HUSKIE BITES
- NIU hits the road for the first time this season as the Huskies travel to Lincoln to face Nebraska in an 11 a.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium.
- The Huskies and Cornhuskers last met on Sept. 8, 1990 when Nebraska defeated NIU, 60-14, in the last of a two-game series in Lincoln between the teams. Nebraska won the 1989 meeting, 48-17.
- NIU Head Coach Rod Carey, a Big Ten product (Indiana '93), is 3-1 versus teams from the league in his four seasons at the helm of the program. Under Carey, NIU has wins over Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern with the only loss a 20-13 decision at No. 1 Ohio State in 2015.
- Huskie senior kicker Christian Hagan is the lone Nebraskan on the NIU roster. The Omaha Westside product ranks ninth all-time in scoring at NIU with 238 career points.
- Eight Huskie players, including three of NIU's four starting defensive linemen, have made their first career starts in 2017. Fourteen of the Huskies' 22 starters enter the game with five or less career starts.
- After holding Eastern Illinois to 187 yards, including just 58 in the first half, last week, NIU leads the MAC in rushing defense (104.0 yards/game) and total defense (263.0 yards/game). To date, it's been a dramatic turnaround from a year ago when NIU gave up 451.5 yards per game.
- In his second career start, and first of 2017, sophomore Daniel Santacaterina completed 23-of-34 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns to lead NIU to a convincing 38-10 win over Eastern Illinois. Santacaterina, who was narrowly beaten out for the starting job by junior Ryan Graham, stepped into the starting role when Graham was injured versus Boston College.
- NIU played in a MAC-record eight straight bowl games from 2008-15 and played in six straight league championship games (2010-15) before falling to 5-7 a year ago while using four quarterbacks and losing a pair of triple overtime games.
HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
2016 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 5-7/5-3/3rd West
Head Coach:
Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years: 37-20/5th
Career Record/Years: 37-20/5th
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 572-484-51
Last Bowl Game: 2015 SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 7, 2015
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)
NEBRASKA FACTS
2016 Record: 9-4
Big Ten Conference Record/Finish: 6-3/3rd
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Mike Riley (Alabama/1975)
Record at Nebraska/Years: 16-11/3rd
Career Record/Years: 109-91/17th
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Enrollment: 25,897
Conference: Big Ten
Colors: Scarlet and Cream
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Surface/Capacity: Turf /86,047
President: Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D
Athletic Director: Shawn Eichorst
Athletics Website: huskers.com
Twitter: @huskers
Ticket Information: 402-472-3111
2017 Nebraska Schedule & Results
NIU-NEBRASKA SERIES FACTS
Overall: Nebraska leads 2-0
In Lincoln: Nebraska leads 2-0
Streak: Nebraska, 2
Series History
9/9/1989: NIU 17, NEB 48 (A)
9/8/1990: NIU 14, NEB 60 (A)
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
TV: NIU-NEBRASKA ON FS1
- NIU's game at Nebraska will air on FS1, marking the Huskies' first appearance on the network.
- The game is also available on mobile devices using the FoxSportsGo app.
- The announce crew for the NIU-Nebraska game is Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (color analyst), Les Miles (color analyst) and Holly Sonders (sidelines).
RADIO: NIU SPORTS NETWORK
- The NIU Sports Network broadcast for the Nebraska game begins at 10:30 a.m. CT, 30 minutes prior to 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 38th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo joins him for the 32nd season, while Andy Garcia is in his fifth season on the sidelines.
INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW
- Fans are invited to attend the one-hour show every Monday at Noon (except Sept. 18) 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.
- The weekly show features host Bill Baker, NIU Head Coach Rod Carey, Huskie players and athletic department guests.
NIU WEEKLY RADIO SHOW
- Airs Friday 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 Sports Fan Radio 1330 in Rockford at 6:30 a.m Saturdays.
- Also hear it on NIUTube (subscription).
- 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: @NIUAthletics, @NIUScores, @NIU_Football
- Facebook: NIU Huskies, NIU Football
- Instagram: niuhuskies, niufootball
- YouTube: niuhuskiesdotcom
- See NIU Athletics' social media hub online to see all of the Huskie team and coaching staff accounts.
NEWS & NOTES
HUSKIES-HUSKERS HISTORY: Saturday's meeting between NIU and Nebraska will be the third all-time between the two schools. The Cornhuskers have won both previous meetings, defeating NIU, 60-14, in 1990 and 48-17 in 1989, both in Lincoln.
WHEN LAST WE MET: The then-No. 1 ranked Cornhuskers tallied 549 yards of total offense, 424 on the ground, as Nebraska posted a 60-14 win over NIU. Stacey Robinson led the way for NIU with 98 yards passing on 10-of-16 passing, while rushing for 58 yards. Leodis Flowers finished with a game-high 124 yards rushing and was one of six Nebraska players to score a touchdown in the game.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Saturday's game in Lincoln, Neb. begins a two-game road trip for the Huskies and a stretch of four of the next five away from Huskie Stadium. Following their game at Nebraska and an open date, the Huskies travel to San Diego State Sept. 30. NIU's lone home game during this stretch is Oct. 7 when the Huskies face Kent State in the 111th Homecoming game. The Huskies will then travel to MAC East foes Buffalo (Oct. 14) and Bowling Green (Oct. 21).
NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED: Saturday's game at Nebraska will be televised by FS1 and is one of six games slated for TV broadcast this season. NIU's season opener versus Boston College was televised by CBS Sports Network, as are the Huskies' game at San Diego State (Sept. 30) and the home contest versus Ball State on Nov. 9. The Eastern Michigan (Oct. 26), Toledo (Nov. 2) and Western Michigan (Nov. 15) contests are slated for either CBS Sports Network or one of the ESPN family of networks (ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN3).
NIU VS. THE BIG TEN: The Huskies have enjoyed a run of success versus Big Ten opponents since a 28-21 win at Purdue on Sept. 19, 2009. NIU has won five of its last nine games against Big Ten opponents, including a three-game winning streak over Big Ten teams, which started with a 30-27 victory at Iowa (Aug. 31) in the 2013 season opener. NIU became the first MAC school to defeat two Big Ten teams in one season when the Huskies defeated Purdue (Sept. 28, 2013), 55-24 in West Lafayette, Ind. The Huskies improved to 7-36-1 all-time versus teams that currently make up the Big Ten Conference when NIU defeated Northwestern, 23-15, Sept. 6, 2014. The Huskies suffered a 20-13 setback to No. 1 Ohio State (Sept. 19, 2015) in their last game versus a Big Ten foe.
| Date |
Score & Opponent |
Site |
W/L |
| Sept. 19, 2009 |
NIU 28, Purdue 21 |
West Lafayette, Ind. |
W |
| Sept. 18, 2010 |
Illinois 28, NIU 22 |
Champaign, Ill. |
L |
| Sept. 26, 2010 |
NIU 34, Minnesota 23 |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
W |
| Sept. 17, 2011 |
No. 7 Wisconsin 49, NIU 7 |
Chicago, Ill. |
L |
| Sept. 1, 2012 |
Iowa 18, NIU 17 |
Chicago, Ill. |
L |
| Aug. 31, 2013 |
NIU 30, Iowa 27 |
Iowa City, Iowa |
W |
| Sept. 28, 2013 |
NIU 55, Purdue 24 |
West Lafayette, Ind. |
W |
| Sept. 6, 2014 |
NIU 23, Northwestern 15 |
Evanston, Ill. |
W |
| Sept. 19, 2015 |
No. 1 Ohio State 20, NIU 13 |
Columbus, Ohio |
L |
CAREY-ING THE BIG TEN: Of NIU's seven wins over Big Ten schools, Huskie head coach
Rod Carey owns three of them. Carey, who played center for Indiana from 1989-93, is 3-1 against the league. He led NIU to wins over Iowa (2013), Purdue (2013) and Northwestern (2014).
DO I KNOW YOU?: There are two high schools represented on the rosters of both NIU and Nebraska. Four graduates of Omaha Westside are on the rosters, including NIU kicker
Christian Hagan, with three of his former teammates on the Cornhuskers' roster. W.T. Dwyer High School of Riviera Beach, Fla. will be represented by three graduates between the two rosters, including Huskie cornerback
Shawun Lurry and wide receiver
Ezra Saffold.
COMMON BONDS: In addition to having players from the same high schools on both rosters, there are staff members on each team that have served at the opposing school. NIU defensive line coach
Brett Diersen spent the 2008-10 seasons as an intern on the Nebraska coaching staff, where he assisted in working with special teams and a defensive line that featured Ndamukong Suh. Nebraska's director of football operations, Adam Clark, spent three years (2008-10) as the director of football operations at NIU, while the Huskers' associate strength coach Clete McLeod was an assistant strength and speed coach at NIU (2006-07).
NIU VS. THE POWER FIVE: NIU is 14-69 versus teams that were in a major conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC & Pac-12) at the time the Huskies played them. Of those 14 wins, eight have come in the last 14 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. The only season the Huskies didn't face one of those teams was in 2016.
SUNSHINE STATERS: The 2017 Huskie roster includes 12 players from the state of Florida. Freshmen
Jalen McKie,
Dennis Robinson and
Jordan Robinson, no relation, join nine returning Florida Huskies – seniors
Christian Blake,
Shawun Lurry and
Ezra Saffold, redshirt senior
Bobby Jones IV, redshirt junior
Albert Smalls, redshirt sophomores Antonio Davis-Jones and
Trequan Smith and redshirt freshman
Andrew Parchment. The 12 – all from the southeast coast of the state – represent nine different Florida high schools. NIU coaches have been in close contact with every player regarding Hurricane Irma and the safety of their families back home.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: The NIU defense held Eastern Illinois to 187 yards of total offense with 60 rushing and 127 passing yards. The Panthers earned just 58 yards in the first half. The 187 yards is the lowest total by a Huskie opponent since Presbyterian tallied 127 yards Aug. 28, 2014.
TWO FOR ONE: Mycial Allen and
Mykelti Williams each recorded an interception in NIU's 38-10 win over Eastern Illinois. Allen picked off his fifth career pass, while Williams' INT was his first. The Huskies rank 10th in the nation and third in MAC in interceptions with three. NIU did not record its third interception last year until game seven (Oct. 15 vs. Central Michigan).
TURNING OVER POINTS: The Huskies have converted three of the four turnovers forced on the season into points with 17 points off turnovers so far this year.
Kyle Pugh's first career INT was converted into a field goal against Boston College (Sept. 1), while
Mycial Allen and
Mykelti Williams' interceptions both resulted in touchdowns in NIU's victory over Eastern Illinois (Sept. 9). NIU totaled just 33 points off turnovers in all of 2016.
SANTA'S COMING TO TOWN: In his second career start, sophomore quarterback
Daniel Santacaterina established new career highs for completions (23), attempts (34) and touchdown passes (3) while throwing for 252 yards. Santacaterina's only previous start was last year in the season finale versus Kent State, a 31-21 NIU victory. He also lead the Huskies to an overtime comeback victory at Eastern Michigan and played in the Toledo game.
TEARS OF JOY: Wide receiver
Spencer Tears turned in a career day in NIU's 38-10 win over Eastern Illinois. Tears scored his first career touchdown on a 39-yard bomb from
Daniel Santacaterina. He finished the day with four catches for 61 yards, surpassing his previous career bests of three receptions and 29 yards set in the season opener against Boston College.
FILLING THE VOID: With the graduations of
Kenny Golladay and
Aregeros Turner, the Huskie receiving corps lost 58.4 percent of its total yardage from last season. Golladay led the Huskies with 1,156 yards on 87 receptions, while Turner tallied 40 catches for 415 yards. Senior
Chad Beebe leads the Huskies with 125 yards on 10 receptions, while junior
D.J. Brown, who had nine catches for 91 yards a year ago, has amassed 119 yards on nine catches for a team-best 13.2 yards per game through the first two games this season.
YOUTH IS SERVED: Eight Huskies made their first career start vs. Boston College in the season opener, including three of NIU's four starting defensive linemen (
Sutton Smith,
Ben LeRoy and
Jack Heflin) and punter
Matt Ference. Fourteen of the Huskies' 22 starters on offense and defense enter the Nebraska game with five or less career starts.
FROSH FACES: Five redshirt and four true freshmen have made their Huskie debuts this season. Quarterback
Marcus Childers, tailback
Tre Harbison and offensive linemen
Brayden Patton and
Benn Olson saw their first action as Huskies in NIU's win over Eastern Illinois. They join fellow redshirt freshmen
Jack Heflin (DT),
Andrew Parchment (WR) and
Austin Warner (OL), who stepped on Brigham Field for the first time in live game action against Boston College. True freshmen
Matt Ference (P),
Isaac Hawn (OL),
Matt Lorbeck (DE) and
Weston Kramer (DT) also saw their first collegiate action in Cardinal and Black against Boston College.
WELCOME NEWCOMERS: NIU has also had six non-freshmen newcomers see their first action as Huskies in 2017. Grad transfer
Jonathan Parker recorded one rush for three yards against Eastern Illinois. He joins junior college transfers
Drequan Brown (DE),
Jalen Embry (CB),
Devin Webster (DT),
Jauan Wesley (WR) and
Mykelti Williams (S) as Huskie newcomers in action. Williams, who starts at one of the safety spots has 10 tackles an interception and pass break up on the year, while Brown has one tackle, a sack. Embry has recorded nine tackles, six solo, while Webster has three stops and a quarterback sacks on the year.
TE FOR THE TD: Shane Wimann, who entered the season as the school record holder for career touchdown receptions by a tight end, added to his total with a one-yard touchdown reception from
Daniel Santacaterina in the third quarter of NIU's 38-10 victory over Eastern Illinois (Sept. 9). It was his 12th career touchdown reception and second of the season. He scored his first touchdown of 2017 on a seven-yard catch in the third quarter against Boston College. The Huskie senior is the only player on the current roster to have caught a touchdown pass from each of the last four NIU starting quarterbacks.
QUARTERBACK SIX PACK: Graham became only the sixth different season-opening signal-caller for NIU since 2008 when he took the first snap from center of 2017. Chandler Harnish started the initial games of the 2008, 2009 and 2011 seasons, while DeMarcus Grady started the 2010 season opener.
Jordan Lynch took the first snaps of the year in 2012 and 2013, and Matt McIntosh started the 2014 season.
Drew Hare started both the 2015 and 2016 campaigns. Lynch (2013) was the last Huskie QB to start and finish the year as the starter.
QUARTER-BLAKE: Wide receiver
Christian Blake completed his second career pass when he hit quarterback
Ryan Graham on a 13-yard pass play in the third quarter versus Boston College. Blake connected with
Anthony Maddie on a nine-yard pass at Western Michigan (Oct. 8) last year.
MEET THE "NEW" GUYS: Two-time NIU All-American and 2013 Heisman Trophy finalist
Jordan Lynch is one of three new members of the coaching staff for 2017. One of the top FBS running quarterbacks of all-time, Lynch is coaching the Huskie running backs.
Jeff Knowles (linebackers) and
Steve Crutchley (wide receivers) are the other new additions.
WORKING ON THE LINE: There are multiple new faces on the NIU defensive line with
Josh Corcoran (DE) and
William Lee (DT) the only returnees who saw significant time in the rotation a year ago. Tackle
Ben LeRoy, a back-up as a true freshman in 2016, end
Sutton Smith and redshirt freshman
Jack Heflin are all first-time starters. The defensive line rotation now includes that trio, Corcoran and Lee, senior
Joe Sanders and newcomers
Drequan Brown,
Matt Lorbeck,
Devin Webster and
Weston Kramer. The group combined for two sacks and six tackles for loss versus Boston College and were instrumental in limiting Eastern Illinois to 60 rushing yards and less than 200 yards of total offense.
MR. SMITH GOES OFF: Redshirt sophomore
Sutton Smith recorded a career-high six stops in NIU's contest with Boston College. Of those six tackles, five were for a loss. Larry English holds the school record for tackle for loss with six against Temple (Oct. 20) in the 2006 season.
AT A LOSS: The Huskie defense recorded 12 tackles for loss against Boston College for a total of 39 yards and currently ranks 10th in the nation in TFLs with 9.0/game. The last time the NIU defense tallied a dozen tackles for loss was last season at Ball State (Oct. 1). Five Huskies, led by
Sutton Smith with five, recorded a tackle for loss.
Albert Smalls and
Drequan Brown posted their first career tackles for loss, while
Jawuan Johnson and
Bobby Jones IV tallied three and two tackles for loss, respectively.
DYNAMIC DEBUT: Kyle Pugh, a sophomore who entered the season without a career tackle, amassed a game-high 17 stops and recorded his first career interception in his first career start versus Boston College. His first quarter interception led to a
Christian Hagan field goal and a 3-0 NIU lead. Pugh's 17 tackles are the most since
Sean Folliard tallied 17 last season at Ball State (Oct. 1).
THREE OF A KIND: Pugh was one of three Huskies to finish the Boston College game in double digits in tackles.
Bobby Jones IV tallied 16 tackles, 10 solo, including two for a loss, while
Jawuan Johnson added 10 stops, including three solo tackles. It is the first time three Huskies have recorded double-digit tackles since 2013 when Ken Bishop (11), Boomer Mays (11) and Jimmie Ward (10) reached the marks in a 35-17 win over Toledo (Nov. 20).
STACKED SECONDARY: While the Huskie front seven has five new starters this year, NIU's secondary returned all four starters in 2017 before an injury to
Trequan Smith sidelined him for the rest of the season. Senior safety
Mycial Allen and cornerbacks
Shawun Lurry and Mayomi Olootu are back, as is
Albert Smalls, a starter at the beginning of the 2016 season before going down with an injury and earning a medical redshirt. Allen recorded his first interception of the season and fifth of his career against Eastern Illinois and has nine stops on the season.
FINISHING AT NIU: NIU welcomed two graduate transfers for 2017. Tailback
Jonathan Parker came to NIU after spending the previous four seasons at Iowa.
Jaden Huff transferred to NIU from St. Cloud State, where he was a team captain for the St. Cloud State Huskie in 2016.
DEGREES IN HAND: Eight Huskies will take the field Saturday with their bachelor's degrees already in hand. Six have earned their degrees from NIU, while two others came to DeKalb as graduate transfers.
Jackson Abresch S Operations and Information Management NIU
Ty Harmston TE Biology NIU
Jordan Huff TB Pre-Computer Science NIU
Bobby Jones IV LB Kinesiology NIU
William Lee DT Journalism NIU
Max Scharping LT Kinesiology NIU
Jaden Huff LB Finance St. Cloud State
Jonathan Parker CB Business Iowa
MAKING THE GRADE: The NIU football team continues to excel in the classroom. NIU again leads the MAC and ranks in the Top 20 nationally with a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 84 percent, which is 10 points above the national FBS average. Additionally, the Huskies' 976 in the most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) report from the NCAA, is the third-highest score in program history.
HALL CALL: Huskie football greats, Steve Azar and Garrett Wolfe, will be inducted into the NIU Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017. The Huskies' all-time leading rusher with 5,164 career rushing yards, Wolfe led the nation in rushing with 1,928 yards and TDs with 18 in 2006 and was named the league's MVP. NIU's all-time leading scorer, Azar is the only player in NIU football history to earn all-conference honors four times. He also earned First team All-America honors by Football News and Second Team Freshman All-America accolades the Sporting News.
MAC PRESEASON POLLS: NIU, which played in the MAC Championship game in six of the last seven years, was picked to finish in third place in the MAC West Division in 2017 by both the MAC Media and MAC Coaches. Toledo is the favorite in both the West and overall, followed by Western Michigan. It is the fourth straight year the MAC Media Poll has not picked NIU to win its division. Ohio was edged out Miami in the East in both polls.
