THE FACTS
WHAT: NIU Huskies (0-4, 0-0 MAC) at Ball State Cardinals (3-1, 0-0 MAC)
WHERE: Muncie, Indiana | Scheumann Stadium | 22,500
WHEN: Saturday, October 1, 2016  | 2:30 p.m. (CT)
WATCH: American Sports Network/ESPN3
LISTEN: AM 560 WIND (Chicago)  |  WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb)  |  TuneIn
 
HUSKIE BITES

• NIU opens its 31st season of Mid-American Conference competition Saturday at 2:30 pm (CT) when the Huskies take on Ball State in Muncie.
• For the ninth straight season, NIU and Ball State will play for The Bronze Stalk, a trophy which honors the agricultural regions surrounding both schools. NIU has claimed the trophy for the last seven years after Ball State won the inaugural "battle".  
• NIU has won the Mid-American Conference West Division title in each of the last six years. The Huskies are 44-4 in MAC regular season games during that time.   
• The Huskies continue to be led offensively by receiver Kenny Golladay. The Chicago product recorded his second 100-yard receiving game versus Western Illinois with five catches for 113 yards. In the fourth quarter alone, he accounted for 108 yards on just three touches (38-yard rush, 39- and 31-yard catches).
• The Huskies' 16-point outburst in the fourth quarter versus the Leathernecks was the most points it has scored in a quarter since a 49-21 win over Eastern Michigan last year on October 24.
• Tailback Jordan Huff gained 130 yards on just nine carries versus WIU as he notched the first 100-yard rushing day by an NIU back this year.
• Indiana ('93) graduate Rod Carey is in his fourth season as NIU head coach; his 31-16 record ranks sixth all-time at the school in wins.
• Senior quarterback Anthony Maddie came off the bench to spark NIU's offense versus Western Illinois. He is the third Huskie QB to see significant time as starter Drew Hare went down with a significant injury at USF and was replaced by sophomore Ryan Graham.  
• 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 Coac: Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years: 31-16/4th
Career Record/Years: 31-16/4th
Alma Mater/Year:  Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 566-480-51
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
 
 

CARDINALS' FACTS
2015 Record: 3-9
Mid-American Conference Record/Finish: 2-6/5th West
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Mike Neu (Ball State/1994)
Record at Ball State/Years: 3-1/1st
Career Record/Years: 3-1/1st
Location: Muncie, Indiana
Enrollment: 21,998
Conference: Mid-American Conference
Colors: Cardinal & White
Stadium: Scheumann Stadium  
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /22,500
President: Dr. Terry King
Athletic Director: Mark Sandy
Athletics Website:  www.ballstatesports.com
Twitter: @bsuathletics
Ticket Information: 765-285-1474
 
BSU 2016 Schedule
 

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NIU-BALL STATE SERIES HISTORY
Overall......................................................... NIU leads 21-20-2
In Muncie........................................................... NIU leads 11-9
In DeKalb.................................................... BSU leads 11-10-2
In MAC Games............................................. BSU Leads 15-14
In Bronze Stalk Games ................................... NIU leads 7-1
Streak.................................................................................. NIU, 7
First Meeting ...................... Oct. 4, 1941; BSU 6, NIU 6 (H)
Last Meeting................. Oct. 10, 2015 NIU 59, BSU 41 (H)
 

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
 
TV: NIU-BALL STATE on ASN/ESPN3

• NIU's game at Ball State will air live on stations throughout the nation on a syndicated American Sports Network broadcast, and be streamed live online on ESPN3 and available to mobile users on WatchESPN.
• For the complete list of stations, see page 7 of release.
• Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Brad Jackson (color analyst) will call the game for ASN.
• WatchESPN requires a subscription from an affiliated provider. For more info, go to www.espn3.com.
• Get the direct link to the game stream on GameDay Central on NIUHuskies.com.

 
RADIO: Huskie Sports Network

• The Huskie Sports Network broadcast for the Ball State game begins at 2 p.m. CT, 30 minutes before kickoff.
• The game will be carried on NIU network affiliates WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb) and AM 560 The Answer (Chicago). 
• 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 SportsFan 1330 AM 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 SportsFan 1330 AM 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 www.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
 
SERIES HISTORY: NIU leads the all-time series between the two schools 21-20-2, and the Huskies have won the last seven meetings. The Huskies are 11-9 at Scheumann Stadium all-time, and have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools on Ball State's home turf. The last time the Huskies lost to the Cardinals in Muncie was 2008.
 
THE LAST TIME WE MET: Drew Hare completed a sizzling 90 percent of his passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Joel Bouagnon recorded his third 100-yard rushing game of the season to lead NIU to a 59-41 win over Ball State at Huskie Stadium (Oct. 10). NIU totaled 636 yards of total offense on the day. Ball State jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter before the Huskies offense erupted for four touchdowns before halftime. 
 
TROPHY GAME: For the ninth consecutive year, NIU and Ball State will play for "The Bronze Stalk," a traveling trophy designed specifically for this rivalry in honor of the farming community locales of both institutions. DeKalb artist Renee Bemis designed the trophy, which depicts a cornstalk. In eight Bronze Stalk games, NIU is 7-1 and the Huskies have won The Bronze Stalk in each of the last seven seasons.
 
HUSKIES IN THE MAC: NIU is 136-94-2 all-time in MAC games with a 100-49 (.671) record in league play since 1997 (when NIU rejoined the league). The Huskies have won 36 of 39 MAC regular season contests since Oct. 1, 2011 and 44 of their last 48 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.
 
BACK TO THE BUS: NIU's trip to Muncie is the first of two straight road games for the Huskies. Following Saturday's contest at Ball State, NIU travels to Kalamazoo to face Western Michigan. The Huskies opened the season with two road games this year, playing at Wyoming and South Florida, then played its two games prior to this at home. Following this two-game road swing, the Huskies will only have two more road games left. NIU travels to Eastern Michigan on Nov. 16 and concludes the regular season at Kent State Nov. 25.
 
FOURTH QUARTER RALLY FALLS SHORT: Trailing Western Illinois 28-7 headed into the fourth quarter, the Huskies scored 16 unanswered points to pull within a touchdown of the Leathernecks with 8:15 to play. NIU had two chances inside the red zone in the final five minutes of the game. However, Western Illinois came up with a pair of fourth down stops to thwart the Huskie comeback.
 
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 and the most since Nov. 18, 2015 when he rushed for 159 yards on nine carries against Western Michigan. 
 
KENNY HITS THE CENTURY MARK: Kenny Golladay posted his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and sixth of his career when he recorded 113 yards on five catches in the Western Illinois game. Golladay opened the year with a 10-reception, 144-yard receiving performance at Wyoming. He is the only Huskie receiver with a 100-yard receiving game this season.
 
TWO FOR 100: Kenny Golladay's 113-yard receiving and Jordan Huff's 130 yards rushing in the Western Illinois game mark the first time this season the Huskies have had a 100-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher in the same game. The last time the Huskies had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver was Nov. 11, 2015 when Joel Bouagnon rushed for 156 yards on 28 carries and Golladay amassed 141 yards receiving on six receptions at Buffalo.
 
KENNY G FOR THE TD: Golladay tip toed down the sideline to score on a 39-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Anthony Maddie against Western Illinois. He now has six touchdowns on the season, and is more than halfway to his 2015 tally of 11 (10 receiving and one rushing). Last year, Golladay didn't score his sixth touchdown of the season, a seven-yard touchdown reception at Toledo, until the ninth game of the season.
 
QUICK STRIKE: The Huskies' two-play, 61-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter against Western Illinois took just 21 seconds. It's the fastest scoring drive for the Huskies this season in terms of 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. That drive consumed 31 seconds and was capped off by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Graham to Golladay.
 
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 15 scoring drives (not including the untimed overtime touchdown versus Wyoming), six 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 five 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
 
QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL: NIU has started two different quarterbacks through four games this season. Drew Hare started at Wyoming and at South Florida. However, the redshirt season went 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
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)
(number of games started in parentheses)
 
MADDIE ABOUT YOU: NIU redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Maddie threw for a career-high 142 yards on 11-of-16 passing in NIU's game with Western Illinois. His 11 completions and 16 pass attempts are also career bests. His previous career high was 105 yards on 7-of-11 passing against Kent State Oct. 4, 2014. Maddie missed all of the 2015 season due to injury.
 
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.
 
MAYES I HELP YOU: Safety Brandon Mayes recorded a career-high 12 tackles, including one for loss, in NIU's contest with Western Illinois. The dozen stops were also a team best for the Huskies in the game. Mayes' previous career high was 10, set last season against Western Michigan (11-18).
 
CATCHING ON: Golladay has amassed 1,501 yards receiving on 97 receptions in 18 games in his Huskie career. He needs 450 yards to move into 10th on the all-time receiving yards list and 46 catches to move into ninth on the all-time receptions list at NIU.
 
MOVING ON UP: With 14 career touchdown receptions, Golladay is two touchdown receptions away from cracking the top 10 on NIU's all-time list, and 15 from tying NIU's touchdown receiving leader, Justin McCareins (1997-2000), who holds the school record with 29.
 
GOLLADAY STREAKING: Golladay has recorded at least one reception in all 18 games of his Huskie career. He recorded a career-high 10 receptions in the season opener at Wyoming to become the first Huskie receiver with 10 or more receptions in a game since Tommylee Lewis had 12 catches at Ball State Nov. 13, 2013. 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 leads the nation with a 40-game reception streak.
 
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.
 
HOOSIER HUSKIES: Three Huskies – William Lee (R-Jr., DT), Rajshawn Mosley (Jr., DT) and Luke Shively (R-So., C) – hail from the state of Indiana. Both Lee and Mosley are from Indianapolis and graduated from Arsenal Tech, while Shively is from Tipton. 
 
TECH TEAMMATES REUNITE: Indianapolis natives William Lee and Rajshawn Mosley will see a familiar face on the other side of the field. James Gilbert, a sophomore tailback for Ball State, is also an Aresenal Tech graduate. 
 
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.
 
J.J. ON THE PLAY: Linebacker Jawuan Johnson leads the Huskies in tackles for loss with 5.5 on the season after recording 1.5 tackles for loss against San Diego State. He tallied four tackles for loss as part of a career-high seven-tackle performance in NIU's contest at USF. It was the most tackles for loss by a Huskie since Joe Windsor made four in a 45-3 victory over Buffalo, Oct. 13, 2012. The school record for tackles for loss in a game is six by Larry English at Temple (Oct. 20, 2006). Scott Kellar holds the school-record for tackles for loss in a season with 20 set in 1984.
 
IT'S BEEN A WHILE: San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey became the first running back to rush for 200 yards in a game against the Huskies since Thomas Rawls of Central Michigan rushed for 270 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries on Oct. 11, 2014 at Huskie Stadium. Pumphrey finished the day with 220 yards on 23 rushes with three touchdowns. Pumphrey's 79-yard touchdown run was the first TD run of 60 yards or longer allowed by an NIU defense since Lonnie Pryor's 60-yard touchdown rush in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
 
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. Versus San Diego State he added three rushes for 19 yards. Blake is second on the team in receiving with 196 yards on 16 receptions.
 
DEBUTS: Tight end Mitchell Brinkman, linebacker Lance Deveaux, Jr. and defensive back Daniel Isom added their names to the list of Huskies making their NIU debuts this season. Through three games this season, 19 Huskies have taken the field for the first time for NIU. Defensive tackle Ben LeRoy is the only other true freshman to see action, while redshirt freshman Quintin Wynne, junior college transfer Joe Sanders 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 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 88 games. Florida State and Alabama have each played in 86 games, while Stanford and Michigan State tallied 85 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 372 yards on 24 receptions and is third on the team in rushing with 146 yards on 12 carries. Lurry has 17 tackles and a team-leading four pass break ups.
 
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.
 
LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Cornerback Shawun Lurry recorded a career-high seven tackles against Western Illinois. It comes a week after the Huskie junior tied his previous career best with six against San Diego State. He is sixth on the team in tackles with 17.
 
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: The Huskies have lost their first four games of the season for the first time since 1999. NIU dropped the season opener at Wyoming in triple overtime and a week two tilt at USF. The Huskies fell to No. 19 San Diego State in the home opener before falling 28-23 to Western Illinois Saturday at Huskie Stadium. 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 four. That victory over the Bulls ignited a four-game winning streak for NIU that year and the Huskies finished the season 5-6.
 
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.
 
SENIOR SALUTE: The Huskies' 2016 roster includes 22 seniors, with 18 listed on the depth chart and 12 slated to start against Ball State. 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.
 
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.         WR        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)
 
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.