NIU HUSKIES FOOTBALL 2016

NIU Huskies (0-1) at USF Bulls (1-0)
Tampa, Florida | Raymond James Stadium | 65,857
Saturday, September 10, 2016  | 6 p.m. (CT) | CBS Sports Network
Radio: AM 560 WIND (Chicago)  |  WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb)  |  TuneIn
 

HUSKIE BITES

• NIU travels to Tampa, Florida, looking for its first victory of the season after falling, 40-34, in a triple overtime thriller at Wyoming on Sept. 3.
• The three-overtime game was the longest in school history and dropped NIU's record in overtime games overall to 5-3. The Huskies last overtime contest was a 44-37 double OT win over Kent State in the 2012 MAC Championship game. 
• NIU opens with back-to-back road games for the first time since 2013 and plays a regular season game in Florida for the first time since Oct. 9, 2004 when the Huskies played a MAC game versus UCF.
• NIU and USF meet for the fourth time with the Bulls holding a 2-1 series edge. The teams last played in the International Bowl on Jan. 3, 2010 in Toronto, Canada, a 27-3 Bulls' victory. 
• Huskie wide receiver Kenny Golladay was the most impressive player on the field last Saturday as the 6-4 Chicago product led NIU in rushing and receiving with six carries for 82 yards and 10 catches for 144 yards. He scored NIU's first three touchdowns on plays of 39, 34 and 27 yards. 
• The winningest (D1) program in Illinois all-time, the Huskies have played in a FBS record six straight MAC Championship games and a league record eight consecutive bowl games.   
• Rod Carey is in his fourth season as NIU head coach with a 31-13 career record to rank sixth all-time at NIU in wins.
• The Huskies' game at South Florida marks a home-state homecoming for 13 Floridians on the NIU roster, although all but two are from the southeast coast of the state.
• Off the field, NIU ranks tied for 11th nationally among FBS programs in Graduation Success Rate and is tied for third among public FBS institutions. Its 86 percent rate is 14 points above the FBS average.

---

 
HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
2015 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 8-6/6-2/T1st West
Head Coach:  Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years: 31-13/4th
Career Record/Years: 31-13/4th
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 566-477-51
Consecutive Bowl Appearances: 8
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: 21,138
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
 
 

USF FACTS
2015 Record: 8-5
American Athletic Record/Finish:  6-2/2nd East
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Willie Taggart (Western Kentucky/1998)
Record at USF/Years: 15-23/4
Career Record/Years: 30-44/7
Location:  Tampa, Fla.
Enrollment: 48,793
Conference: American Athletic
Colors: Green & Gold
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
      Surface/Capacity: Tifway Bermuda /65,857
President: Dr. Judy Genshaft
Athletic Director: Mark Harlan
Athletics Website: www.gousfbulls.com
Twitter: @USFAthletics
Ticket Information: 800-Go-Bulls
 
USF 2016 Schedule
 

---

 
NIU-USF SERIES HISTORY
Overall...................................................................... USF leads 2-1
In Tampa................................................................... USF leads 1-0
In DeKalb.................................................................. NIU leads 1-0
At Neutral Site........................................................ USF leads, 1-0
Streak..................................................................................... USF, 2
First Meeting ................. August 30, 2001; NIU 20, USF 17 (H)
Last Meeting............................. Jan. 2, 2010: USF 27, NIU 3 (N)
 

---

 FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
 
TV: NIU-USF on CBS Sports Network

• The NIU-South Florida game is the second of three consecutive Huskie games that will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network (CBSSN).
• Find the CBSSN channel in your area by using the Channel Finder at CBSSportsNetwork.com.
• The announce crew for the Wyoming game is Dwayne Ballen (play-by-play), Corey Chavous (color analyst) and Melanie Collins (sidelines).

 
RADIO: Huskie sports network

• The Huskie Sports Network broadcast for the Wyoming game begins at 5:30 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). 
• The broadcast can be heard online via NIU All-Access (subscription), and on mobile devices via the TuneIn app. Search for the NIU Huskies channel.
• Bill Baker begins his 37th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo is in his 31st season, while Andy Garcia begins 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 live 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 nights at 10 p.m. CT in Chicago on AM 560 The Answer, Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. CT on WLBK AM 1360 and FM 98.9 in DeKalb and on Saturday 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.

 

---

 

NIU NEWS & NOTES

 
SERIES HISTORY: USF owns a 2-1 record all-time over NIU. The Bulls handed the Huskies a 27-3 loss in the 2010 International Bowl. It was the second straight victory for USF in the series. The Bulls defeated NIU, 37-6, in 2002 in Tampa. The Huskies' lone victory in the series came in 2001 when NIU defeated USF, 20-17, in Huskie Stadium.
 
LAST WE MET: USF scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to hand NIU a 27-3 loss in the 2010 International Bowl. The two teams battled to a 3-3 tie heading into halftime as NIU held the Bulls to minus three yards rushing and just 95 yards of total offense in the half. The turning point in the game came on South Florida's second possession of the second half. Leading 6-3, USF quarterback B.J. Daniels connected with wide receiver A.J. Love for a 46-yard touchdown. The Huskie offense was limited to just 97 yards of total offense in the second half.
 
NIU vs. THE AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: NIU's meeting with USF is the Huskies' first game against an opponent in the American Athletic Conference, which was formed following the realignment of the Big East in 2013. While this is the first game against a team that is a current member of the AAC, NIU is 7-8 versus teams that currently comprise the league. NIU owns winning records over Temple and UCF.
 
School             NIU vs.         Last Meeting
UCF                      2-1             NIU, W, 30-28, Oct. 9, 2004
Cincinnati           1-1             UC, W, 55-19, Oct. 28, 1995
East Carolina       0-1             ECU, W, W, 24-20, Nov. 10, 1990
Navy                    0-2             Navy, W, 16-0, Nov. 25, 2008
USF                      1-2             USF, W, 27-3, Jan. 2, 2010
Temple                3-1             NIU, W, 31-17, Oct. 9, 2010
 
ROAD WARRIORS: With their loss at Wyoming in the 2016 season opener, the Huskies fell to 22-5 in true road games since a 31-30 victory at Buffalo on Oct. 22, 2011. Three of those five losses came last season as NIU went 3-3 away from home in 2015.
 
ROAD TRIP: NIU is on the road for its first two games of the season after opening the past two seasons at home. The last time the Huskies played their first two games away from home was 2013 when NIU defeated Iowa, 30-27, at Kinnick Stadium in the season opener before traveling to Idaho where the Huskies scored a 45-35 win in Moscow.
 
HUSKIE HIGH FIVE: The Huskies' contest at South Florida is the second of three straight games versus opponents from the "Group of 5" for the Huskies in 2016. NIU began the stretch at Wyoming (Mountain West) to open the season. Mountain West champion San Diego State pays a visit to Huskie Stadium Sept. 17.
 
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. Only two of NIU's 13 Florida natives are from outside the Palm Beach-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami area and just one - Brinson - is from the Tampa Bay region.
 
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)
 
DON'T CHANGE THAT CHANNEL: NIU's game at USF is the second of three straight Huskie games to be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network. NIU's season opener at Wyoming was televised live on the network, while its home opener versus San Diego State (Sept. 17) will also be shown on CBS Sports Network.
 
LATE NIGHT IN WYOMING: Originally scheduled to kickoff at 8:30 p.m. local time, NIU and Wyoming were forced to wait out an hour-and-52 minute weather delay before opening the 2016 season. The game eventually kicked off at 10:20 p.m. Mountain Time. That is the latest the Huskies have ever started a football game.
 
SEARCHING FOR VICTORY IN THE SUNSHINE STATE: Saturday's game in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium will be the ninth game for NIU in the state of Florida and its third in the last four years. The Huskies' last two visits to the Sunshine State have been for bowl games. NIU fell to Marshall in the 2014 Boca Raton Bowl and lost to Florida State in the 2013 Orange Bowl. The Huskies, which are 1-7 in games played in Florida, are looking for their first win in the state since a 30-28 victory over Central Florida Oct. 9, 2004.
 
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.
 
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: NIU has amassed a 65-20 record since 2010. That win total during that time puts NIU in some esteemed company. The Huskies rank sixth behind Alabama (73), Oregon (70), Florida State (68), Stanford (67) and Michigan State (66) in wins over the last six years.
 
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 85 games. Florida State and Alabama have each played in 83 games, while Stanford and Michigan State tallied 82 games played the last seven seasons.
 
WORKING OVERTIME: With its 40-34 setback in triple overtime at Wyoming, NIU fell to 5-3 in overtime games. It was the Huskies' first overtime game since Nov. 30, 2012 when NIU defeated Kent State in double overtime in the 2012 MAC Championship game. The overtime contest in Wyoming was also the first season opener to go into overtime since Aug. 28, 2003 when the Huskies defeated Maryland, 20-13, in Huskie Stadium.
 
NIU in Overtime Games
Record: 5-3 (.625)
 
Date                       Opponent (Score)                                                        Site
8-29-02                 NIU 42, Wake Forest 41                                          DeKalb
8-28-03                 NIU 20, Maryland 13                                               DeKalb
10-4-03                 NIU 30, Ohio 23                                                       DeKalb
10-30-04               NIU 38, Ball State 31                                                DeKalb
9-24-05                 Akron 48, NIU 42                                            Akron, Ohio
11-12-08               Central Michigan 33, NIU 30                                  DeKalb
11-30-12               NIU 44, Kent State 37 (2OT)                     Detroit, Mich.#
9-3-16                   Wyoming 40, NIU 34 (3OT)                       Laramie, Wyo.
 
# - MAC Championship Game
 
THE LONGEST DAY: Last Saturday night's contest at Wyoming was the first triple overtime game in school history, making it the longest game played by an NIU football team. The total elapsed actual game time of four hours and 14 minutes was the longest since NIU defeated Ball State, 40-28, Sept. 30, 2006 a four-hour contest in Muncie. That game included a 52-minute weather delay during the contest, and saw Garrett Wolfe break the school's single game rushing record with 353 yards on the ground. The weather delay at Wyoming was prior to kickoff.
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Kenny Golladay accounted for 226 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in the season opener against the Cowboys. The senior wide receiver recorded 144 yards receiving and two touchdowns on a career-high 10 receptions, while rushing for a team-high 82 yards on six carries with a rushing touchdown at Wyoming. In the season opener against UNLV last year, Golladay burst onto the scene with 213 yards receiving on nine receptions.
 
RUSHING PAST 2015: Kenny Golladay shattered his rushing total from 2015 on his first carry of 2016 as he broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Golladay led the Huskies in rushing with 82 yards on six carries. Golladay tied his rushing touchdown tally from last year on that run as well.
 
PERFECT 10: Kenny Golladay recorded his first 10-catch game in his Huskie career when he tallied 10 receptions for 144 yards at Wyoming. He is the first Huskie receiver with 10 or more receptions in a game since Tommylee Lewis had 12 catches at Ball State Nov. 13, 2013.
 
WELCOME BACK: NIU quarterback Drew Hare threw for 329 yards on 24-for-39 passing with three touchdowns at Wyoming in his return to the field. Hare missed the last five games of the 2015 season following an Achilles injury suffered in the first half of NIU's 32-27 victory at Toledo. The native of O'Fallon, Mo. also rushed for a touchdown against the Cowboys. He is one four Huskie signal callers to win a MAC championship.

HITTING 300: Drew Hare collected the third 300-yard passing game of his career with 329 yards at Wyoming. His total was the most by a Huskie quarterback since Oct. 10, 2015 when he threw for 363 in NIU's 59-41 victory over Ball State. His 39 passing attempts against the Cowboys are the most for the Huskie signal-caller since the 2014 MAC Championship game when he attempted 49 passes.
 
LUCKY NUMBER 13: Safety Mycial Allen set a career-high in tackles  versus the Cowboys with a game-high 13 stops, including eight solo. His previous personal best was six tackles at Miami on Oct. 17, 2015.
 
STATE CHAMPS: With a 566-477-51 overall record, NIU boasts a .541 winning percentage which is tops among all seven of Illinois' Division I (FBS and FCS) football programs. At the end of September, NIU will take on the team ranked second on the list, Western Illinois.
 
School                          GP            W-L-T                            Pct.
NIU                           1,094            566-476-51                  .541
W. Illinois                 1,042            536-470-36                  .532
Illinois                      1,212            595-566-51                  .512
E. Illinois                  1,059            503-514-43                  .495
Illinois St.                 1,062            478-521-63                  .480
S. Illinois                      977            439-506-32                  .466
Northwestern          1,215            518-653-44                  .444
 
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: NIU returns 94.9 percent of its 5,579 yards of total offense from 2015. The Huskies bring back 5,295 yards from last season's total, led by Drew Hare. The Huskie quarterback rushed for 252 yards and passed for 1,962 for 2,214 yards of total offense last year. Bouagnon tallied 1,285 yards rushing, while Ryan Graham and Jordan Huff added 795 and 653 yards, respectively.
 
MILENNIALS: For the first time in school history, NIU returns 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.
 
NIU'S ALL-AMERICAN: In addition to returning a 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher, NIU also returns an All-American in cornerback Shawun Lurry.  Last season, Lurry led the nation in interceptions with nine and earned first team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America, second team accolades by the Walter Camp Foundation and third team honors from the Associated Press.
 
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.
 
DEBUTS: Eleven players made their Huskie debuts versus Wyoming last week. Defensive tackle Ben LeRoy was the only true freshman to see action, while redshirt freshman defensive end Quintin Wynne was the only newcomer to start the game.  Two other true newcomers to the team - JC products Joe Sanders (DE) and cornerback Damarius Brinson, Jr. (CB)  - saw their first action as did seven more players who redshirted last year.
 
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 19 listed on the depth chart and 12 slated to start at USF. Quarterback Drew Hare headlines the group and plays behind an offensive line featuring 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, returns to serve as NIU's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Mike Uremovich, the Huskies' running backs coach 2012, comes back to DeKalb as offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and running backs coach. Meanwhile, Melvin Rice, who lettered at NIU from 2005-08, returns to coach his old position group, cornerbacks. Veteran line coach Bob Bostad and longtime successful NAIA mentor Josh Homolka have signed on to coach the NIU tight ends/fullbacks and safeties, respectively.
 
GIVING BACK: Senior linebacker Sean Folliard is one of seven players from the Mid-American Conference named as a nominee for the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. Established in 1992 by the American Football Coaches Association, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® recognizes a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others. There are 165 nominees for the 25th anniversary of the award, which selects 22 players, 11 from the Football Bowl Subdivision.
 
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 and made six consecutive trips to the MAC Championship game as MAC West Division Champions, were picked to finish in third place in the division in 2016 by the MAC Media Association, while the league coaches selected NIU 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.