Oct. 4, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
2011 NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES FOOTBALL
Kent State (1-4, 0-1) at Northern Illinois (2-3, 0-1)
Oct. 8, 2011 | 2:30 p.m. | Huskie All Access
DeKalb, Ill. | Huskie Stadium | 24,000
HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
2011 Record/MAC Record: 2-3/0-1
2010 Record: 11-3
MAC (Regular Season) Record/Finish: 8-0/1st, West Division
Head Coach: Dave Doeren
Record at NIU & Career Record: 2-3/First Year
Alma Mater/Year: Drake/1994
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 514-463-51
Last Bowl Game: NIU 40, Fresno State 17
2010 uDrove Humanitarian Bowl; Boise, Idaho
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 47/25
Starters Returning: 11 (8 offense, 3 defense, 0 specialists)
Starters Lost: 13 (4 offense, 9 defense, 3 specialists)
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FACTS
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Founded: 1895
Enrollment: 23,850
Affiliation: NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision
Conference: Mid-American (West Division)
Colors: Cardinal and Black
Nickname: Huskies
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /24,000
President (Alma Mater, Year): Dr. John Peters (John Carroll 67)
Assoc. VP/Athletic Director: Jeff Compher
Alma Mater, Year: James Madison '80
Ticket Information: 815-752-6800
Website: www.NIUHuskies.com
Twitter: @NIUAthletics
2011 NIU SCHEDULE
KENT STATE FACTS
2011 Record/MAC Record: 1-4/0-1
2010 Record/Conference Record/Finish: 5-7/4-4/4th East
Head Coach: Darrell Hazell
Alma Mater/Year: Muskingum '86
Record at KSU/Year: 1-4/1st
Career Record/Year: 1-4/1st
Location: Kent, Ohio
Enrollment: 42,000
Conference: Mid-American
Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
Stadium: Dix Stadium
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf/20,500
President: Dr. Lester A. Lefton
Athletic Director: Joel Nielsen
Ticket Information: 330-672=2244
Athletics Website: www.kentstatesports.com
FB Media Relations Contact: Alan Ashby
Phone: 330-672-8419 (O); 330-212-0994 (C)
E-Mail Address: aashby2@kent.edu
2011 KSU SCHEDULE
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: NIU leads 15-7
In DeKalb: NIU leads 9-2
In MAC Games: NIU leads 13-3
Streak: NIU, 4
NIU HEAD COACH Dave Doeren
Dave Doeren, a 16-year collegiate coaching veteran who has helped take teams to eight bowl games and two national championship contests, was named the 21st head football coach in NIU history on Dec. 13, 2010. After winning his first game as the head coach of the Huskies, Doeren's career and NIU record now stands at 2-3. Doeren came to NIU after five seasons at Wisconsin. After spending two seasons as the Badgers' co-defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator, he added defensive coordinator duties in January 2008. During Doeren's time at Wisconsin, the Badgers posted a 49-16 overall record and played in the Champs Sports Bowl (twice), Outback Bowl and Capital One Bowl. In 2010, UW posted an 11-2 record, won a share of the Big Ten title and played TCU in the 2011 Rose Bowl. Doeren's UW defenses were consistently ranked in the top 25 in the nation and while there he coached players like current National Football League linebackers Jonathan Casillas of the New Orleans Saints and DeAndre Levy of the Detroit Lions. Most recently, defensive end J.J. Watt was selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Doeren arrived at UW after four seasons (2002-05) at the University of Kansas. He was the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for his first three seasons before being promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2005. Prior to his time at Kansas, Doeren coached the secondary at NCAA FCS power Montana for two seasons. Montana won the I-AA national championship in 2001 and went 28-3 with two conference titles in his time there. He started his college coaching career as an assistant at Drake from 1995-97 where he coached linebackers, before becoming defensive coordinator in 1997. A four-year letterwinner at Drake (1990-93), Doeren earned Academic All-America honors as a senior and graduated with a bachelor's degree in pre-medical biology and a master's in educational leadership. He and his wife, Sara, have three sons - Jacob, Luke and Connor.
HUSKIE MULTIMEDIA
Watch Kent State-NIU on Huskies All-Access
There is no over the air television broadcast of NIU's game versus Kent State, but fans can see the game while hearing the Northern Illinois radio broadcast of the contest on Huskies All-Access at NIUHuskies.com. Fans can watch the game on their computers by purchasing monthly ($6.95) or yearly ($49.95) access. NIU's home game versus Western Michigan will also be available on Huskies All-Access.
Listen to NIU-KSU on the NIU Radio Network
The Northern Illinois Radio Network, presented by IMG College, will bring Huskie fans live game action on these stations in 2011:
WLBK AM 1360 (DeKalb) - FLAGSHIP
WTJK ESPN 1380 AM (Janesville, WI-Rockford)
WJOL 1340 AM (Joliet)
WSCR670 AM The Score (Chicago)
Each week, the broadcast kicks off with the pregame show 30 minutes prior to kick off. Hall of Fame broadcaster Bill Baker is in his 32nd season as the play-by-play voice of the Huskies and is joined by Mark Lindo, in his 27th year as NIU's color analyst, and sixth-year sideline reporter Casey Kahler.
"Inside Huskie Football" Radio Show
NIU Head Coach Dave Doeren joins host Bill Baker and other special guests on the "Inside Huskie Football" radio show each Thursday from 7-8 p.m. during the 2011 season. The show takes place live at Cabana Charley's in Sycamore and fans are invited to attend. Hear the show live on WLBK 1360 AM DeKalb and on NIU Radio Network affiliate ESPN1380AM in Janesville, Wis. The 2011 dates for the show are Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27; and Nov. 3, 10 and 22.
"NIU Weekly" Radio Show
Each week, join NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Jeff Compher, host Andy Garcia and Northern Illinois coaches for "NIU Weekly" on WSCR 670 AM The Score in Chicago. The 30-minute show features a weekly interview with head football coach Dave Doeren as well as interviews with other Huskie coaches and all the latest NIU Athletics news. The show will air every Saturday morning from 7:30-8 a.m. EXCEPT for this Saturday, when it will air at 6:30 a.m.
Huskies All-Access
Fans across the country can hear all NIU live radio broadcasts, including football games and "Inside Huskie Football," and watch the Cal Poly, Kent State and Western Michigan games live on Huskies All-Access at www.NIUHuskies.com. All-Access subscribers pay just $6.95/month or $49.95/year to receive all NIU radio game and show broadcasts, as well as select football and all home basketball, volleyball and men's and women's soccer games as well as home gymnastics and wrestling meets. Subscribers also have access to Coach Doeren's weekly press conferences and special video features.
NIUHuskies.com
The best source for all of the latest NIU Athletics news and information, statistics, press releases and more is NIUHuskies.com. The Huskies' official athletics website includes video, links to live stats coverage, complete bios on Huskie players and coaches and archives.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS NEWS & NOTES
Huskies Host Flashes
Northern Illinois welcomes Kent State to Huskie Stadium for the first time since 2007. It's the first of two straight MAC home games for the Huskies this October. Both teams are looking for their first league wins of the season as NIU dropped a 48-41 decision at Central Michigan last weekend while the Flashes fell at Ohio, 17-10.
Hall of Fame Weekend
Former NIU and NFL wide receiver Justin McCareins headlines a list of four individuals, one team and one family which will be inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in ceremonies Friday night in DeKalb. McCareins, who owns the NIU career records for catches (204), receiving yards (2,991) and touchdown catches (29), was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2000 and went on to play eight seasons in the NFL with the Titans and Jets. He is joined in the 2011 Hall of Fame class by baseball pitcher Lee Hansen (1969-72), Cindy Conner (1990-93) of women's basketball, volleyball player Nikki Kozak (1990-93), the 1993 NIU Volleyball Team and the Roy Family (Willy Roy Sr. and sons Willy Jr., Markus and Karsten), who are being inducted for their contributions to the Huskie men's soccer program.
Not-So-Frequent (MAC East) Foe
Northern Illinois and Kent State will play for the 23rd time and for the 12th time in DeKalb. NIU has won 15 of the last 18 games between the teams, and four straight, including the 2008 meeting at Kent State. Northern Illinois also defeated the Golden Flashes in the last Huskie Stadium game between the teams in 2007, 27-20. Kent State's latest victory over the Huskies was at Kent in 2001, by a 44-34 score. KSU won the first four games ever played between the teams (in 1949-50 and 1966-67), but the Huskies own a 13-3 series edge in MAC games.
A Snowy, Snowy Night
The last meeting between Kent State and Northern Illinois is remembered more for the snow that fell throughout the contest, played at KSU's Dix Stadium on Nov. 18, 2008, than the final score - a 42-14 NIU victory. Chandler Harnish ran for a pair of scores and threw for two more as he totaled 117 rushing and 173 yards passing in the game to outduel current New England Patriots' wide receiver Julian Edelman of Kent State (108 rushing, 126 passing yards, no TDs). The Huskie defense scored on Craig Rusch's 60-yard fumble recovery and return as NIU put the game out of reach with 21 points in the third quarter after leading 14-7 at halftime. The Huskies held Kent State to 253 yards of total offense and collected three fumbles overall.
Doeren's Debut Season
Northern Illinois Coach Dave Doeren is 2-3 in his first stint as a head coach after spending 16 seasons on the sidelines as a collegiate assistant. The 21st head football coach in NIU history, and the 10th since Northern Illinois joined the major college ranks in 1969, Doeren came to NIU after five seasons at Wisconsin (2006-10), where he was linebackers coach and defensive coordinator (see bio next page).
MAC Mark
Northern Illinois is in its 26th season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2011. The Huskies earned their 100th win as a MAC team in the final regular season league outing last year with a 71-3 win at Eastern Michigan. In MAC games, Northern Illinois is 100-90-2 all-time and the Huskies are 65-45 (.591) in conference games since rejoining the MAC in 1997. NIU is playing its 15th consecutive campaign as a member of the MAC and also competed as a league member from 1975-85.
Welcome MAC
At home, Northern Illinois is 57-38-1 (.599) all-time in Mid-American Conference games with a 36-19 (.654) mark versus its league counterparts in Huskie Stadium since 1997. The Huskies have won 11 of their last 12 and eight straight league home games. NIU's only home league loss over the last four seasons came in overtime to Central Michigan on Nov. 12, 2008.
Against the East
Since the beginning of the 2005 season, Northern Illinois is 13-4 against its Mid-American Conference East Division opponents in the regular season and the Huskies have won eight of their last nine regular season meetings with MAC East foes dating back to the 2008 season. Including two losses to East Division teams Akron and Miami in the MAC Championship games in 2005 and 2010, respectively, Northern Illinois has won 13 of 19 games (since 2005) and eight of 10 over the teams in the East. Kent State is the first of three MAC East teams on NIU's 2011 schedule with games at Buffalo (Oct. 22) and Bowling Green (Nov. 8) ahead.
Home Field Advantage
All-time, Northern Illinois is 142-97-2 at Huskie Stadium since its opening in 1965. NIU owns a .593 winning percentage at home, including a 52-17 mark (a .754 winning percentage) in its last 69 DeKalb contests and a 36-11 record since 2003. Northern Illinois went undefeated (5-0) on Brigham Field a year ago and has won 11 straight games at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies' last home loss was on Sept. 26, 2009 when Idaho claimed a 34-31 victory in DeKalb.
Recapping Central Michigan
Central Michigan scored the first 17 points of the game and held off a furious Northern Illinois comeback in the final quarter to earn a 48-41 Mid-American Conference victory over NIU at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. CMU scored five times on plays of 35 yards or longer, including pass completions of 79 and 61 yards as Chips' back Paris Cotton tallied 100 yards both rushing and receiving. NIU trailed just 17-10 at halftime, but the Chippewas scored four TDs and a field goal on five consecutive second-half possessions and led 48-31 with 3:44 remaining. The Huskies used a pair of onside kick recoveries to score 10 points in the final minute of the game, but ran out of time. Harnish totaled 462 yards of total offense and a career best 370 passing yards for the game (see note below).
If You're Counting
The Kent State game will be the 1,029th game in Northern Illinois history and the Huskies will be looking for their 515th victory all-time. NIU played its 1,000th game and won its 500th, in 2009 and has a 514-463-51 all-time record for a winning percentage of .525. Over the past 11 seasons (since 2000), Northern Illinois is 81-59 (.579) with nine winning campaigns to record the best mark of any of the three Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the state of Illinois.
MAC Comparison
Since 2000, the success Northern Illinois has enjoyed as a program ranks at or near the top among Mid-American Conference teams who have been in the league since that time.
Wins (All)
Toledo 83
NIU 81
BGSU 75
Miami 69
WMU 67
Wins (MAC)
NIU 58
Toledo 56
Miami 52
WMU 48
BGSU 48
Win % (All)
Toledo 59.3
NIU 57.9
BGSU 54.7
Miami 49.28
WMU 49.26
Win % (MAC)
NIU 67.4
Toledo 64.4
Miami 59.1
BGSU 57.8
WMU 54.5
Back to September
Northern Illinois posted a 2-2 record in non-conference play for the third straight season as NIU completed its 2011 non-league slate in the first four weeks of the year. The Huskies won their season opener for the first time since 2003 with a 49-26 victory over Army, then dropped a 45-42 decision at Kansas when the Jayhawks scored on fourth and goal with nine seconds left in the game. The Huskies ran into a powerful Wisconsin team in Chicago and fell to the No. 7 ranked Badgers 49-7 in Soldier Field Showdown II before defeating Cal Poly 47-30 in the non-conference finale to reach the 2-2 mark.
Home SEVEN Home
The 2011 Huskies play seven home games with six at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb and Soldier Field Showdown II versus Wisconsin in Chicago. It is the most home games for Northern Illinois since the 2003 campaign, when NIU played seven games at Huskie Stadium and went 7-0 in those games en route to a 10-2 overall record. NIU played just five home games a year ago. The Wisconsin game marked the second Huskies' home game in Chicago; NIU opened the 2007 season versus Iowa at Soldier Field and will return to the venue to open the 2012 season against the Hawkeyes.
Their Town
Northern Illinois has 36 Chicagoland natives on its 110-man roster in 2011. NIU's Chicago contingent includes starters Da'Ron Brown, Jack Marks, Joe Pawlak, Keith Otis and Willie Clark on offense, along with Alan Baxter, Ron Newcomb, Nabal Jefferson, Sean Progar, Pat Schiller and Rashaan Melvin on defense.
Kent State Konnections
Both Kent State and Northern Illinois feature new coaching staffs in 2011, but coaches on both sides will see some familiar faces, some from their previous positions working in the Big Ten Conference. KSU head coach Darrell Hazell (Ohio State) and NIU's Dave Doeren (Wisconsin) coached against each other in the B1G, along with Kent State offensive coordinator Brian Rock, who spent the last five years at Purdue. Meanwhile Huskies' offensive coordinator Matt Canada and Flashes' defensive line coach Brian George were on the coaching staff together at Indiana from 2005-10. In addition, NIU cornerbacks coach Richard McNutt spent the last two seasons coaching the defensive backs at Kent State.
Career Day
As a redshirt freshman starting his first career game at Minnesota in 2008, Chandler Harnish threw for 326 yards on 17-of-29 passing. Last Saturday versus Central Michigan, 36 games and 34 starts later, Harnish surpassed that mark with a career high 370 passing yards as he completed 27-of-50 passes. The 370-yard game ranks sixth all-time at NIU for a single game, while Harnish's 27 completions tied the career-best mark he set versus Kansas earlier this year and are fifth on the single-game passing chart. The 50 pass attempts by Harnish at CMU also rank fifth on the single-game list. Harnish's 462 yards of total offense (370 pass, 92 rush) are the second-most ever by an NIU player, topped only by Phil Horvath's 477-yard game versus Akron (Sept. 24, 2005).
Record Breaker
Chandler Harnish broke three more Northern Illinois career records against CMU when he completed 27-of-50 passes for 370 yards and ran for 92 yards on 18 carries with three total touchdowns responsible for. Harnish broke the mark for career passing yards previously owned by NIU great and College Football Hall of Famer George Bork, who totaled 6,782 yards from 1960-63, and the Bluffton, Ind. senior now has 6,959 passing yards in his 38-game career. Harnish also set the record for most plays of total offense, surpassing Marshall Taylor's previous record of 1,247 plays from 1985-88. Finally, with his fifth career 300-yard passing game, Harnish broke another of Bork's marks. The three new records come one week after Harnish broke the record for career touchdowns responsible for. He set the NIU record for career total offensive yards as a junior.
Among the Best
Huskie quarterback Chandler Harnish currently ranks among the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision best in passing efficiency, points responsible for and total offense. In five games, Harnish has accounted for 102 points with six rushing and 11 passing touchdowns to rank fourth nationally in points accounted for. His total offense average of 321.60 yards per game is 11th in the country, while his passing efficiency mark of 157.62 is currently 21st among NCAA FBS quarterbacks. Harnish has been responsible for at least three touchdowns in four of the Huskies' five games this season.
Four-Year Starter
Chandler Harnish is poised to break more NIU records in 2011. His 11 TD passes in 2011 give him 51 for his career, third on the Huskie career charts. He is still second all-time in completions and needs 30 completions to break George Bork's (1960-63) all-time marks in those categories. Harnish also ranks 14th all-time on the Huskie rushing charts with 1,981 yards.
Starting Strong
Chandler Harnish began his senior season with a career-best five touchdown passes - thrown to five different receivers - versus Army. His five TD passes were the most by an NIU quarterback since Sept. 17, 2005, when Phil Horvath threw six versus Akron. After that performance, which included a one-yard rushing score, Harnish earned MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honors for the sixth time in his career and was selected the MAC Player of the Week by rivals.com.
Onsides Attempts
Northern Illinois' comeback at Central Michigan could not have occurred without a pair of perfectly executed onside kicks in the final minute of the contest. NIU attempted three total onside kicks in the game. The first, with 6:19 to play, was recovered by CMU. Tyler Wedel's next onside kick was recovered by Jhony Faustin and gave NIU the ball with 45 seconds to play. After a Huskie field goal, Wedel's next bouncer was recovered by Demetrius Stone at 0:19. Including the attempt versus Wisconsin, Northern Illinois is now 2-of-4 on onsides kick attempts in 2011.
Sims' Scoring
NIU sophomore kicker Mathew Sims scored a career high 15 points at Central Michigan, tying for the seventh-most points scored by kicking in a single game at NIU and tying the 2010 season high. Sims' four field goals tied for the third-most in school history while his six attempts tied for the second most ever at NIU. Sims has scored a team-leading 40 points on the year; he ranks fifth in the MAC in scoring, and third in kick scoring.
On The Hop
Over the last 12 seasons, Northern Illinois has had a tailback run for 1,000 or more yards 11 times (see chart). Most recently, Chad Spann turned in back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2009 and 2010, joining Thomas Hammock (2000-01), Michael Turner (2002-03) and Garrett Wolfe (2004, '05, '06) with multiple 1,000-yard campaigns. After tallying 95 yards on 19 carries at CMU, senior Jasmin Hopkins is on pace to reach that goal with 430 yards on 72 carries. He is averaging six yards per carry. Hopkins has three career 100-yard games, including 138 (Army) and 143 (Cal Poly) yard games this season.
Middle Man
Back in his familiar middle linebacker position for the first time since 2009, senior Pat Schiller is leading the Huskie defense, and ranks tied for fourth in the MAC, in tackles. Schiller has 42 tackles on the year, already his second best single season total, with 19 solo stops and 23 assists. He leads NIU, and has already tied his career best season total, with 5.5 tackles for loss. Schiller has 167 career tackles.
Up Front
NIU returned one of the most veteran offensive lines in the country with redshirt seniors Trevor Olson (LT), Scott Wedige (C), Joe Pawlak (RG) and Keith Otis (RT) and redshirt junior Logan Pegram (LG) returning as a unit for the second straight season. Behind that line, NIU has the No. 1 scoring offense and total offense in the MAC and the Huskies are tied for second in the league in fewest sacks allowed. The five veterans up front have made 130 combined starts, led by Olson's 45 (every game of his NIU career) and Pawlak's 32. Otis and Wedige have 19 starts each and Pegram has started 15 contests.
Conversions Are Key
Offensively, Northern Illinois ranks ninth in the nation and leads the MAC in third-down conversion percentage with a 54.55 mark (36-of-66). NIU converted 11 of 13 third-down attempts in the Army game, including an 11-for-11 mark through three quarters behind Chandler Harnish. The Huskies were nine-of-12 on third down versus Cal Poly.
Leading Receiver
True junior Perez Ashford has forged to the top of the Huskies' receivng list after making eight catches for 87 yards at Central Michigan, upping his season totals to 23 catches for 278 yards. Ashford entered the 2011 season with 29 career grabs for 289 yards and has almost matched those numbers after posting career highs for both catches and yards at CMU. Ashford led NIU in receiving for the third straight game.
Sharing the Wealth
Twelve different players have scored touchdowns for NIU through the first five games of the season. The Huskies' touchdowns versus Central Michigan were scored by multiple touchdown scorers Chandler Harnish, Jasmin Hopkins and Martel Moore, who have scored six, six and three TDs, respectively. Seven of the Huskies' 12 TD scorers this year have recorded their first career touchdowns with junior receiver Perez Ashford, freshman receiver Tommylee Lewis and freshman tight end Tim Semisch all earning their first scores versus Cal Poly. They joined redshirt freshmen Da'Ron Brown (at Kansas) and Luke Eakes (Army) and transfers Courtney Stephen (Army) and Jamal Womble (Army) as first-time scorers. Akeem Daniels and Nathan Palmer have also reached the end zone for the Huskies this year.
Scholar-Athlete
NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish was named a semifinalist for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy and a candidate for one of 15 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented annually to the top football student-athletes who combine excellence on the field of play with excellence in the classroom. Harnish, a senior from Bluffton, Ind., is one of only 47 Football Bowl Subdivision candidates for the awards, with seven nominated from Mid-American Conference schools. He earned his undergraduate degree in business management from the NIU College of Business last spring with a 3.65 grade point average and is currently pursuing his M.B.A.
Super Sophomore
After making a name for himself as a true freshman in 2010 as a special teams star with three blocked punts, defensive back Jimmie Ward has become an every down player in the Huskies' defensive backfield. He currently ranks second for NIU in tackles with 39. He made a career high and team leading 11 stops versus Wisconsin after making 10 tackles the week before at Kansas. The Alabama native also has a quarterback sack, two tackles for loss, a blocked punt and a pass break up on the season.
On the Blocks
Northern Illinois has continued its punt-blocking ways in 2011 with Courtney Stephen the latest Huskie to get his hands on a punt when he partially blocked a Cal Poly effort. Stephen was also involved in NIU's first punt block of the season as he recovered Jimmie Ward's block versus Army and returned it 16 yards for the first score of the game. Blocking punts is nothing new for Ward, who blocked a punt for the FOURTH time in his 15-game NIU career. Stephen's score came in his first career NIU game after transferring from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and sitting out the 2010 season. A year ago, NIU blocked five punts and seven total kicks.
Lofty Ranking
Northern Illinois is ranked among the best programs in the nation when it comes to a very important academic barometer, the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR). Northern Illinois' 987 APR for 2009-10 puts the Huskies in elite company, behind only Northwestern (993) and Rutgers (988) and ahead of teams like Duke (986), Stanford (977) and Vanderbilt (977). One of 14 teams in the country to receive an NCAA Public Recognition Award, NIU's APR of 987 is 41 points above the national average. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is the instrument used by the NCAA to measure the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes.
Novak's Last Class
Of the 19 seniors on Northern Illinois' 2011 roster, 13 are fifth-year players who signed with NIU as part of former head coach Joe Novak's last full signing class. The 13 were on the Huskie team that won just two games in 2007 but are now among a very small group of Northern Illinois players to have played on three bowl teams. Among NIU's 13 fifth-year seniors, 10 are listed as starters and all 13 are on the two-deep. The group includes four players who were on the 2007 team as walk-ons, receiver Willie Clark, offensive guard Joe Pawlak, fullback Pat McAvoy and tight end Jack Marks, along with 43-game starter Trevor Olson and four-year starting quarterback Chandler Harnish.
Great Gift
During Soldier Field Showdown II in Chicago, Northern Illinois announced that Dr. Kenneth and Ellen Chessick have made the largest gift ever to Northern Illinois Athletics to name the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Facility. The Chessicks' $3 million naming gift is the lead donation in the current leadership gift phase of fundraising for the facility with a full campaign to be announced in the future. Dr. Kenneth Chessick, a surgeon and attorney who graduated from the Northern Illinois College of Law in 1984 and from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1968, and his wife, Ellen, have devoted themselves to student academic success for many years and have a long history of philanthropic support for Northern Illinois University.
Senior CLASS Nominee
For the second straight season, a Northern Illinois player has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for football as NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish was named to the elite list for 2011. The award honors seniors who have achieved in the community, classroom, character and competition. Harnish is a record-setting four-year starter for the Huskies who became the first player to quarterback Northern Illinois in three bowl games, he has already received his bachelor's degree in business with a 3.65 grade point average and is working on his MBA. He overcame a career-threatening knee injury and has played for three different head coaches and four quarterback coaches during his five seasons with the Huskies. Last year, Northern Illinois defensive end and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jake Coffman narrowly lost out on winning the Senior CLASS Award. One of 10 finalists, he was named to the 2010 First Team.
First-Timers
Twenty-four players have seen their first action in a Huskie uniform this year, including true freshmen Tyler Wedel, Jason Meehan, Rob Sterling and Tommylee Lewis. A quartet of redshirt freshmen made their debuts as starters as fullback Luke Eakes, wide receiver Da'Ron Brown, linebacker Jamaal Bass and snapper Brian Mayer have made key contributions. Transfers Jamal Womble (RB), Leighton Settle (RB), Jhony Faustin (DB) and Tim Semisch (TE) have also seen action this year.
Welcome Back
Dave Doeren's coaching staff includes a pair of familiar names. Linebackers coach Tom Matukewicz, who led NIU to a 40-17 victory over Fresno State in the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl and brought the team together after the abrupt departure of Jerry Kill on the day after the Mid-American Conference Championshp game, remains on Doeren's staff as linebackers coach. Doeren also brought Matt Canada back to Northern Illinois as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Canada was previously at NIU from 1998-2003 on Joe Novak's staff. He coached the Huskie running backs from 1998-2001, then mentored the NIU quarterbacks from 2001-03 and added offensive coordinator duties in 2003. In 2004, he left for Indiana, where he spent the last six seasons, including the last three as offensive coordinator.
