Aug. 15, 2015
NIU 2015 Camp Central
DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Huskies held their first extended scrimmage of 2015 preseason practices Saturday with the NIU run game taking center stage in the two-and-a-half hour workout.
Thunderstorms in the area forced the Huskies inside the Chessick Practice Center for the first portion of practice and the start of the scrimmage before the skies cleared, allowing the Huskies to go out to the Brigham Field turf for the bulk of the workout.
NIU Head Coach Rod Carey was generally pleased with what he saw from his team.
“It was good to play football,” Carey said. “It was the first time in camp we tackled for an extended time. I like the way we ran the ball today. I liked the way we finished – [it was] good to see the defense get a turnover in two-minute at the end. It was a good work day for the first full scrimmage. There are a lot of things we still need to work on… we had 12 offensive penalties for one.”
After several periods spent in individual drills and special teams, the scrimmage portion of the practice started with the offense on its own two-yard line with the challenge to “get it out.” In four drives, the defense forced two punts and the offense was successful twice. The defense was then challenged to stop the offense from scoring on first down from the three-yard line and the number one defense successfully made the stop.
Most of the practice was spent in a live move the ball scrimmage with the ball placed at either the 35 or the 50 yard line. NIU also scrimmaged in red zone, two-minute and overtime situations. The first and second team units received most of the reps with the team’s “young guys” running several series in the middle of practice.
A pair of young guys who saw action with the first and second units were true freshmen running backs Marcus Jones (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice HS) and D.J. Brown (North Little Rock, Ark./North Little Rock HS). In series with the first two teams, Jones totaled 10 carries for 56 yards and a 10-yard touchdown run, while Brown had seven carries for 40 yards. Junior Keith Harris, Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Leo HS) also had a successful day with nine rushes for 39 yards and a two-yard touchdown to close out the action. Jones also scored on a 70-yard run in the young guys series, while fellow freshman tailback Sutton Smith (Saint Charles, Mo./Francis Howell HS) had a 50-yard jaunt in that session.
Jones and Brown caught the eye of Carey, as did some of their counterparts at linebacker on the defensive side, but the former offensive line coach, as well as his quarterback, noticed the guys up front too.
“The run game was pretty good today,” Carey said. “The young backs [D.J. Brown, Marcus Jones] did well, I saw several of our young linebackers flying around out there. I like the way the offensive line played as a unit.”
“I thought we played well [on offense],” Hare said. “A lot of the skill guys had great days and when we were running the ball, I felt the offensive line was moving people.”
Although the run game was featured, nine different receivers caught passes, including sophomore Christian Blake (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons HS), who snagged a 30-yard touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone to close out the two-minute drill featuring the first team. Tight end Desroy Maxwell (Evanston, Ill./Amundsen HS) led all receivers with three grabs for 29 yards. In the next series, though, the defense came through with its lone turnover of the day when sophomore cornerback Tifonte Hunt (Harvey, Ill./Thornton Township HS) intercepted Ryan Graham’s (Wheaton, Ill/Wheaton Warrenville South HS) pass attempt.
Linebacker Boomer Mays (Lawrence, Kan./Eudora HS) recorded two tackles for loss to provide defensive highlights.
Like Carey, Hare was glad to “play football” in the scrimmage situation.
“The difference with a scrimmage like today is you can get in a rhythm, you’re moving the ball, getting connections with receivers, you can get drives going,” he said. “You can’t do that when you just have a couple of team periods in a practice usually.”
The Huskies will enjoy their first off day of camp Sunday before returning to the practice field Monday at 2:40 p.m. NIU has just one more week of training camp before classes begin on Monday, Aug. 24. The Huskies open the season with a home game versus UNLV on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m. The game will air on the CBS Sports Network.
NIU Football 2015 season tickets are still on sale and remain the best value in Chicagoland. Season ticket prices begin for as little as $99, a 61 percent discount off the single game price. Other ticket options include two different three-game mini-plans for just $75, the new Huskie Family Pack, which includes four season tickets in sections A, B, F or G of Huskie Stadium for just $299 or the Young Alumni Ticket, with two East Side season tickets for $115 for all 2014-15 NIU graduates. Faculty and staff, senior citizens (62 and over) and NIU Alumni Association members can purchase season tickets for just $115.
In addition to the Seats for Soldiers program for donated tickets, single game, three-game mini-plan and group tickets are on sale now. Check out the 50th Anniversary ticket special presented by Hy-Vee offering tickets in section A and G on the West Side of Huskie Stadium for $19.65 each. These tickets are available for purchase online only by using the promo code “1965”. CLICK HERE to order.
To become an NIU season ticket holder or to purchase mini-plans, the Family Pack or single game tickets, go online anytime to NIUHuskies.com/tickets or call 815-753-PACK (7225) Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Or check out the premium areas available for 2015, including bench back seating, the Coaches’ Club or the new End Zone Club! The Huskies’ newest premium area is located at field level, just outside of the South End Zone and provides fans with a completely unique view of the action, as well as food and beverages. For more information, go to huskieathleticfund.com.
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