THE FACTS
WHAT: NIU Huskies (1-4, 1-0 MAC) at No. 25 Western Michigan Broncos (5-0,1-0 MAC)
WHERE: Kalamazoo, Michigan | Waldo Stadium | 30,200
WHEN: Saturday, October 8, 2016  | 5:30 p.m. (CT)
WATCH: CBS Sports Network  |  Channel Finder
LISTEN: AM 560 WIND (Chicago)  |  WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb)  |  Sportsfan 1330 AM (Rockford)   |  TuneIn
 
HUSKIE BITES

• NIU continues its MAC opening road swing Saturday at 5:30 pm (CT) in Kalamazoo as the Huskies take on MAC West foe Western Michigan.
• The Huskies are coming off a 31-24 win over Ball State in Muncie as NIU won its eighth straight Battle for the Bronze Stalk.  
• NIU has won the Mid-American Conference West Division title in each of the last six years. The Huskies are 45-4 in MAC regular season games since the beginning of the 2010 season.   
• Senior receiver Kenny Golladay caught 13 passes for 184 yards with two TDs at Ball State to up his season total to eight touchdowns (6 receiving). He leads the MAC in receiving and all-purpose yards, receiving touchdowns and catches per game.
• Western Michigan leads the overall series between the teams, 23-16, but NIU has won the last six games in the series.
• In his first career start, quarterback Anthony Maddie accounted for 458 yards of total offense with 298 passing and 160 rushing yards at Ball State. He averaged 11.4 yards/carry, scored on a 75-yard touchdown run and threw a pair of touchdown passes.
• The Huskies gained 355 rushing yards and tallied a season-high 653 yards of total offense at Ball State, while the defense gave up just one touchdown in the final 43:47 of the game.  
• Indiana ('93) graduate Rod Carey is in his fourth season as NIU head coach; his 32-16 record ranks sixth all-time at the school in wins.
• Linebacker Sean Folliard was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week after his 17-tackle performance at Ball State. Folliard recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass break-up.    
• NIU ranks tied for 11th nationally among FBS programs in Graduation Success Rate and is tied for third among public FBS institutions.

 

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HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
2015 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 8-6/6-2/T1st West
Head Coach: Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years: 32-16/4th
Career Record/Years: 32-16/4th
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 567-480-51
Consecutive Bowl Appearances: 8
Last Bowl Game: 2015 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 7, 2015
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 51/16
Starters Returning: 16 (6 off., 6 def., 4 spec.)
Starters Lost: 10 (5 offense, 5 defense, 0 specialist)
 
NIU FACTS
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Founded: 1895
Enrollment: 19,015
Affiliation: NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision
Conference: Mid-American (West Division)
Colors: Cardinal and Black
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /23,595
President: Dr. Douglas D. Baker
Assoc. VP/Athletic Director: Sean T. Frazier
    Alma Mater, Year: Alabama '92
Ticket Information: 815-753-PACK (7225)
 
NIU 2016 Schedule
 

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BRONCOS' FACTS
2015 Record: 8-5
Mid-American Conference Record/Finish: 6-2/T-First
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): P.J. Fleck (NIU/2004)
Record at Western Michigan/Year: 22-21/4th
Career Record/Years:  22-21/4th
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Enrollment: 23,914
Conference: Mid-American, West Division
Colors: Brown & Gold
Stadium: Waldo Stadium  
      Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf/30,200
President: John M. Dunn
Athletic Director: Kathy Beauregard
Athletics Website: wmubroncos.com
Twitter: @WMU_Football
Ticket Information: 1-888-4-WMU-TIX
 
WMU 2016 Schedule
   
NIU-WESTERN MICHIGAN SERIES HISTORY
Overall.............................................................. WMU leads 23-16
In Kalamazoo......................................................WMU leads 12-8
In DeKalb.......................................................... WMU leads 11-10
Streak..................................................................................NIU, 7
First Meeting ...................... Sept. 23, 1950; WMU 40, NIU 13 (A)
Last Meeting......................... Nov. 18, 2015; NIU 27, WMU 19 (H)
   
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
 
TV: NIU-WMU on CBS SPORTS NETWORK

• The NIU-Western Michigan game is the fourth Huskie game this season will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network (CBSSN).
• Find the CBSSN channel in your area by using the Channel Finder at CBSSportsNetwork.com.
• CBS Sports Network does not stream or offer games via mobile app.
• The announce crew for the NIU-WMU game is Ben Holden (play-by-play), Jay Feeley (color analyst) and John Schriffen (sidelines).

 
RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Network broadcast for the WMU game begins at 5 p.m. CT, 30 minutes before kickoff.
• The game will be carried on NIU network affiliates WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb), AM 560 The Answer (Chicago) and Sports Fan 1330 (Rockford).
• Hear the broadcast online via NIU All-Access (subscription), and on mobile devices via TuneIn. Download the app free and find the NIU Huskies channel.
• Bill Baker is in his 37th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo joins him for the 31st season, while Andy Garcia is in his fourth season on the sidelines.

 
INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW

• Airs LIVE Mondays from 7-8 p.m. CT with host Bill Baker, football head coach Rod Carey, two Huskie players and other head coaches and administrators each week.
• The hour-long show can be heard on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb and Sports Fan 1330 in Rockford.
• Listen online via NIUTube and on the TuneIn app.
• Fans are invited to attend the show at Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb (1312 W. Lincoln Hwy)

 
NIU WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

• Airs Friday at 10 p.m. CT in Chicago on AM 560 The Answer, Saturday at 8 a.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb and on Sports Fan 1330 in Rockford.
• Also hear it on NIUTube (subscription).
• Hosts are Andy Garcia and NIU Associate Vice-President/Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier.
• The 30-minute show features interviews with football head coach Rod Carey, as well as other NIU head coaches and administrators.

 
NIU ALL-ACCESS

• See weekly and post-game press conferences, video features, Huskie Olympic sports and special events.
• Hear all NIU live radio broadcasts, including football and basketball games and NIU radio shows.
• Purchase a daily, monthly or annual subscription.
• Go to NIUHuskies.com for rates and information.

 
GETTING SOCIAL

• Twitter: @NIUAthletics, @NIUScores, @NIU_Football
• Facebook: NIU Huskies, NIU Football
• Instagram: niuhuskies, niuhuskiefootball
• YouTube: niuhuskiesdotcom
• See NIU Athletics' social media hub online to see all of the Huskie team and coaching staff accounts.

 

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NIU NEWS & NOTES
 
FINISHING THE JOB: With its 31-24 win at Ball State, NIU has won 43 straight games when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter. The Huskies took a 24-17 lead into the final quarter of play against the Cardinals. The last NIU loss when leading after three quarters was an 18-17 setback to Iowa at Soldier Field on Sept. 1, 2012. The Huskies led the Hawkeyes, 17-9, after three quarters.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Western Michigan owns a 23-18 record overall in the series. NIU has won the last seven meetings, dating back to a 48-3 win over the Broncos at Huskie Stadium in 2009, and three of the last four games played in Kalamazoo. The Huskies' seven-game winning streak over WMU ties the longest winning streak in the series, which the Broncos have achieved twice. The Huskies are averaging 38 points a game, while holding WMU to 19.1 during their current winning streak over the Broncos. The last Bronco victory in the series was in 2008 when Western Michigan scored a 29-26 win at Waldo Stadium.
 
THE LAST TIME WE MET: The Huskies scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to earn a 27-19 victory over Western Michigan at Huskie Stadium (Nov. 18, 2015). The NIU defense came up with a pair of fourth quarter stops, including a goal-line stand, to give the Huskies the win. NIU quarterback Ryan Graham threw for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11-of-23 passing. Kenny Golladay led the Huskie receivers with four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
 
PULLING RANK: The Huskies are looking for their first win over a ranked foe since Nov. 3, 2015, when NIU defeated then-No. 20 ranked Toledo, 32-27, in thye Glass Bowl at Toledo.
 
WESTERN MICHIGAN HUSKIES: Former Huskie wide receivers P.J. Fleck (1999-2001, 2003) and Matt Simon (2004, 2006-08) are on the Western Michigan coaching staff. Fleck, who was also an assistant coach at NIU from 2007-09, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Broncos. Simon, was a volunteer assistant at NIU ion 2010, is in his fourth season with Western Michigan as well.
 
HUSKIES IN THE MAC: NIU improved its all-time MAC record to 137-94-2 with a 101-49 (.673) record in league play since 1997 (when NIU rejoined the league). The Huskies have won 45 of their last 49 since 2010. Central Michigan and Ohio are the only two league foes to defeat the Huskies in the regular season during that time. The Chippewas defeated NIU in 2011, 2014 and 2015, while Ohio scored a win over NIU in the 2015 regular season finale at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies are in their 31st season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2016-17, including an initial stint in the league from 1975-85.
 
BRONZE STALK BATTLE: The Huskies picked up their first victory of the season and retained the Bronze Stalk trophy as they defeated Ball State, 31-24 at Scheumann Stadium. Senior quarterback Anthony Maddie turned in a stellar performance in his first career start, throwing for 298 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 160 yards and a TD in his first career start. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay caught a career-best 13 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
 
KENNY HITS THE CENTURY MARK: For the second-straight week and third time this season, Kenny Golladay recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of the season and seventh of his career when he tallied 184 yards on 13 receptions against Ball State. Golladay opened the season with a 10-reception, 144-yard receiving performance at Wyoming and gained 113 yards on five receptions against Western Illinois. He is the only Huskie receiver with a 100-yard receiving game this season.
 
TWO FOR 100: NIU had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver for the second straight week as Kenny Golladay amassed 184-yards receiving, while Anthony Maddie and Joel Bouagnon rushed for 160 and 153 yards, respectively, at Ball State. Golladay recorded 113 yards receiving and Jordan Huff rushed for 130 yards the previous week against Western Illinois.
 
TWO FOR 100 PART II: Aurora Christian products Anthony Maddie and Joel Bouagnon became the first two Huskies to rush for 100 yards in the same game this season. Maddie gained a career-high 160 yards rushing, including a 75-yard touchdown run, on 14 carries, while Bouagnon totaled 153 yards on 21 rushes against the Cardinals. Bouagnon was part of the last Huskie duo to accomplish the feat when he and Jordan Huff rushed for 138 and 128 yards, respectively, against Eastern Michigan Oct. 24, 2015.
 
HUSKIE 150: Bouagnon's 153 yards rushing at Ball State was the first 100-yard rushing game of the season and seventh of his career. Bouagnon's total was the most yards rushing for Bouagnon since Nov. 11, 2015 when the Huskie senior rushed for a career-high 156 yards at Buffalo. Bouagnon opened the 2015 campaign with 152 yards against UNLV, his third 150-yard rushing game.
 
REACHING HIGHER: Golladay hauled in a career-high 13 receptions in NIU's win at Ball State, which is tied for fourth-most in a game by an NIU receiver and are the most since Sam Hurd caught 14 passes versus Akron on Sept. 24, 2005. Golladay's 13-catch performance against the Cardinals is the second 10-plus catch day of his career. He snared 10 receptions for 144 yards in the season opener.
 
KENNY G FOR THE TD: With touchdown receptions of 14 and 22 yards at Ball State, Golladay now has eight touchdowns on the season (six receiving, two rushing), and is closing in to his 2015 tally of 11 (10 receiving and one rushing). It was Golladay's second two-touchdown performance of the season and fifth of his career. Last year, Golladay didn't score his sixth touchdown of the season until Nov. 11 with a pair of receiving TDs at Buffalo.
 
QUITE THE START: NIU redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Maddie threw for a career-high 298 yards on 26-of-41 passing, while rushing for a career-best 160 yards on 14 carries as he led NIU to victory over Ball State. His 26 completions and 41 pass attempts are also career bests. His previous career high was 142 yards on 11-of-16 passing against Western Illinois in the fourth game this season. Maddie missed all of the 2015 season due to injury, and spent 2014 as a back up to Drew Hare.
 
QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL: Anthony Maddie became the third Huskie quarterback to start a game this season. Drew Hare started at Wyoming and at South Floridabefore going down with an injury in the third quarter of the game against the Bulls. Ryan Graham, who came in for Hare in the third quarter of the South Florida game started against San Diego State and Western Illinois. The Huskies started three quarterbacks last season when Hare, Graham and Tommy Fiedler each started a game for NIU in 2015.
 
NIU's Starting Quarterbacks Since 2007 (Games Started)
2016     Drew Hare (2), Ryan Graham (2), Anthony Maddie (1)
2015     Drew Hare (9), Ryan Graham (4), Tommy Fiedler (1)
2014     Matt McIntosh (2), Drew Hare (12)
2013     Jordan Lynch (14)
2012     Jordan Lynch (14)
2011     Chandler Harnish (14)
2010     DeMarcus Grady (1), Chandler Harnish (13)
2009     Chandler Harnish (9), DeMarcus Grady (4)
2008     Chandler Harnish (9), Dan Nicholson (3), DeMarcus Grady (3)
2007     Dan Nicholson (9), Ryan Morris (3)
 
TWO FOR 100: With 160 yards rushing and 298 yards passing, Maddie recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game and is the first Huskie quarterback to throw and rush for 100 in the same game since Oct. 18, 2014 when Drew Hare rushed for 180 yards on 17 carries and threw for 185 yards on 12-of-16 passing versus Miami (Ohio).
 
SWEET HOME CHICAGO: The NIU football team returns to Chicago this season when NIU plays host to Mid-American Conference rival Toledo, Nov. 9 at Guaranteed Rate Field in the Huskie Chi-Town Showdown. It will be the first college football game ever played at the stadium, which is the home of the Chicago White Sox.
 
FAMILY AFFAIR: NIU quarterback Ryan Graham and Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis are brothers. The two grew up together in Wheaton, Ill. Before his junior year at Wheaton-Warrenville South, the Grahams welcomed Davis into their family.
 
FAST WHEN THEY WANT TO BE: NIU has effectively used the big play and the hurry-up offense to put points on the board at times this season. Of the Huskies' 20 scoring drives (not including the untimed overtime touchdown versus Wyoming), nine have consisted of two minutes or less. That includes the 10-play, 77-yard drive that tied the Wyoming game with 1:13 left to play and lasted just 1:59.  NIU also has two drives of 31 seconds or less and just one of more than 4:30 this year. In terms of plays, every Huskie scoring drive but one has been 10 plays or less with six of five plays or less on the year.
 
NIU TWO MINUTES OR LESS SCORING DRIVES
Game          QTR      PL   YDS   TOP        SCORING PLAY
Wyoming     1st         3       75   1:24        Golladay 34 yd run
Wyoming     4th       10       77   1:59        Wimann 19 yd pass from Hare
USF             4th         6       20   1:35        Hagan 22 yd field goal
SDSU          3rd         2       54   0:31        Golladay 49 yd pass from Graham
W. Illinois      4th         2       61   0:23        Huff 23 yd run
W. Illinois      4th         5       60   1:16        Golladay 39 pass from Maddie
Ball State      1st         8       59   1:52        Hagan 41 yd field goal
Ball State      1st         4       97   1:13        Maddie 75 yd run
Ball State      4th         6       60   1:03        Golladay 22 yd pass from Maddie
 
QUICK STRIKE: The Huskies' two-play, 61-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter against Western Illinois took just 21 seconds off the clock to rank as the fastest scoring drive for the Huskies this season in both plays and time. Anthony Maddie connected with Kenny Golladay on a 39-yard pass, before tailback Jordan Huff scored on a 23-yard touchdown run. That drive was also the second two-play scoring drive by NIU this season. The other, a two-play, 54-yard touchdown drive, came against San Diego State, consumed 31 seconds and was capped off by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Graham to Golladay.
 
CATCHING ON: Golladay has amassed 1,685 yards receiving on 110 receptions in 19 games for an average of 88.7 yards and 5.8 catches/game in his Huskie career. He needs 266 yards to move into 10th on the all-time receiving yards list and 33 catches to move into ninth on the all-time receptions list at NIU.
 
MOVING ON UP: With a pair of receiving touchdowns at Ball State, Golladay is tied for 10th on NIU's all-time list, and 13 from tying NIU's touchdown receiving leader, Justin McCareins (1997-2000), who holds the school record with 29. Golladay is tied with Dave Petzke (1977-78) and Nathan Palmer (2008-11) with 16 career touchdown receptions. Golladay's have come in just 19 games compared to 22 and 48 for Petzke and Palmer, respectively
 
GOLLADAY STREAKING: Golladay has recorded at least one reception in all 19 games of his Huskie career. He recorded a career-high 13 receptions last week at Ball State, the second 10-catch game of his career. Golladay had one catch for 15 yards against Bowling Green in the MAC Championship game to keep the streak alive. Robert Davis of Georgia State, Corey Davis of Western Michigan and Zach Pascal of Old Dominion lead the nation with a 40-game reception streak.
 
SACK LUNCH: The NIU defense tallied a season-high five sacks in its victory over Ball State. Sophomore defensive end Josh Corcoran led the way with the first two sacks of his NIU career, while Folliard, Mario Jones and Austin Smaha each recorded a sack. The five sacks were the most for the Huskies since 2014 when NIU recorded five in its 23-15 victory over Northwestern (Sept. 6).
 
WEEKLY HARDWARE: Sean Folliard recorded a career-high 17 tackles at Ball State, allowing the senior linebacker to claim Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week honors. Folliard's 17 stops, which included a sack and two-and-a-half tackles for loss, are the most tackles by a Huskie since 2012 when Tyrone Clark tallied 17 tackles at Army.
 
MAYES I HELP YOU: Safety Brandon Mayes, who recorded a career-high 12 tackles against Western Illinois, intercepted his first pass of the season at Ball State. He made an incredible over the shoulder interception on a pass by Cardinal wide receiver Corey Lacanaria at the three yardline as Ball State was driving for a touchdown. Mayes' interception was converted into points by his former Aurora Christian teammate Anthony Maddie. 
 
BLAKE BREAKING OUT: Entering the 2016 season opener, NIU wide receiver Christian Blake had eight receptions for 73 yards. This season, Blake has surpassed his two-year totals in both categories in two games. He had a career-high 82 yards on four receptions at Wyoming, while his six-catch, 53-yard effort at USF was a single-game best for receptions. After a five-catch, 75-yard day at Ball State,  Blake is second on the team in receiving with 271 yards on 21 receptions.
 
BACK TO THE BUS: NIU wraps up a two-game MAC-opening road trip when it travels to Kalamazoo to face Western Michigan. The Huskies opened the trip with a 31-24 win over Ball State last weekend for NIU's first road victory of the season and first win of 2016. The Huskies began the season with two road games this year, playing at Wyoming and South Florida, then played twice at home. Following this two-game road swing, the Huskies will have four straight home games before finishing the season on the road. NIU travels to Eastern Michigan on Nov. 16 and concludes the regular season at Kent State Nov. 25.
 
HUSKIES COME HOME: NIU has two players from the state of Michigan on its roster. Safety Mycial Allen and Ron Brown both hail from Detroit. Allen graduated for King High School, while Brown is a product of Mumford High School.
 
DO I KNOW YOU?: Both Allen and Brown have former high school teammates on the Western Michigan Broncos. Sophomore defensive back Deshawn Foster graduated from Mumford High School, while freshman cornerback Dontre Boyd is a King product.
 
DEBUTS: Through five games this season, 19 Huskies have taken the field for the first time for NIU. True freshmen Mitchell Brinkman, Lance Deveaux, Jr., Daniel Isom and Ben LeRoy have all seen action for NIU in 2016. Isom made his first career start at Ball State, tallying a career-high eight tackles. Redshirt freshman Quintin Wynne, junior college transfer Joe Sanders, Isom and Brinkman are the only newcomers to start a game. Wynne and Sanders started at defensive end in the Huskies' first three games, while Brinkman got his start at tight end versus Western Illinois. JC product cornerback Damarius Brinson, Jr. (CB) and seven more players who redshirted last year have seen action in 2016.
 
SOME STRETCH: No FBS team in the nation has played more football games since 2010 than NIU. With appearances in six straight conference championship games and bowl games, the Huskies have played in 14 football contests in each of the last six seasons for a total of 89 games. Florida State and Alabama have each played in 87 games, while Oregon, Wisconsin and Clemson tallied 86 games played the last seven seasons.
 
POWER OF NIU'S "19" DUO: Double numbers are common on college football teams, but rarely do two players star with the same number. All-American cornerback Shawun Lurry and NIU's leading receiver from 2015, Kenny Golladay both wear No. 19. Other than playing on opposite sides of the ball, there is another "big" difference between the two. Golladay stands 6-4, 213, while Lurry has a 5-8 180-pound frame. Golladay leads the Huskies in receiving with 556 yards on 37 receptions. Lurry has 25 tackles and a team-leading six pass break ups.
 
TE SCORING TDs: NIU tight end Shane Wimann scored his fourth receiving touchdown of the season on a two-yard toss from Ryan Graham against Western Illinois. He also reached the end zone on fourth-quarter receptions of 14 and seven yards versus San Diego State. The Huskie junior scored his first touchdown of the season at Wyoming on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Drew Hare. Wimann has four touchdowns on the season and eight for his career.
 
POINT MADE: NIU's 16 points in the fourth quarter against Western Illinois are the most points scored by the Huskies in a quarter this season and the most since NIU put up 21 in the second quarter against Eastern Michigan on Oct. 24, 2015.
 
IN A HUFF: Tailback Jordan Huff became the first Huskie to rush for 100 yards in a game this season when he tallied 130 yards on just nine carries against Western Illinois. Huff averaged 14.4 yards per carry in his third career 100-yard rushing game, his top total since Nov. 18, 2015 when he rushed for 159 yards on nine carries against Western Michigan. 
 
CAREER DAY FOR GRAHAM: In his first start since the 2015 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl, NIU quarterback Ryan Graham turned in a career day against San Diego State. The redshirt-sophomore threw for 213 yards and three touchdown passes on 17 completions on 35 attempts, all career highs. Graham's previous career best was 15-of-21 for 190 yards and two touchdown passes in his first career start at Buffalo Nov. 3, 2015.
 
MILENNIALS: For the first time in school history, NIU returned a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver from the previous season. Senior tailback Joel Bouagnon rushed for 1,285 yards on 283 carries in 2015. After sitting out the 2014 after transferring to NIU from North Dakota, redshirt senior Kenny Golladay amassed 1,129 yards receiving on 73 receptions. Both players also had at least 10 touchdowns on the season, with Bouagnon scoring 18 TDs, while Golladay reached the end zone 10 times last year.
 
GETTING BETTER EVERY WEEK: Cornerback Shawun Lurry, who made a name for himself intercepting passes last season, has broken his career-high for tackles each week the last three games. Lurry tallied a career-high eight tackles at Ball State, a week after recording seven stops against Western Illinois. The Huskie junior tied his previous career best against San Diego State when he made six tackles. He now ranks fifth on the team in tackles with 25.
 
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: The Huskies picked up their first victory of the season in the fifth game of the year for the first time since 1999. NIU's win over Ball State ended a seven-game winless drought for the Huskies that dated back to a 26-21 setback to Ohio (Nov. 24) last season. During the 1999 season, the Huskies picked up their first win of the season, a 45-21 victory at Buffalo (Oct. 2), in game number five as well, sparking a four-game winning streak for NIU.
 
DEGREES IN HAND: Five Huskies – Ladell Fleming, Clayton Glasper, Drew Hare, Lincoln Howard and Levon Myers – were among the 58 NIU student-athletes to walk across the stage at graduation and receive their degrees in May. Glasper and Howard earned their degrees in kinesiology, Fleming graduated with a degree in organizational & corporate communications, Hare and Myers earned degrees in leadership and management and marketing, respectively. The five are all in postgraduate studies or grad school this fall.
 
MAKING THE GRADE: The NIU football program continues to be as successful in the classroom as it is on the field. The Huskie football program matched its multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, a school record, which it set last year.  The multi-year APR for each NCAA Division I team is based on the past four year' totals for eligibility and retention of each scholarship student-athlete. NIU's 970 ranks above the national average of 964 for Football Subdivision schools and tied for second in the MAC.
 
FLORIDA HUSKIES: The 2016 Huskie roster includes 13 players from the state of Florida. Freshmen Lance Deveaux, Jr., and Andrew Parchment, and junior college transfer Damarius Brinson, Jr. join 10 returning Florida Huskies – juniors Christian Blake, Renard Cheren, Shawun Lurry, Ezra Saffold, and Albert Smalls, redshirt junior Bobby Jones IV and redshirt freshmen Antonio Davis-Jones, Jeffrey Hill and Trequan Smith.  With two of Huskies' last four bowl games taking place in Florida, the 2013 Orange Bowl and 2014 Boca Raton Bowl, NIU football is well-known in the Sunshine State. Deveaux saw his first action as a Huskie versus SDSU, while Saffold recorded his first catch of the season.
 
Christian Blake,  Jr., WR, Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons)
Damarius Brinson Jr., Jr.-R, CB, St. Petersburg (Boca Ciega)
Renard Cheren, Jr.,  LB, Lake Worth (Park Vista)
Antonio Jones-Davis,  Fr.-R, LB, Vero Beach (Vero Beach)
Lance Deveaux Jr.,  Fr., LB, Pompano Beach (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Bobby Jones IV, Jr.-R, LB, Miami Gardens (Monsignor Pace)
Shawun Lurry,  Jr., CB, West Palm Beach (W.T. Dwyer)
Alton Meeks, Jr.-R,  DE, Orlando (Dr. Phillips)
Andrew Parchment, Fr., WR, Fort Lauderdale (Cypress Bay)
Ezra Saffold, Jr., W, Riviera Beach (W.T. Dwyer)
Albert Smalls, Jr., CB, Miramar (Monsignor Pace)
Trequan Smith,  Fr.-R, S, Boynton Beach (Boynton Beach)
Jeffrey Hill,  So., CB, Miami (Miramar)
 
SENIOR SALUTE: The Huskies' 2016 roster includes 22 seniors, with 18 listed on the depth chart and 12 slated to start against Western Michigan. The offensive line features seniors Levon Myers, Lincoln Howard and Josh Ruka with reserve guard Ron Brown. Tailback Joel Bouagnon and wide receivers Kenny Golladay, Clayton Glasper, Aregeros Turner, and Anthony Maddie round out the NIU seniors on the offensive side of the ball. Defensive linemen Mario Jones, Corey Thomas and Ladell Fleming, linebackers Jamaal Payton and Sean Folliard, and cornerback Anthony Brooks comprise the Huskie seniors on the defense. Punter Jake Ambrose, kicker Josh Orne and long snapper Bobby Ramlet provide experience on the special teams.
 
ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU CAME TO NIU: The 22-man 2016 NIU senior class, the largest in Rod Carey's tenure as head coach of the Huskies, boasts 15 redshirt seniors. Of those 15 redshirt seniors, 11 made the trip to South Beach for NIU's appearance in the 2013 Orange Bowl. They are the last remaining Huskie class who had the Orange Bowl experience.
 
NEW ADDITIONS: NIU head coach Rod Carey welcomed five new coaches to his staff (see chart on page 3) during the offseason. Three of those five coaches are very familiar to Huskie fans. Kevin Kane, who was with the Huskies from 2011-14, returned to serve as NIU's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Mike Uremovich, the Huskies' running backs coach 2012, came back to DeKalb as offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and running backs coach. Meanwhile, Melvin Rice, who lettered at NIU from 2005-08, returned to coach his old position group, cornerbacks. Veteran line coach Bob Bostad and longtime successful NAIA mentor Josh Homolka signed on to coach the NIU tight ends/fullbacks and safeties, respectively.
 
MAC PRESEASON MEDIA/COACHES POLL: The six-time defending Mid-American Conference West Division champion NIU Huskies, who won three of the last five conference titles were picked to finish in third place in the division in 2016 by the MAC Media Association. The league coaches selected NIU, which has made six consecutive trips to the MAC Championship game as MAC West Division Champions,  to finish second. Both the MAC Media Association and MAC Coaches picked Western Michigan and Bowling Green to win the MAC West and East divisions, respectively. It is the third year in a row the MAC Media Poll has not picked the defending MAC West champions to win its division.