DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Huskies got down to serious football Sunday as the team donned full pads for the first time this preseason in a two-hour practice at Huskie Stadium.  In the fifth practice of training camp, the team spent more than an hour in 11-on-11 full contact play, along with several periods in one-on-one match-ups, to close out the first week of workouts.
 
NIU Head Coach Rod Carey liked the energy and effort he saw from the 2017 Huskies.
 
"The thing I loved about [Sunday's practice], there was great energy until the very end," Carey said.  "It's a long day, a hard practice and I wanted to see what I've got, which was great. It was up tempo energy and I love that.  When you've got that, you've got a chance. The second thing I want to see is execution on both sides.  One side is going to win, one side is not, so it's who executes the best, and you want to see them keep pushing each other executing better and better, that's what we look for."
 
While the defense enjoyed success in the team periods early in the practice, including during a series of third and medium situations, the offense put together three sustained scoring drives to close out the practice with each of the three quarterbacks involved in the starting battle at the position leading the offense to a score.  Working with the number one offense, quarterback Daniel Santacaterina (Geneva, Ill./Geneva)  hit Chad Beebe (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Christian) three times, including on the touchdown pass, while Marcus Jones (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) and Tommy Mister (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita/Indiana) both had first down runs.
 
While leading the second team offense, junior Ryan Graham (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) connected with Spencer Tears (Robbins, Ill./H.L. Richards) and fullback/tight end Aaron Fischer (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) for first down receptions, and freshman Jordan Nettles (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville) showed speed and nifty running ability en route to a Christian Hagan (Omaha, Neb./Westside) field goal.
 
Nettles, who Carey mentioned as the freshman on offense who has excelled during the first week of practice, also contributed to the touchdown drive engineered by quarterback Marcus Childers (Adairsville, Ga./Adairsville) with the number one offense.  Jones contributed a first down catch and run to convert on fourth down before Shane Wimann (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin Dells) ran over several defenders on a 14-yard touchdown catch.
 
Those results had the offensive coach side of Carey smiling.
 
"It's the good news, bad news [story]," Carey said.  "I really liked it for the offense, didn't like it at all for the defense. It was good to see some execution, see us get the ball in the playmakers hands, and the quarterbacks made some plays to do that."  
 
Overall, Carey said he thought Santacaterina and Graham had the most consistent performances under center Sunday.
 
"I thought Graham and Santa did pretty well at times," Carey said. "I think both had good long drives; I don't think Childers really played that well today. To really give you a detailed evaluation, I have to watch the film, but that's my feeling coming off [the field]."  
 
Carey said seeing the team put on the pads and "play football" gives the coaches great insight into the team.
 
"Football is played with pads, not played in seven-on-seven, not played with just helmets," he said. "It's big men moving other big men for little men.  Once you put on the pads, you learn a lot about who's willing to push who pushes through and who doesn't.  You get a chance to see football instead of technique, you see technique with physicality and so you take both those things and you grade them and that moves the depth chart."
 
Carey also mentioned three freshmen who may be making their way onto the depth chart, beginning with Nettles, the Romeoville product wearing the number 28 worn successfully by a couple of former Huskie running backs.  
 
"Nettles is really stepping up, and then you have Mike Kennedy (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) and Matt Lorbeck (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port) on the defensive side," Carey said. "Matt's rotating in with the ones [at defensive end] and Nettles has been too and I really like what I've seen from those two."
 
NIU returns to the practice field Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. as the final week of summer school classes gets underway on Monday and the team will lift and meet. 
 
Season tickets, Family Packs, three-game Mini-Plans, and single game tickets, are on sale for all 2017 NIU Football home games. Purchase tickets online at NIUHuskies.com, by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or in person at the NIU Athletics Ticket Office in the Convocation Center Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
 
Single game tickets for the season opener versus Boston College on Friday, Sept. 1 at Huskie Stadium, are priced at $30 (reserved West Side) and $20 (general admission East Side). The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network and NIU wants all fans to wear black to the game, fill the stands and help #BlackOutBC. 
 
Follow NIU Football throughout the 2017 Training Camp at Training Camp Central on NIUHuskies.com for daily updates, news and information, video and more. 
 
 
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