HUSKIE BITES

·         The NIU Huskies close out the 2017 regular season with a Black Friday match-up versus MAC West foe Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant; NIU can claim a share of the MAC West Division title with a win, and win it outright with a win and a Western Michigan victory over the Rockets.

·         NIU will play in a bowl game for the ninth time in the last eight seasons and the first time since 2015. The Huskies have won at least eight games for the seventh time in the last eight years.   

·         CMU has played the role of Huskie nemesis of late, with wins over NIU in each of the last three years, and four victories in the last six seasons dating back to 2011.

·         Defensive end Sutton Smith, one of 18 semifinalists for the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defender, put together a dominating performance versus Western Michigan with 2.5 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and his second touchdown on a fumble recovery and return.

·         One week after breaking the NIU single season record for tackles for loss, Smith added the single season mark for quarterback sacks. His 27.5 tackles for loss (2.5/game) and 13 sacks (1.18/game) rank first and third in the FBS, respectively. 

·         In his five seasons at the helm of the Huskie program, Head Coach Rod Carey has led NIU to a 32-7 regular season record versus MAC foes for an .820 winning percentage, and a 44-22 (.667) overall mark.  

·         Senior tailback Jordan Huff ran for a career high 185 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns to lead the Huskie offense versus WMU in weather made for rushing. For his career, Huff is averaging 6.58 yards/carry.

·         Senior safety Jackson Abresch became just the third player in FBS history - and the first since 1997 - to score two touchdowns on blocked punts in the same game versus Ball State. NIU has blocked four punts in 2017 and leads the FBS in that category.

 

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HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years: 44-22/5th
Career Record/Years: 44-22/5th
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 579-486-51
2016 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 5-7/5-3/3rd West
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 7, 2015
Bowl Appearances (Major College): 11
Last Bowl Game: 2015 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 50/31
Starters Returning: 15 (5 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialist)
Starters Lost: 12 (5 offense, 6 defense, 1 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
Acting President: Dr. Lisa Freeman
Assoc. VP/Athletic Director: Sean T. Frazier
    Alma Mater, Year: Alabama '92
Ticket Information: 815-753-PACK (7225)

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CHIPPEWAS' FACTS
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): John Bonamego (Central Michigan/1987)
Record at Central Michigan/Years: 13-13/3rd
Career Record/Years: 13-13/3rd
2016 Record: 6-7
MAC Record/Finish: 3-5/5th (West) 
Location: Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Enrollment: 27,069
Conference: Mid-American
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Stadium: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /30,255
President: Dr. George E. Ross
Athletic Director: Michael Alford
Athletics Website: cmuchippewas.com
Twitter: @CMUAthletics
Ticket Information: 888-347-3872

2017 CMU Schedule & Results
 

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NIU-CMU SERIES FACTS
Overall: CMU leads 28-23-1
In DeKalb, Illinois: NIU leads 14-11-1
At Mount Pleasant, Michigan: CMU leads 17-9
In MAC Games: CMU leads, 16-15
Streak: CMU, 3
First Meeting: Sept. 30, 1939; CMU 6, NIU 0 (A)
Last Meeting: Oct. 15, 2016; CMU 34, NIU 28 3OT (H)
 

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-CMU on CBS SPORTS NETWORK

·         The NIU-CMU game will air on CBS Sports Network, marking the Huskies' fifth appearance on the network, and eighth network TV showing, in 2017.

·         Find the CBSSN channel in your area by using the Channel Finder at CBSSportsNetwork.com.

·         CBSSN does not stream or offer games via mobile app.

·         Ben Holden (play-by-play), David Diehl (color analyst) and Erik Coleman (sidelines) call the game.

 

RADIO: NIU sports network

·         The NIU Sports Network broadcast for the CMU game begins at 10:30 a.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 SportsFan Radio AM 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 38th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo joins him for the 32nd season, while Brian Sleik fills in on the sidelines for Andy Garcia

 

INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW

·         The final regular season Inside Huskie Football Radio Show is set for Monday, Nov. 20 at Noon at Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb (1312 W. Lincoln Hwy).

·         Listen live with the TuneIn app; hear it Monday at 7 p.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb, 8 pm Mondays on 560 AM The Answer in Chicago and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on SportsFan Radio 1330 AM in Rockford.

·         Hear from host Bill Baker, NIU Head Coach Rod Carey, Huskie players and athletic department guests.

 

NIU WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

·         Due to the Thanksgiving holiday and travel schedules, there is no NIU Weekly Radio Show this week.

·         The final edition for 2017 airs next Friday, Dec. 1 at 10 p.m. CT in Chicago on AM 560 The Answer, Saturday at 8:30 a.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb and on SportsFan Radio AM 1330 in Rockford at 6:30 a.m.

·         Hosts are Andy Garcia and Sean T. Frazier, NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics.

·         The 30-minute show features interviews with football coach Rod Carey, other NIU head coaches and guests.

 

NIUTube (Huskie 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: @NIU_Football, @NIUScores, @NIUAthletics

·         Facebook: NIU Huskies, NIU Football

·         Instagram: niufootball, niuhuskies

·       YouTube: niuhuskiesdotcom

·         See NIU Athletics' social media hub online to see all of the Huskie team and coaching staff accounts.

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NEWS & NOTES

RED & BLACK FRIDAY: NIU is 6-1 in games on Black Friday and have won five in a row. The Huskies have won the last five day-after-Thanksgiving contests, including a 31-21 win at Kent State last season. NIU's only loss on the Friday after Thanksgiving came Nov. 27, 2009 when the Huskies lost to Central Michigan, 45-31. 

MAC WEST CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIO: The Huskies are still alive for the MAC West title and a trip to Detroit for the 2017 MAC Championship game with a win and a Toledo loss to Western Michigan. Toledo owns the tie breaker by virtue of its head-to-head victory over the Huskies. If both teams win on Friday, NIU will claim at least a share of the MAC West title. 

BOWL-ELIGIBLE HUSKIES: With eight wins on the season, NIU is bowl eligible for the ninth time in 10 seasons and will play in a bowl for the 12th time as an FBS team. The Huskies appeared in eight straight bowl games from 2008-15, including the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl.

MOST FREQUENT FOE: The Huskies have played Central Michigan 52 times since 1939, more than any other current NCAA FBS team. The Chippewas lead the all-time series 28-23-1. In 31 games as MAC opponents, owns a 16-15 advantage over NIU. The Huskies are 9-17 in Mt. Pleasant and have lost four of their last five games at Kelly-Shorts Stadium. The last NIU win at Central Michigan was a 38-24 victory in 2013, which is also the last win for NIU in the series. 

THE LAST TIME WE MET: Central Michigan escaped DeKalb with a 34-28 victory in triple overtime on Oct. 15, 2016 as CMU quarterback Cooper Rush hit tight end Tyler Conklin on the first play of CMU's third overtime possession. Rush threw for a game-high 254 yards and two touchdowns as the Chippewas won their third straight game in the series. Aregeros Turner led the way for NIU with a pair of touchdowns, including a 53-yard touchdown run.

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: NIU is 146-98-2 all-time in MAC play and 110-53 (.675) in league action since 1997, when NIU rejoined the league. Since 2010, NIU is 54-8 and has recorded three undefeated campaigns and two one-loss seasons in league play, winning six-straight division championships during that stretch. The Huskies are in their 32nd season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2017-18, including an initial stint in the league from 1975-85.

MIDWEEK MACTION: With its 35-31 win over Western Michigan last week, NIU improved to 19-3 in league games played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays since 2010. Toledo and Ohio are the only two schools to defeat the Huskies during midweek MACtion. The Huskies also fell to the Rockets last year at Guaranteed Rate Field on Nov. 9, while Ohio scored a 26-21 win over NIU on Nov. 24, 2015 at Huskie Stadium. 

SUTTON SEMIFINALIST: NIU defensive end Sutton Smith has been named one of 18 semifinalists for the 2017 Chuck Bednarik Award as the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year. The first Bednarik Award semifinalist in school history, Smith is the lone MAC representative, and one of two players from "Group of 5" schools, among the 18 Bednarik semifinalists this year. More than half (27.5) of the redshirt sophomore's 53 tackles have gone for a loss in 2017.

SUTTON ON THE SACK: Sutton Smith recorded two-and-half sacks last week versus Western Michigan to give the Huskie defensive end 13 on the season, breaking the NIU record for sacks in a season. The previous school record of 12 was held by Larry English (2007) and Scott Kellar (1984). Smith's 13 sacks are the most by any player in the FBS this season. 

NATIONAL LEADER: Sophomore Sutton Smith recorded a career-high 5.5 TFLs versus Western Michigan, and leads the country with an average of 2.5 per game and 27.5 total. With a pair of tackles for loss against Ball State, the Huskie defensive end broke the school single season record, which had stood at 20 since 1984. Smith made five tackles for loss in the season opener versus Boston College; he recorded a season-best three sacks against Kent State.  

SUTTON ON THE SCORE: Sutton Smith scored his second touchdown of the season on a fumble return when he scooped up a WMU fumble and sped 58 yards down the sideline, giving the Huskies a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. Smith's scoop and score was his second of the season, as he also scored on a 16-yard strip, steal and score at Bowling Green. Prior to that, the last time NIU had scored on a fumble return was on Nov. 18, 2008 versus Kent State.   

IN A HUFF: Jordan Huff came up big on Senior Night versus Western Michigan as he ran for a 31-yard touchdown on the Huskies' first offensive play of the game and continued to power the NIU offense all night, finishing with a career high 185 yards on 25 carries.  He scored again on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28 and averaged 7.4 yards per rush on the day. Huff seemed to get stronger as the game went on with 74 rushing yards in the fourth quarter as the Huskies sealed the win with a 5:21 yard drive to close out the game. 

LINING IT UP: The Huskie offensive line – which, by the way, features NO seniors – led the way to Huff's 185-yard effort and to the Huskies' 191.8 rushing yards/game average in 2017.  For the second time this season, NIU also did not give up a sack in its game versus Western Michigan. 

ON THE BRINK:  In the past two games, sophomore tight end Mitchell Brinkman has made his presence felt with a pair of touchdown catches, including the game-winner from 26-yards out versus Western Michigan. Brinkman has just four catches on the season, with two going for scores. The 26-yard reception was the longest of his career.   

COMEBACK ABILITY: For the second time this season, NIU came back to win a game in the fourth quarter when the Huskies scored a touchdown with 6:20 to play and then ran out the clock with a final drive to defeat Western Michigan, 35-31. NIU led at the half, but fell behind 28-21 in the third quarter and again 31-28 in the final period. NIU's 30-27 overtime victory over Eastern Michigan was the first win for the Huskies this season when trailing heading into the fourth quarter as NIU came back from a 24-10 deficit to tie the game in regulation.

BLOCK PARTY: The Huskies lead the nation in blocked kicks with six and are tied for first in blocked punts with four. NIU blocked at least one punt in three straight games with one each against Eastern Michigan and Toledo, and two versus Ball State, all by different players. NIU also blocked a field goal at Nebraska and another against Eastern Michigan. The school record for punt blocks in a season is six, set in 2010.

Player  (Block Type) - Opponent
William Lee (FG) - Nebraska
TEAM (FG) - Eastern Michigan
Mitchell Brinkman (P) - Eastern Michigan
Jackson Abresch (P) - Toledo
Trayshon Foster (P) - Ball State
Jauan Wesley (P) - Ball State

TWICE AS GOOD: NIU's two blocked-punt effort against Ball State marks the first time NIU has blocked multiple punts in a game since Nov. 20, 2010 when they blocked three punts - coincidentally - at Ball State. NIU also returned a punt block for a touchdown in that contest as Jimmie Ward returned Jordan Delegal's first punt block of the game 15 yards for a score.

IN THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS: Jackson Abresch scored a pair of touchdowns on NIU's two blocked punts versus Ball State to become just the third player in NCAA history to score twice off of blocked punts in the same game. Abresch joined Air Force's Frank Staine-Pyne (1997 vs. Hawaii) and Auburn's David Langner (1972 vs. Alabama) as the only FBS players to achieve the rare feat. 

IN THE HUSKIE RECORD BOOKS: Abresch's first touchdown in the Ball State game, which he picked up and returned 13 yards, was NIU's first touchdown off a blocked punt since Sept. 3, 2011 when Jimmie Ward returned one 14 yards against Army. Abresch tied Ward for career blocked punt returns for a touchdown when he recovered NIU's second blocked punt of the night in the end zone. He is also the first Huskie to block a punt (vs. Toledo) and score a touchdown on a blocked punt since Ward in 2010.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Wide receiver Jauan Wesley caught his first career touchdown pass and blocked his first punt in NIU's 63-17 victory over Ball State. Wesley was on the receiving end of a 70-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Santacaterina in the fourth quarter. Two Cardinal possessions later, he blocked Morgan Hagee's punt in the end zone which Abresch recovered for the score.

BALL-HAWKING BACKER: Linebacker Jawuan Johnson recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the season when he picked off Ball State's Jack Milas in the third quarter. He is the first Huskie linebacker with at least four interceptions since Tyrone Clark, who finished with a team-best four INTs in 2010. The school record for interceptions by a linebacker is six by Rich Marks in 1972.

OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE: Jawuan Johnson's third quarter interception versus Ball State ended a two-game interception drought by the Huskies. NIU has 14 INTs on the year, which ranks third in the MAC and 14th in the nation. The Huskie defense tallied its fourth multi-interception game of the season with three at Bowling Green, including Trayshon Foster's first career INT. NIU had three interceptions versus Kent State (Oct. 7) and at Nebraska (Sept. 16) and two against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 9). The Huskies had 14 interceptions all of last season.

HUSKIE SEE HUSKIE DO: Nine different Huskie defenders have accounted for NIU's 14 interceptions this season. Linebacker Jawuan Johnson leads the way with four, while safety Mycial Allen and cornerback Shawun Lurry have two each. Linebackers Bobby Jones IV and Kyle Pugh, safeties Jackson Abresch, Mykelti Williams and Trayshon Foster and defensive end Josh Corcoran each have one.

TE FOR THE TD: Shane Wimann caught his team-leading seventh touchdown pass of the season on a four-yard shovel pass from Marcus Childers in the first quarter versus Ball State to set a new NIU record for most touchdown catches by a tight end in a season. Wimann broke his own record of six touchdown receptions set last year, while his 17 career scores are also a Huskie tight end record. Wimann is the only player on the current roster to have caught a touchdown pass from each of the last five NIU starting quarterbacks. 

PLAYING LIKE A SENIOR: Shane Wimann's 12-yard reception on third and seven in the fourth quarter against Western Michigan was his only catch of the game, but it kept a drive alive that allowed NIU to score the game-winning touchdown. It was also the Huskie tight end's single-season best 29th catch in a year of career bests. The senior caught a career-high six passes for 37 yards at Toledo, tallied a career high 70 yards - on four catches - against Eastern Michigan with a career-long 50 yard grab in the contest. The Wisconsin Dells native has 278 yards receiving on the season

QUARTERBACK COMPARISON: Marcus Childers is the first redshirt freshman to start at least six games at quarterback for NIU since Chandler Harnish in 2008. In his six starts, Childers has out-performed the Huskie great. While Harnish did leave his second start early due to injury, Childers has 24 more carries, thrown for more TDs and yards, and averages more passing yards a game. Harnish averaged just under a yard per carry than Childers and had a better passer efficiency rating, 133.55-130.28.

	W-L	No.	Yards	TD	Avg,	C-A-I	Yards	TD	Yards/G
Harnish (2008)	2-4	67	282	2	4.2	68-119-5	1,005	5	167.5
Childers (2017)	5-1	91	318	4	3.4	97-169-2	1,181	11	196.8

ALL MY CHILDERS: Marcus Childers became the first Huskie quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a game since Drew Hare threw four versus Murray State on Sept. 12, 2015 with his career-best four TDs versus Ball State. Childers connected with four different receivers in three quarters of work. Childers finished the game with 141 yards on 10-of-22 passing.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU: Wide receiver D.J. Brown, who leads NIU with 35 catches on the season, recorded his first 100-yard receiving game when he tallied 104 yards on seven receptions, including a touchdown, against Eastern Michigan. The redshirt junior scored the initial touchdown of the game on a career-long 69-yard pass from Marcus Childers in the second quarter. 

FOUR OF A KIND: NIU has four receivers with 300 yards or more receiving yards. The last time NIU had that many players with as many receiving yards for the season was in 2011 when Martel Moore, Nathan Palmer, Perez Ashford and Da'Ron Brown hit the mark. Spencer Tears leads the way with 420 yards, while Chad Beebe is next with 391, followed closely by Christian Blake with 388. D.J. Brown leads the Huskies in receptions with 35 for 333 yards. Tight end Shane Wimann needs just 22 yards to join the 300-yard club.  

GOING DEEP: Six Huskie players have caught a pass of 50 yards or longer in 2017, another sign of the depth of the NIU receiving corps. Spencer Tears (81 yards), Chad Beebe (73), Jauan Wesley (70), D.J. Brown (69), Christian Blake (50) and Shane Wimann (50) all have at least one long reception, with Wesley's 70-yarder from Daniel Santacaterina versus Ball State the most recent.   

RUSHING TO A RECORD: After averaging 7.4 yards per rush versus Western Michigan, tailback Jordan Huff improved his career average to 6.58 yards a carry, while surpassing the 2,000-yard mark in career yards as his total stands at 2,119 net yards on 322 carries. Huff's yards per carry average would be a new NIU record, surpassing the mark of 6.56 currently held by Huff's position coach, NIU great Jordan Lynch. Garrett Wolfe is next on the list behind Lynch with a 6.40 yard per carry average.

THE DEFENSE DOES NOT REST: NIU leads the MAC and ranks 20th in the nation in total defense, allowing an average of 322.7 yards per game. Last year, the Huskies finished the season ranked 98th nationally in total defense, allowing 451.5 yards a game, 128.8 more than the current number. NIU allowed a season-low 131 yards of total offense to Kent State (Oct. 7), the lowest total by an FBS team since Oct. 8, 2011 when the Golden Flashes gained just 64 yards.

MODEL OF EFFICIENCY: A key to the Huskies' defensive success in 2017 has been its ability to get off the field.  NIU ranks eighth in the country and leads the MAC in third down conversion percentage defense as opponents are converting at just a 28.8 percent rate. The Huskies held San Diego State to a season-low 1-of-14 on third down conversions, the Golden Flashes to 2-of-16 and Buffalo to 2-for-14 on third down in consecutive games earlier this year. 

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: The NIU defense's 28.8 third down conversion percentage defense (53-of-184) is the lowest in school history (records dating back to 1986). The previous low by a Huskie defense was 35 percent in 1994, when the Huskies held opponents to 55-of-158 on third down. Last season, NIU's opponents converted 38 percent (70-of-185) of their third down attempts.  

GETTING OFF THE FIELD: The Huskie defense is tied for third in the country in defensive three-and-outs. Three times this season, NIU has recorded a season-best eight three-and-outs in a game – versus Ball State, San Diego State and Kent State. NIU is averaging 6.1 three and outs a game. The Huskies have either forced teams to punt or forced a turnover in the first three plays of a drive in 67 of 165 drives by their opponents. The Huskies also tallied six three-and-outs versus Eastern Illinois, five at Nebraska and four versus both Western Michigan and Boston College.

Team (G)	Avg.	3 & Outs-Total Drives	Pct.
1. Indiana (11)	6.64	73-161	45.3
2. Michigan (11)	6.36	70-134	52.2
3. Texas A&M (11)	6.09	67-152	44.1
NIU (11)	6.09	67-165	40.6
5. Clemson (11)	5.55	61-143	42.7

STOPPING THE RUN: NIU is giving up just 109.8 yards per game on the ground to lead the MAC and rank ninth in the country in rushing defense.  That number is the lowest allowed by a Huskie defense since 1963, when NIU gave up just 107.4 yards/game, and is the best rushing defense by NIU as an FBS program. NIU has held five opponents to less than 100 rushing yards, including Buffalo which gained only 39 yards, including just one net yard in the second half. The vaunted rushing attack of Western Michigan was limited to just 110 net yards on 44 carries with MAC leading rusher Jarvion Franklin gaining 115 yards last week, just 23 after the first quarter.  

AT A LOSS: As a team, the Huskies ranks second in the country in tackles for loss, averaging 9.1 per game. NIU totaled a school-record 18 TFLs against Ball State, the most by any team in the FBS this year. NIU has 100 TFLs on the season, and needs five to break the school record of 104, set in 2008.

THREE OF A KIND: The Huskie defense currently has three different defenders with double digit tackles for loss. Sutton Smith leads the way with his school-record 27.5 TFLs, Jawuan Johnson has 12.5, and Bobby Jones IV 11. The last time multiple NIU players finished the season in double digits in tackles for loss was when Alan Baxter (11.5), Sean Progar (10.5), Joe Windsor (10.5) and Tyrone Clark (10) did it in 2012.

WORKING ON THE LINE: The NIU defensive line has accounted for 28 of NIU's 38 sacks, 55 of the Huskies' 100 tackles for loss and four of NIU's 20 forced turnovers. Ten different defensive linemen now have recorded at least one sack this season with four of NIU's five sacks versus Western Michigan and six of seven versus Ball State were made by linemen. Sophomores Ben LeRoy (DT) and Smith, and redshirt freshman Jack Heflin (DT), who came up with his first career tackle for loss versus WMU, are all first-time starters. 

SACK STREAK: Sutton Smith, who else, extended the NIU defense's sack streak to 21 games when he took down WMU quarterback Reece Goddard on the Broncos' third offensive play last week.  The Huskie team's sack streak dates back to the Huskies' Sept. 17, 2016 contest against San Diego State. The 2017 Huskies lead the MAC and rank third in the country with 3.45 sacks a game.

SACK ATTACK:  Twice this season, NIU's defense has recorded seven sacks in a game, reaching the mark against both Ball State and Kent State. Seven sacks are the most recorded by a Huskie defense since Sept. 14, 2013 when NIU amassed nine at Idaho.

SACK-SATIONAL DEFENSE: NIU's 38 sacks this season rank third all-time in school history. The school record for sacks in a season is 47 set in 2002. The Huskie defense is three sacks away from surpassing the 2012 team to move up to second on the list. 

SCORE (ANOTHER) ONE FOR THE DEFENSE: Sutton Smith's 58-yard fumble return touchdown was the Huskies' fourth defensive touchdown of the year, giving NIU its most defensive touchdowns scored since 2001, when NIU returned four interceptions for touchdowns. The Huskies rank fifth in the country and second in the MAC in defensive scores. Sutton Smith's 16-yard fumble return for a touchdown at Bowling Green, and a pair of interception return scores by Shawun Lurry and Jawuan Johnson at Nebraska account for the defensive TDs.

TURNING OVER POINTS: The Huskies have converted 12 of the 20 turnovers forced on the season into 75 points after the addition of Sutton Smith's 58-yard fumble return touchdown versus Western Michigan. Last season, NIU tallied just 33 points off 15 turnovers. NIU has turned three fumble recoveries into touchdowns – either on the actual recovery itself, or subsequently by the offense. In addition to its two INT return touchdowns, the Huskies have come up with touchdowns on three succeeding drives.

CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN: Christian Hagan, who has hit 88 straight point-after attempts, including a season-high nine against Ball State, moved up to seventh on NIU's all-time scoring list with five PATs versus Western Michigan. The Huskie senior surpassed NIU Hall of Fame tailback Michael Turner with 290 points, and now needs just five points to move past Jordan Lynch on the list. Hagan also moved past Chris Nendick to rank second on the Huskies' all-time list for career PATs made, although he is not within reach of all-time leader Mathew Sims (196). Hagan is fourth on NIU's list for most points kicking, tied for fourth in field goal attempts (63) and fifth in field goals made (42). 

SPECIAL FORCES: NIU freshmen punter Matt Ference is averaging 40.8 yards a punt and has landed 24 punts inside the 20-yard line. Last season, NIU totaled only eight punts inside the 20 while averaging 38.1 yards per punt. The last Huskie punter to average more than 40 yards a punt was Tyler Wedel, who posted a 41.7-yard average in 2014.

PINNING THEM DEEP: Of NIU punter Matt Ference's 24 punts that have dropped inside the 20-yard line, 15 have landed on or inside the 10-yard line, including two against Ball State. Ference and the NIU punt team placed a season-high three punts on or inside the 10-yard line at Nebraska and at San Diego State. Back-up punter Josh Orne, called on to rugby punt on a windy night versus Western Michigan, saw one of his first two career punts drop inside the 10 as well.

HUSKIE HARDWARE: Eight Huskies have earned 10 MAC West Player of the Week honors in 2017 with Sutton Smith adding his third defensive honor versus Western Michigan. NIU has twice had two players honored in the same week. Overall, the Huskies' honors have been spread among the offense (twice), defense (five times) and special teams (three times).

Defense: Jawuan Johnson (LB)  - Nebraska (Sept. 16)
Offense: Christian Blake (WR) - San Diego State (Sept. 30)
Special Teams: Matt Ference (P)  -  San Diego State (Sept. 30)
Defense: Sutton Smith (DE) - Kent State (Oct. 7)
Defense: Bobby Jones (LB)  - Buffalo (Oct. 14)
Special Teams: Christian Hagan (K)  - Bowling Green (Oct. 21)
Offense: Marcus Childers (QB) - Eastern Michigan (Oct. 26)
Defense: Sutton Smith (DE) - Eastern Michigan (Oct. 26)
Special Teams: Jackson Abresch (S) - Ball State (Nov. 9) 
Defense: Sutton Smith (DE) - Western Michigan (Nov. 15)

FINISHING THE JOB: With its 63-17 victory over Ball State, NIU has won 52 of 53 games when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter. The Huskies took a 49-17 lead into the final quarter of play against the Falcons. The last NIU loss when leading after three quarters was a 31-24 setback to Toledo at Guaranteed Rate Field on Nov. 9, 2016. The Huskies led the Rockets, 21-17, after three quarters.

WORKING OVERTIME: NIU improved to 7-4 in overtime games with its 30-27 comeback win over Eastern Michigan on October 26 as the Huskies rallied for a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. It is the Huskies' only overtime game of the season to date. Last year, NIU played in a school-record three overtime contests, including two triple OT games.

QUARTER-BLAKE: Christian Blake's 10-yard completion to Marcus Childers at Toledo was his second pass completion of the season and third of his career. He completed a pass to Ryan Graham in the season opener against Boston College and is 2-for-3 with 17 yards passing this season. Blake is the first Huskie wide receiver with two completions in a season since Britt Davis in 2005, who also went 2-for-3 passing.

FOUR FOR 100: D.J. Brown became the fourth Huskie receiver this season to record a 100-yard receiving game with 104 yards versus Eastern Michigan, joining Chad Beebe who tallied 124 yards at Bowling Green, and Christian Blake and Spencer Tears, who recorded 160 and 105 yards, respectively, at San Diego State. It's the first time in NIU's FBS history that four different Huskie receivers have tallied a 100-yard receiving game in the same season. In 2015, three different Huskies (Kenny Golladay, Tommylee Lewis and Jawaun Brescacin) each had 100-yard receiving games.

WHAT ARE YOU DRIVING AT?: NIU scored its fourth touchdown of the game against Bowling Green on a six-play, 95-yard scoring drive, culminating in a Marcus Childers to Chad Beebe 73-yard touchdown strike. It was the longest scoring drive of the season and the longest since the Huskies marched 96 yards for a touchdown in a 43-39 victory over Eastern Illinois on Sept. 21, 2013.  

SUDDEN SMITH: Sutton Smith became the first Huskie since Craig Rusch in 2008 to return a fumble for a touchdown when he ripped the ball out of Bowling Green running back Andrew Clair's hands and ran it 16 yards for the score. Rusch recovered a fumble and ran it back 60 yards at Kent State on Nov, 18, 2008.

THREE FOR THREE: Marcus Childers became the third quarterback to start a game for NIU this season when he took the first snap at Buffalo and has now started six straight games for the Huskies. It is the third-straight year the Huskies have started at least three different quarterbacks. In 2015, Drew Hare, Ryan Graham and Tommy Fiedler each started a game for the Huskies, while Hare, Graham, Anthony Maddie and Daniel Santacaterina all started at least one game for NIU in 2016. Graham (1 start) and Santacaterina (4) have the remainder of the starts this year.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT: Shawun Lurry added to his school record for career interception return yards when he took the pitch from Jawuan Johnson, on Johnson's third quarter interception against Ball State. Lurry collected another 13 return yards, adding to his 45-yard and 87-yard returns versus Kent State and Nebraska, respectively. He ranks fifth in the nation with 145 interception return yards this season and has 448 in his NIU career to rank as the NCAA active career leader. Lurry set the NIU single season record in 2015 with 273 interception return yards.

GETTING THE POINT: The three points scored by Kent State were the fewest allowed by a Huskie defense in a MAC game since NIU shut out Massachusetts on Nov. 3, 2012. It's the fewest in a game overall since a 55-3 victory over Presbyterian on Aug. 28, 2014.

NO PASSING ZONE: Kent State's 29 yards passing were the fewest passing yards allowed by the Huskies since Sept. 26, 2015 when NIU held Boston College to 92 yards passing. Conversely, NIU's 64 passing yards versus Western Michigan was its lowest total since Dec. 23, 2015 when the Huskies threw for just 38 yards versus Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl.  

CONVERTING INTs INTO TDs: With his 87-yard interception return for a touchdown at Nebraska, Shawun Lurry tied the school record for career interception returns for a touchdown with two. His first came in the 2015 MAC Championship game against Bowling Green (Dec. 4) when he ran a Matt Johnson pass back 64 yards for a score.

MAKING HISTORY: The NIU defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a game for the first time in school history in its victory at Nebraska. Shawun Lurry ran the first interception of the day back 87 yards in the first quarter, while Jawuan Johnson followed suit with a 25-yard INT return score for a 14-0 NIU lead.

ADDING TO THE BONEYARD: NIU improved to 15-61-1 all-time versus teams that were in an autonomous conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC & Pac-12) at the time the Huskies played them with its 21-17 victory at Nebraska. Of those 15 wins, nine have come in the last 15 years, beginning with NIU's 42-41 victory over Wake Forest Aug. 29, 2002. The Huskies have played a team from one of those five conferences 34 of the last 35 years, with the exception in 2016.

FROSH FACES: NIU has played 10 redshirt and four true freshmen this season. Linebackers Andrew Gregory and Corey Lersch and offensive lineman Ezekiel Gueths all saw their first action of the season at Bowling Green, while tight end Maximilian Thrower played versus Ball State. They join fellow redshirt freshmen Marcus Childers (QB), Tre Harbison (TB), Jack Heflin (DT), Andrew Parchment (WR), Benn Olson (OL) and Austin Warner (OL) in seeing their first playing time this year. True freshmen Matt Ference (P), Isaac Hawn (OL), Matt Lorbeck (DE) and Weston Kramer (DT) have all played important roles, Ference (P) as the starting punter, Kramer and Lorbeck in the defensive line rotation and Hawn seeing series at offensive tackle.

PLAYING TIME: With the victory over Ball State well in hand, NIU was able to play 72 different players in the game, including four who saw the first playing time of their careers, even if it was not at their normal position. One of the biggest cheers on the sideline came when graduate transfer wide receiver Kelly Weese, in at cornerback when NIU went back on defense after its unexpected blocked punt touchdown, made a tackle on Ball State's last drive. 

GRADUATION SUCCESS: The Huskie football program continues to rank among the MAC and FBS best with a Graduation Success Rate of 84 percent in the latest report issued by the NCAA in November.  That mark is good for second in the MAC, one percentage point behind Miami (Ohio). NIU remains one of the FBS' top football programs in graduating its student-athletes as the 84 percent mark tied for 20th among all NCAA Division I FBS schools.

REVOLVING RETURNERS: Following in the footsteps of Aregeros Turner and Tommylee Lewis, a duo who rewrote the Huskie career kickoff return record book, NIU has used a revolving set of deep men on kickoff return in 2017. Receivers Christian Blake, Chad Beebe and D.J. Brown, running backs Jordan Huff and Jonathan Parker, and defensive back Jalen Embry have all taken a turn, with Beebe and Brown handling the assignment of late. In the last three games, Beebe is averaging 25.1 yards on 11 kickoffs after returns of 49 and 35 yards versus Western Michigan.

UTILITY PLAYER: Senior receiver Chad Beebe showcased another skill in his repertoire when the senior added kickoff return duties beginning in the Eastern Michigan game. Already serving as the team's punt return man and holder on PATs and field goals, Beebe's yards per catch average of 15.0 leads NIU in 2017, he is averaging 25.1 yards on kickoff returns and 4.1 yards on 13 punt returns.

REGULAR SEASON FINALE:  NIU is coming off its longest break since September with the nine-day span between the WMU game on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and the Black Friday contest at Central Michigan on November 24.  

DEGREES IN HAND: Eight players on the NIU roster are college graduates. Six have earned their degrees from NIU, while two others came to DeKalb as graduate transfers.  Another host of Huskies is scheduled to earn their degrees this December.  

Jackson Abresch (S) - Business Administration
Ty Harmston (TE) - Biology
Jordan Huff (TB) - Studio Art-Design & Media Arts
Bobby Jones IV (LB) - Sociology
William Lee (DT) - History
Max Scharping (LT) - Kinesiology
Jaden Huff (LB) - Business Administration    St. Cloud State
Jonathan Parker (CB) - Biology     Iowa