigan. While press box totals credited the Minnesota native with 11 tackles, coaches' film told a slightly different story as they had Hanson for 16 stops, 14 of which were solo efforts.

OUCH!: Northern Illinois has been bit by the injury bug in 2007 as eight starters (or replacement starters) have missed at least one full game due to injury this season. In addition, 14 different players listed on the depth chart at some point this year have missed at least one game due to injury, while 12 of those injuries have already resulted in multiple games missed. Two players - NG Adam Schroeder (shoulder surgery) and TB Montell Clanton (rt. knee) - have been lost for the season, while LB Tim McCarthy, DT Craig Rusch and DE Anthony Antonacci have each suffered right knee injuries that will cause them to miss significant time.

HARD HIT: Two position groups have been especially hard-hit by injuries as five of the Huskies' top eight defensive linemen at the start of the season have gone down (Rusch, Antonacci, Schroeder, Mike Krause, Zach Holycross) and each of NIU's top three tight ends (Brandon Davis, David Koronkiewicz, Reid Cunningham) has been out for at least one game. The injuries have forced Huskie coaches to make several line-up adjustments, including the move this week of Dan Keller from offensive to defensive line. As many as four freshmen could see action on the NIU defensive line this week.

ENGLISH ENDURES: With Northern Illinois' defensive line decimated by injuries, the play of preseason All-MAC performer Larry English has been even more critical. At a position where frequent substitution is the norm, the Aurora, Ill. native has been on the field for nearly every Huskie defensive snap, a total of 211 in all. Despite the high number of plays, English still leads all NIU defensive linemen in tackles with 17, and leads the team in tackles for loss with 2.5 for losses totaling 17 yards.

SACK STATS: One constant on the line has been junior defensive end Larry English, who is coming off a knee injury suffered in the bowl game versus TCU. English, who is playing nearly every defensive snap, recorded his first quarterback sack of the season versus SIU to move into a tie for sixth on the Northern Illinois career charts. English is now tied with Doug Bartlett (1983-86), Travis Moore (2001-04) and Vinson Reynolds (2000-03) with 14 career sacks and needs two more to move into a tie for fourth.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND: Northern Illinois is looking to turn around its turnover totals as the Huskies have collected only one turnover so far this year, on a fumble recovery against SIU, while giving the ball away nine times on seven interceptions and a pair of fumbles. Southern Illinois took advantage of five NIU turnovers with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries helping to spur their comeback.

BREAKING IT UP: Although the Huskies have not picked off a pass this season, NIU alreay has 11 pass break-ups in 2007 and is on pace to record 44 for the season after totaling just 30 a year ago. Cornerback Melvin Rice leads the way in the deflection section with three break-ups, while defensive end Brandon Bice and linebacker Cory Hanson have two PBUs apiece. In all, seven players have at least one pass break up on the year.

HUSKIE DEBUTANTES: Sixteen different players have made their Huskie debuts in 2007, including eight redshirt freshmen, five true freshmen, transfers Anthony Mason and Chase Carter, and junior Vincent Matthew. First-year players Chad Spann, Patrick George, Nolan Owen, Landon Cox and Kyle Skarb have seen action on special teams and, for Spann and Cox, on offense. Among the eight redshirts to debut this season, safety Alex Kube and tight end Bryan Beckner have started games. The other redshirt freshmen to get on the field for the first time this year are Ricky Crider, Justin Stewart, Jake Coffman, Mike Krause, Ed Jackson and Vernon Sims.

CATCHING ON: With five catches in the EMU game, Britt Davis took over 10th place on Northern Illinois' all-time receptions list with 112 catches for 1,293 yards. He passed the 100-catch mark versus Iowa in just his 25th career game, the earliest an NIU player has reached 100 catches. Already the NIU record-holder for catches as a freshman (42) and as a sophomore (57), Davis has caught at least one pass in 23 of NIU's last 24 games. He needs six catches to pass Jack Frost (1965-67) and move up to ninth on the career charts.

THE "I"s HAVE IT: With this trip to Idaho and a late-season visit by Indiana's Ball State, Northern Illinois has the "I" states covered in 2007. NIU has already faced teams from Iowa (the University of Iowa) and its native Illinois (Southern Illinois). In all, Northern's 12 opponents this year represent eight different states with Michigan (Eastern, Western, Central) and Ohio (Toledo and Kent State) the only states represented more than once.

HOME-GROWN: Entering the 2007 season, Northern Illinois fits that description perfectly as this year's roster includes 78 players from the state of Illinois and 59 from the Chicagoland area, the highest concentrations of any NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school in the state. In all, 69 percent of NIU's 2007 football players hail from the Land of Lincoln. A quick glance at the rosters of Northwestern and Illinois show the Wildcats with 26 in-state products, 18 from Chicago, while the Fighting Illini roster lists 50 home grown players and 30 from the area.

HITTING THE AIRWAVES: A total of eight NIU football games are scheduled to air on television this year, including this week's contest on the Go Vandals Network, a group of stations in Idaho and Washington. Comcast Local in DeKalb (Ch. 74), and possibly some other local Comcast outlets, will pick up the NIU-Idaho game broadcast. ESPNU aired the season-opener against Iowa while the Huskies are featured on the MAC "Game of the Week" twice - last week's Eastern Michigan and next week's Central Michigan games. Northern Illinois' Nov. 17 tilt at Navy will be shown on CSTV and the remaining four NIU home games will be seen on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. NIU has appeared on national television 14 times since 2004, with 34 total games broadcast.

NO RESPECT?: Northern Illinois, which has won four Mid-American Conference West Division titles in the last six seasons, was picked fifth in the West in the 2007 MAC News Media Association Preseason Football Poll. NIU tallied 90 points and one first place vote as Western Michigan earned the "favorite" tag by two points over Central Michigan in the West. Ohio was tabbed to win the East race over Kent State. Other preseason publications have ranked the Huskies as high as third in the west.

YORDON CENTER DEDICATED: On Sept. 8, NIU officially dedicated the new Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon Center. Located adjacent to the North End Zone of Huskie Stadium, the Yordon Center houses nearly all of Northern Illinois' student-athlete support units and serves as the home for the Huskie Football team. From the "smart" classrooms in the academic center to the rehabilitation pools in the athletic training center to the expandable storage area in the equipment room, everything about the Yordon Center says "first-class." The football team meets together in the tiered, 150-seat auditorium while technology-enhanced position meeting rooms, coaches offices overlooking Brigham Field and a locker room large enough to accommodate the entire team highlight the "football" areas of the 62,000-square foot building. Construction on the $14-million privately-funded facility began in June 2006. It is named for Northern Illinois supporters Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon, who in November 2006 announced a $2.5 million gift to the project, the largest gift to Huskie Athletics in the 107-year history of the institution.

RECORD-SETTER: The season-opening GEICO Soldier Field Showdown between NIU and Iowa (Sept. 1) set new attendance marks for both Northern Illinois and the Mid-American Conference with a sell-out crowd of 61,500 packing the lakefront facility. NIU's previous record home crowd occurred on Oct. 18, 2003, when 28,211 people came to Huskie Stadium for a contest versus Western Michigan. The previous largest home crowd in league history was recorded Oct. 27, 2001 when Toledo played Navy in front of 36,852 at the Glass Bowl.

SCORING MARKS: Northern Illinois kicker Chris Nendick has scored at least one point in every game of his Huskie career, a school-record string of 40 straight contests, and he enters the Idaho game tied for third on the NIU career scoring list with 288 total points. He needs just one point to move past current San Diego Charger Michael Turner to take over sole possession of third place on the list. Nendick ranks second all-time at in kick scoring, 82 points behind leader Steve Azar (2000-03). Nendick also ranks second at NIU in career field goals made with 49 and in field goal attempts (67). The Naperville product ranks fourth in the NCAA among active kickers in career PATs made (141) and attempted (143), figures which are second all-time at Northern Illinois.

SENIOR STARTERS: Northern Illinois has not started more than two seniors in any game this year. The Huskies started seniors Chris Acevedo (LT) and Brandon Davis (TE) in the season opener versus Iowa, while Acevedo was the lone senior in the line-up in the SIU game. Then safety Mark Reiter joined Acevedo as a starter last week. Kicker Chris Nendick is the only other NIU senior starter, although eight different seniors have seen action for the Huskies in 2007.

JUNIOR CAPTAINS: For the first time in Joe Novak's tenure at NIU, the permanent captains selected by the Huskie team do not include a senior. Four junior players were elected by their teammates this spring. On offense, wide receiver Britt Davis and quarterback Dan Nicholson got the nod, with defensive end Larry English and linebacker Tim McCarthy tabbed from the NIU defense.

VERSATILITY: Nendick recorded his first career punt when Andy Dittbenner was injured against Iowa and booted his first try 55 yards, where it stopped inside the 10-yard line. Nendick finished the game with seven punts for a 43.4-yard average.

CORPORAL COFFMAN: The story of Northern Illinois redshirt freshman Jake Coffman is noteworthy, not just because the walk-on is seeing playing time at defensive end for the Huskies. Coffman is a 23-year-old freshman from German Valley, Ill. who spent three years in the Marine Corps, and was promoted three times while rising to the rank of corporal. He was deployed to Iraq on two occasions. In 2006, Coffman enrolled at NIU and joined the football team. A unanimous all-conference selection at defensive end as a senior at Forreston High School, Coffman has been credited with six tackles to date.

WITH HONORS: A pair of Huskies garnered the majority of the preseason recognition entering 2007. Junior defensive end Larry English was projected as the MAC's Defensive Player of the Year by both Blue Ribbon Magazine and Lindy's Preseason Yearbook. Senior kicker Chris Nendick was listed by Street & Smith's as an honorable mention preseason All-American while additionally being tabbed as a Lou Groza Award candidate by the publication. Nendick was also ranked by The Sporting News as the nation's ninth-best kicker. CollegeFootballNews.com listed three Huskies in its national position rankings with Nendick No. 6 among kickers, Eddie Adamski No. 19 among centers and English No. 23 among defensive ends. The website tabbed English as the MAC's preseason defensive player of the year and the league's fourth-ranked pro prospect.

WITH A DEGREE: Huskies David Koronkiewicz and Mark Reiter each earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from NIU last spring and are now pursuing their master's degrees in business from Northern. Koronkiewicz, a junior tight end, could leave NIU with two degrees before his eligibility is concluded.

MOST-EXPERIENCED: The Huskies feature only three players - all juniors - who entered the 2007 campaign with more than one year of starting experience. Offensive lineman Jon Brost (26 starts), wide receiver Britt Davis (25) and defensive end Larry English (25) own more starts than any other players on the NIU team. While Brost leads the way in total number of starts, Davis is the leader with 20 straight starting assignments. English has been in the starting line-up in 19 consecutive contests.

FIRST-TIME STARTERS: Ten NIU players have made their first career starts this season, including six on offense and four defenders. Offensively, tight ends Reed Cunningham and Bryan Beckner, left guard Tim Mayerbock, wide receiver Greg Turner and running backs Montell Clanton and Justin Anderson each received their first starts. On defense, end Brandon Bice, linebacker John Tranchitella, safety Alex Kube and cornerback Chase Carter have started for the first time in 2007.

TV TOTALS: In 40 seasons of televised games, Northern Illinois is 50-51-1 all-time on television, including a 28-21 mark since the start of the 2001 season. All 13 Huskie games were aired a year ago; NIU went 5-4 in its nine television appearances in 2005 and posted an impressive 8-2 mark on TV in 2004. The Iowa game on ESPNU was the 26th ESPN Network broadcast all-time for Northern Illinois, with six ESPN airings last year.

LESS FLAGS: The Huskies rank among the nation's leaders as they have been penalized only 13 times this season for an average of 42 yards per game. NIU's average of 4.33 penalties per game is tied for eighth in the country, and ranks second in the MAC for fewest markers per contest.

OUTSCORED: The Huskies have outscored their opponents 10-0 in the first quarter this year, and posted their highest number of points, 27, in period number two. But in the third and fourth quarters, NIU has tallied just 10 and 6 points, respectively, while giving up 17 and 27. SIU overcame second-half deficits of 28-7 and 31-14, while Eastern Michigan trailed 13-0 before scoring 21 straight points.

HUSKIES IN THE NFL: As the National Football League opened regular season play, seven former NIU players were on team rosters, including 2007 draft choices RB Garrett Wolfe (Chicago Bears) and OT Doug Free (Dallas Cowboys). The rest of the Huskie NFL contingent includes: OT Ryan Diem (Indianapolis Colts), WR Sam Hurd (Cowboys), WR Justin McCareins (New York Jets), NT Hollis Thomas (New Orleans Saints) and RB Michael Turner (San Diego Chargers).

ON THE RISE: Members of the Huskie football team posted the squad's highest cumulative semester grade point average ever last spring with a combined G.P.A. of 2.797. In addition, 39 Northern Illinois players earned recognition as "Scholar Ballers" indicative of a cumulative grade point average of 3.000. They are recognized with a "Thinking Man" patch on the front of their uniform jersey to recognize their classroom achievements.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS MULTIMEDIA

Watch It...live on the Go Vandals TV Network in Idaho and Washington and on-line at www.govandals.com (subscription). In addition, the game will be shown LIVE on Comcast Local Cable in DeKalb/Sycamore (Ch. 74). Other local Comcast outlets (outside Chicago) in the Comcast SportsNet coverage area may also carry the game, although it will be up to the discretion of each local system.

Hear It...on the Huskie Sports Radio Network beginning at 6 p.m. Bill Baker returns for his 28th year as the play-by-play voice of the Huskies while Mark Lindo is back for his 23rd season on the broadcast team. Casey Kahler enters his second season as the adidas sideline reporter.
WSCR-AM Chicago 670
WLBK-AM DeKalb 1360
WSEY-FM Rockford 95.7
WRHL-AM Rochelle 1060
WTJK-AM Beloit, Wisc. 1380

On the Net...to hear every Huskie Radio Network broadcast as well as SEE live video of select NIU games, sign up for the Huskie All Access package at www.niuhuskies.com. Purchase the monthly package for $6.95 or a season-long pass for $49.95.

Review It...on "Inside Huskie Sports", weekly on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The 30-minute highlight show airs every Thursday in September with the first show set for Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. Also, join Head Coach Joe Novak and host Brad Hoey at the live taping of "IHS" Mondays at 6 p.m. at Fatty's Pub and Grille, 1312 West Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

Live It...on "NIU Live." The weekly 30-minute show airs on WSCR AM 670 "The Score" in Chicago Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. WSCR sports director Andy Garcia and Huskie athletic director Jim Phillips co-host the show with guest appearances by Northern coaches, including Joe Novak.

Read It...on www.niuhuskies.com. For the latest statistics, feature stories, player Q&As and weekly and daily updates.