Football | October 2

HUSKIE BITES

• NIU plays its third consecutive road game when the Huskies travel to Muncie, Ind. to take on Ball State in the annual Battle for the Bronze Stalk Trophy.   
• The Huskies are playing five of six games on the road between Sept. 22 and Nov. 1. 
• NIU has a nine-game winning streak versus the Cardinals dating back to 2009 and have won the Bronze Stalk Trophy, which is a tribute to the rural areas surrounding both schools' hometowns, in nine of the 11 seasons it has been in existence.        
• NIU teams coached by Rod Carey own a 34-8 mark in MAC regular season games since 2013 for an .809 winning percentage. 
• 2017 Consensus All-American Sutton Smith has 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2018, while forcing fumbles on two of those sacks and adding a blocked punt. Smith has at least one tackle for loss in nine straight games and in 17 of NIU's last 18 contests. 
• Senior left tackle Max Scharping will make his 45th consecutive start Saturday at Ball State. Scharping, a nominee for the NFF William Campbell Trophy, named one of the 10 best offensive line prospects in the country during the preseason, is in his final semester of graduate school. 
• The Huskie defense is coming off one of its best performances of the season last week at Eastern Michigan. After EMU scored on its first two possessions, NIU did not allow a first down on its next nine possessions and held the Eagles scoreless for more than 51 minutes of actual game time.  
• After entering the EMU game with 36 carries on the season, tailback Tre Harbison carried the ball 32 times for 136 yards at Eastern Michigan, culminating in the one-yard game-winning touchdown run in the third overtime.      

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HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
2017 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 8-5/6-2/T2nd West
Head Coach: Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years: 46-27/Sixth
Career Record/Years: 46-27/Sixth
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 581-491-51
Last Bowl Game: 2017 Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit)
Bowl Appearances (FBS): 12
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 7, 2015
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 54/28
Starters Returning: 17 (9 offense, 6 defense, 2 specialists)
Starters Lost: 9 (3 offense, 5 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
Nickname: Huskies
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /23,595
President: Dr. Lisa Freeman
Assoc. VP/Athletic Director: Sean T. Frazier
    Alma Mater, Year: Alabama '92
Tickets: 815-753-PACK (7225) or NIUHuskies.com

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BALL STATE FACTS
2017 Record: 2-10
MAC Record: 0-8 
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Mike Neu (Ball State, 1994) 
Record at BSU/Years: 8-21/Third
Career Record/Years: 62-66/Ninth
Location: Muncie, Ind.
Enrollment: 21,884
Conference: Mid-American
Colors: Cardinal and White
Stadium: Scheumann Stadium    
    Surface/Capacity: Field Turf /22,500
President: Geoffrey Mearns
Athletic Director: Beth Goetz
Athletics Website: ballstatesports.com
Twitter: @ballstatefb
Ticket Information: 765-285-1474

BSU Schedule & Results
 

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NIU-BSU SERIES
Overall: NIU leads 23-20-2
In Muncie: NIU leads 12-9
In DeKalb: Tied 11-11-2
In MAC Games: NIU leads 17-16
Streak: NIU, 9
First Meeting: Oct. 4, 1941; BSU 6, NIU 6 (H)
Last Meeting: Nov. 9, 2017 NIU 63, BSU 17 (H)
 

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
TV: NIU-BALL STATE ON ESPN3

• The NIU-Ball State game will air on ESPN3 live online and on mobile devices via the ESPN App. Games on ESPN3 are available through the ESPN App and WatchESPN.com with pay television credentials.
• Get the direct link to watch on GameDay Central and on the football schedule page at NIUHuskies.com.
• The announce crew for the NIU-Ball State game is Jim Barbar (play-by-play) and Bobby Carpenter (color analyst).

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Radio Network broadcast for the Ball State game begins at 1:30 p.m. CT, 30 minutes prior to 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 NIUTube (subscription), and on mobile devices via TuneIn. Download the app for free and find the NIU Huskies channel. 
• Bill Baker is in his 39th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo joins him for the 33rd season, while Andy Garcia is in his sixth season on the NIU sidelines. 

INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW

• Fans are invited to attend the one-hour weekly show every Monday at Noon this season at Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb (1312 W. Lincoln Hwy). 
• Listen live with the TuneIn app; hear the show on Mondays at 7 p.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb, 8 p.m. 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 special guests. 

NIU WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

• The 30-minute show features interviews with football coach Rod Carey, other NIU head coaches and guests. 
• Airs Friday at 10 p.m. CT in Chicago on AM 560 The Answer, Saturday at 9 a.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb and on Sports Fan Radio 1330 in Rockford at 6:30 a.m. Also available on-demand on NIUTube (subscription).
• Andy Garcia and NIU Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier host.

NIUTUBE (Huskie ALL-ACCESS)

• See weekly and post-game press conferences, video features and Huskie Olympic sports.
• 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: NIU Athletics
• See NIU Athletics' social media hub online for all the team and staff accounts.

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NEWS & NOTES

THIS WEEK

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: NIU concludes its three-game road trip with Saturday's game at Ball State. The trip began with a 37-19 setback at Florida State (Sept. 22) before the Huskies picked up their first road win of the season with a 26-23 win in triple overtime at Eastern Michigan last week.

SERIES HISTORY: NIU leads the all-time series with Ball State 23-20-2, and the Huskies have won the last nine meetings, the longest winning streak in the series history, tying Ball State's nine-straight wins from 1974-82. The last time the Huskies lost to the Cardinals at Scheumann Stadium was a 45-14 victory by Ball State on Nov. 5, 2008, in the inaugural Bronze Stalk Game. 

TROPHY GAME: For the 11th 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 10 Bronze Stalk games, NIU is 9-1 and the Huskies have won The Bronze Stalk in each of the last nine seasons.

WHEN LAST WE MET: NIU retained the Bronze Stalk trophy for the ninth consecutive year after posting a 63-17 victory over Ball State at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies tallied two touchdowns by senior Jackson Abresch on a pair of blocked punts, and the Huskie defense broke the school record for tackles for loss in a game with 18 in the contest. Seven of NIU's 18 tackles for loss were sacks by seven different Huskies. Quarterback Marcus Childers threw for 140 yards and four touchdowns on 10-of-22 passing.

HUSKIE HOOSIERS: Huskie center Luke Shively and safety Mykelti Williams will be playing in their home state for the only time this season at Ball State Saturday. Shively is a native of Tipton, Ind. and prepped at Tipton High School, while Williams hails from Indianapolis and attended Warren Central.

DO I KNOW YOU?: One common high school, Mount Carmel, is represented on the rosters of both NIU and Ball State. Huskie quarterback Anthony Thompson, a redshirt sophomore, and Ball State cornerback Nik Giles played for the Caravan. 

CONFERENCE CALL

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: With its 26-23 overtime win at Eastern Michigan Saturday, NIU is 148-99-2 all-time in MAC play and 112-54 (.673) in league action since 1997. Since 2010, NIU is 56-9 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 33rd season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2018-19, including an initial stint in the league from 1975-85.

NIU ON THE MAC ROAD: The Huskies improved to 17-4 in conference road games under NIU head coach Rod Carey and 80-90-1 all-time with their win at Eastern Michigan. It was NIU's first league road win since a 48-17 victory at Bowling Green (Oct. 21) last season. NIU has won its last four games at Ball State's Scheumann Stadium. NIU's last loss in Muncie came in 2008.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK

STREAKING: NIU won its 11th consecutive game over Eastern Michigan when the Huskies scored a 26-23 triple overtime victory at Rynearson Stadium Saturday night. It was the Huskies' ninth-straight victory over EMU in Ypsilanti and the 17th in 18 games for NIU versus the Eagles.

WORKING OVERTIME: The Huskies improved to 8-4 in overtime games with their triple overtime win at Eastern Michigan. It was the third consecutive overtime game between the Huskies and Eagles, all NIU victories. The Huskies defeated EMU, 31-24, in Ypsilanti in 2016 and 30-27 at Huskie Stadium last season. Saturday's game was the first triple overtime contest for NIU since a 34-28 loss to Central Michigan Oct. 15, 2016.
NINE TIMES: After EMU scored on its first two possessions of the game (including a field goal after starting a drive at the NIU 28 off an interception), the Huskie defense held EMU without a first down on its next NINE possessions and on 10 of the Eagles' 12 possessions the rest of the game. The dominance continued in the second and third overtimes as, after scoring a touchdown in the first OT, EMU gained just four total yards in the second and third OTs.

HUSKIE RECOGNIZED: Antonio Jones-Davis became the second Huskie to earn Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week honors this season following his performance in NIU's win at Eastern Michigan. The Huskie linebacker made a team-high 13 tackles, recorded a pair of quarterback sacks and a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss. He also broke up a career-best two passes. Jones-Davis joins defensive end Sutton Smith, who won the same award following his game against Utah. 

WHAT'S THE RUSH?: The NIU defense held Eastern Michigan to 62 yards rushing on 33 carries. It was the lowest opponent rushing total of the season and the lowest since Sept. 9, 2017 when the Huskies held Eastern Illinois to 60 yards on 45 attempts. The Huskies' previous season-low opponent rushing yardage total was 68 set by Utah (Sept. 8) in the home opener.  

HUNDRED FOR HARBISON: NIU tailback Tre Harbison recorded his second career 100-yard game and scored the game-winning touchdown in NIU's overtime win at EMU. The Huskie sophomore rushed for a career-high 136 yards on 32 carries in the victory. His previous career-best was 124 yards on 13 carries in NIU's win over Central Michigan in week three. Harbison is averaging 5.5 yards per carry this season and ranks fourth in the league in rushing, averaging 74.2 yards a game.

HELPING HIS CAUSE: NIU quarterback Marcus Childers rushed for six first downs on third or fourth down at EMU, including a five-yard pick up on the game-winning drive in the third overtime. Childers also broke off a 15-yard run on third and 14 in the second quarter on the Huskies' game-tying drive.

TY-ING ONE ON: Senior tight end Ty Harmston caught his first career touchdown pass in the first overtime period at Eastern Michigan on an 11 yard grab, sending the game to a second extra frame. Harmston, who made his first career reception against Utah, has four catches for 32 yards this season.

CAREY KERNELS

HUSKIE HEAD MAN RANKINGS: NIU head coach Rod Carey currently ranks fourth on NIU's all-time coaching list for wins with 46, 18 behind Joe Novak (1996-2007). George "Chick" Evans (1929-54) is NIU's all-time leader with 132 wins. Carey also ranks fourth in games coached with 73. 

MOVING UP IN THE MAC: With 46 wins on his ledger; NIU head coach Rod Carey is two wins away from cracking the Mid-American Conference's Top 20 list for overall wins as Terry Hoeppner (Miami, 1999-2004) and Frank Lauterbur (Toledo, 1963-70) are tied at 20 with 48 career wins. Carey's career winning percentage of .630 currently ranks 15th in MAC history, and he needs to get to .658 to move into the top 10.

HUSKIE HEADLINERS

EXPERIENCE LEVELS: Of the 75 players who have seen action in at least one game all-time on the current NIU roster, there are 30 players who have played in five games or less, 36 players with less than 10 games experience and just 17 players with more than 25 games played (equal to approximately two seasons).  Among players who have made at least one start, 17 have started four or less games and 28 have made less than 10 starts in their Huskie careers, including this season. 
 
OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM: Only eight players on the NIU roster have played in more than 30 games (a little less than three seasons) in their NIU careers. Two of those players - defensive end Josh Corcoran (38 games) and cornerback Albert Smalls (45) - play on the Huskie defense and one, long snapper Hayden Sak (42) on special teams. The remaining three are offensive linemen Max Scharping (44) and Luke Shively (37) and wide receiver D.J. Brown (43).  Only one NIU player - Scharping - has started more than 30 games in his career and just four (Scharping, Smalls, Shively and Jordan Steckler) have started as many as 20.
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Twenty-six players have seen their first action in a Huskie uniform this year, including nine true freshmen, 14 redshirt freshmen, a junior college transfer and a pair of senior transfers. Of that group, four have started games - junior college transfer Christopher Perez, linebacker Vinny Labus (RS-Fr.), and wide receivers Leon Payne (Fr.) and Cole Tucker (RS-Fr.).

SACK LUNCH: The Huskie defense recorded three sacks at Eastern Michigan, giving NIU 16 on the season. Through five games last season, the NIU defense also totaled 16 sacks. Nine different Huskie defenders have recorded a sack this season with Sutton Smith leading the way with five.

SCHEDULING CHALLENGES: In addition to facing one of the toughest non-conference slates in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the Huskies will face seven bowl teams from last season. Iowa (Aug. 31), Utah (Sept. 8), Central Michigan (Sept. 15), Florida State (Sept. 22), Ohio (Oct. 13), Akron (Nov. 1), Toledo (Nov. 7) and Miami (Nov. 14) all made the postseason last year.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Tight end Corey Lersch, cornerback Tifonte Hunt and linebacker Vinny Labus all made their first career starts in NIU's game at Florida State. Lersch finished with two catches for seven yards for the first receptions of his career, while Labus and Hunt tallied seven and three tackles, respectively. Labus also forced fumble a week after his game-changing interception versus Central Michigan.

MEET THE "NEW" GUYS: The NIU coaching staff features a trio of newcomers in defensive line coach Walter Stewart, safeties coach Tyler Yelk and running backs coach Jake Landry, who previously served as a graduate assistant at NIU. Dan Sabock added full-time duties as the Huskies special teams coordinator, and linebackers coach Jeff Knowles was promoted to defensive coordinator. 

SCHOOL TIES: NIU coordinators Mike Uremovich (offense) and Jeff Knowles (defense) went to high school together at Providence Catholic in New Lennox, Ill. The pair were members of the 1994 state championship team and graduated in 1995. This is the third coaching stop the two have made together. Knowles was an assistant on Uremovich's staff at St. Francis (Ill.) from 2008-11 before joining the N.C. State staff in 2014, where Uremovich was the offensive line coach.

DOGGED DEFENSE

THE LONG AND SHORT (FIELD) OF IT: Of NIU opponents' 74 drives this season, 15 have started in NIU territory. The NIU defense has allowed touchdowns on 53.3 percent of those drives and field goal attempts on 26.7 percent, while forcing two turnovers. However, of the 59 drives that start in the opposition's territory, the Huskie defense has allowed touchdowns on just 13.5 percent of those drives and field goal attempts on 13.5 percent of those drives as well, while forcing six turnovers.
 

Starting Field Position	NIU Territory (-50)	Opponents' Territory (+50)
Possessions	15	59
Touchdowns	8	8
Field Goals Made	2	5
Field Goals Attempted	4	8
Turnovers	2	6

THE FIRM: Antonio Jones-Davis - nicknamed "Law Firm" – leads the Huskies with 50 tackles after his game-high 13 tackles at Eastern Michigan. It was the second 10-plus tackle performance of his career as he tallied a career and team-high 16 tackles in NIU's win over Central Michigan (Sept. 15). They were the most stops by a Huskie since Kyle Pugh made 17 in last year's season opener versus Boston College.

AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE: 2017 All-American Sutton Smith ranks in the top five nationally in career sacks, sacks per game and tackles for loss per game among active players. The junior ranks second in tackles for loss per game with 1.40, fourth in career sacks with 19, and is fifth in sacks per game with 0.67 in 30 career games played.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: With his sack of Eastern Michigan quarterback Tyler Wiegers, Sutton Smith moved up to fifth place on both NIU's all-time lists for quarterback sacks and tackles for loss. The Huskie junior has 20 career sacks and 42 career tackles for loss. Huskie great Larry English leads both categories with 31.5 sacks and 63 tackles for loss. With one more sack and tackle for loss, he will pass Jake Coffman for fifth on NIU's all-time sacks list and move into fourth on the all-time list for tackles for loss.

SUTTON ON THE SACK: Smith recorded his second forced fumble of the season and fifth of his career with his sack of FSU quarterback Deandre Francois. He ranks second in the MAC and 22nd in nation in forced fumbles with 0.4 per game.

FROM LONG SNAPPER TO LINEBACKER: Vinny Labus, who spent last season as a long snapper and made the full-time move to linebacker last spring, made his first career start for NIU at Florida State. The previous week, he sealed NIU's win over Central Michigan when he grabbed a deflected pass at the NIU six-yard line for his first career interception, and he went on to force a fumble at FSU. Labus is the second player to make the move from long snapper to middle linebacker in recent history as Boomer Mays successfully made the transition to become a three-year starter and All-MAC linebacker for NIU. Labus is 12th on the team in tackles with 10 stops.

END OF THE LINE: Josh Corcoran, who missed the last five games due to injury dating back to last season, became the seventh Huskie and fifth NIU defensive end to record a sack this season when he sacked CMU's Tony Poljan on the Chippewas' first drive of the game. Huskie defensive ends have accounted for 10.5 of NIU's 16 sacks this year, with Sutton Smith leading the way with five.

FORCING THE ISSUE: The NIU defense forced a season-high four turnovers in its game at Florida State (Sept. 22), converting two of them into 13 points. The Huskies forced three fumbles and picked off a pass at FSU. The Huskies have forced 10 turnovers on the year, recovering seven fumbles and recording three interceptions, converting them into 30 points.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH PUGH: After missing the final nine games of the 2017 season, Kyle Pugh returned to the starting line-up in 2018. After sitting out the FSU game due to injury, Pugh started at Eastern Michigan, recording seven stops. The Huskie redshirt junior, who made 17 tackles and an interception versus Boston College in last year's season opener, led the team in tackles with nine stops, six solo, at Iowa and followed that with six stops versus Utah. He is third on the team in tackles with 28 and has a fumble recovery.

ON THE OFFENSE

PLAY IT AGAIN: The NIU offense ran 97 plays in its triple overtime win at Eastern Michigan, 62 rushing attempts, 35 pass attempts.  The last time the Huskies ran 97 plays in a game was Oct. 24, 2015 in a 49-21 victory over Eastern Michigan. NIU amassed 59 rushing attempts, and 38 pass attempts in that contest. The school record for plays run in a game is 109 set against Presbyterian (Aug. 24, 2014).

SUPERIOR PROTECTION: The NIU offensive line didn't allow a sack in the Huskies' win at Eastern Michigan. The Eagle defense had been averaging two sacks per game heading into the contest. It was the first game this season NIU hasn't allowed a sack in a game and the first time since Nov. 15, 2017 versus Western Michigan.

QUITE THE COMPARISON: The NIU offense is averaging more than 100 yards of total offense a game in conference play than in its non-conference games. The Huskies have also more than doubled their scoring average as well, averaging 25 points a game in league action. On the season, NIU averages 260 yards a game of total offense and 16.4 points a game.
 

	MAC Games	Non-Conference Games	All Games
Games	2	3	5
Points/Game	25.0	10.7	16.4
Points/Game Allowed	19.5	29.0	25.5
Rushing Yards/Game	207.5	74.7	127.8
Rushing Yds/Game Allowed	113.0	132.7	124.8
Total Offense/Game	320.0	220.0	260.0
Total Offense/Game Allowed	282.0	393.0	348.6

RUNNING TO WINS: Tre Harbison's 136 yards rushing at EMU was part of a season-best 235-yard rushing effort by the Huskie offense at Eastern Michigan. The last time NIU rushed for 200 or more yards was in a 35-31 victory over Western Michigan (Nov. 15) last season. NIU has won its last six games when rushing for more than 200 yards, dating back to Sept. 9, 2017 when NIU rushed for 230 yards in a win over Eastern Illinois. 

TOUCHDOWNS TO SHARE: Quarterback Marcus Childers has thrown touchdown passes to five different players in 2018 after connecting with Ty Harmston in overtime at Eastern Michigan. Childers completed TDs to Juaun Wesley and D.J. Brown at Florida State and threw a season-best three TD passes versus Central Michigan, hitting receivers Spencer Tears (14 yards), Dennis Robinson (seven yards) and Brown (two yards). Childers has thrown for 2,335 yards in 17 games (13 starts) over the last two seasons. 

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?: Huskie wide receiver D.J. Brown recorded a career-high 117 yards on seven receptions, including a 66-yard touchdown catch at Florida State. It was Brown's second career 100-yard game. His previous career best was 104 yards set in NIU's win over Eastern Michigan last season (Oct. 26, 2017), which included a career-long 69-yard reception. 

YOUTH IS SERVED: Wide receiver Dennis Robinson became the latest Huskie freshman to record his first career catch when Marcus Childers hit the Hollywood, Fla. native with a seven-yard touchdown pass versus Central Michigan. Redshirt freshmen Cole Tucker and Rodney Hall and freshman Leon Payne have all each tallied their first career receptions this season. Tucker leads the young group with 11 catches for 70 yards, including a career-high six catches for 40 yards at FSU.

ROLE REVERSAL: Wide receiver D.J. Brown completed his first career pass when he connected with Marcus Childers on NIU's first drive of the game at Iowa. It was the second career reception for Childers, who had a 10-yard catch from wide receiver Christian Blake at Toledo (Nov. 2) last year. The Huskie signal caller has two career receptions for 15 yards.

WORKING ON THE LINE: The Huskies return every player who started a game on its offensive line a year ago, led by Academic All-American tackle Max Scharping who has started a team-leading 44 consecutive games, every game of his NIU career. Scharping is a two-time All-MAC selection. NIU's returning offensive linemen have combined to make starts over the last four seasons with seniors Scharping (44) and Luke Shively (30) and junior Jordan Steckler (27) leading the way. Ryan Roberts (10) returned to the starting line up in place of the injured Steckler against Florida State.

SPECIAL FORCES

HAPPY RETURNS: NIU freshman Cole Tucker enjoyed his best day as a punt returner with a career high five returns for 44 yards to average 8.8 yards per return at Eastern Michigan. Tucker's 27-yard punt return on his first return in the first quarter was NIU's longest in three seasons – since the 2015 game versus Central Michigan (10/3/15 - Chad Beebe, 40 yards).  His return set up the Huskies' first score of the game – a 43-yard field goal by Andrew Gantz which narrowed EMU's lead to 10-3. In addition to the positive return yardage, Tucker made good decisions, fielding the ball on eight of EMU's nine punts to help NIU maintain advantageous field position throughout the game.

PINNING THEM DEEP: Sophomore punter Matt Ference has placed 12 of his 36 punts inside the 20-yard line this season and has seven punts of 50 yards or more. He dropped one punt inside the four-yard line at Florida State. Ference outduelled Ray Guy award winner Matt Wishnowsky of Utah, averaging 46.0 yards on eight punts, and pinned Utah inside the 20 yard-line four times. It was his highest punting average in a game since NIU's win at Nebraska (Sept. 16) last season when he averaged 46.4 yards on eight punts.

BLOCK PARTY: NIU special teams have blocked three kicks already this season and has nine blocked kicks in the last two years. Sutton Smith was the latest Huskie to join the block party when he blocked CMU punter Jack Sheldon's third punt of the game. It was the second blocked punt by the Huskies as Jauan Wesley blocked Iowa punter Colten Rastetter's initial punt of the season-opener. NIU also got a blocked field goal versus Utah when Jack Heflin got his hand on kicker Matt Guy's first field goal attempt.

AHEAD OF PACE: With three blocked kicks this season, the Huskies are halfway to their total of last season. NIU blocked six kicks, two field goals and four punts, in 2017. NIU leads the nation in blocked kicks and ranks second in blocked punts.

JUST FOR KICKS: Graduate transfer Andrew Gantz improved to five-of-eight on the season when he hit a pair of field goals, a 43-yarder and a 26-yard attempt, in NIU's win at Eastern Michigan. He connected on his first field goal as a Huskie when he hit a 49-yarder in the first quarter against Utah. It was NIU's longest field goal since Christian Hagan's 52-yard boot at Toledo in 2015. Gantz, who came to NIU as a grad transfer after spending four years as a Cincinnati Bearcat, also made a 27-yard field goal to account for all of NIU's scoring versus Utah. He made 39-of-50 field goals during his 29-game career at Cincinnati and was twice named All-American Athletic Conference.

ALL ABOUT THE TEAM

ALL-AMERICA ATTENTION: In addition to being named to numerous preseason watch lists, NIU left tackle Max Scharping and defensive end Sutton Smith have also garnered preseason All-America honors. Last season, Smith became NIU's first consensus All-American since LeShon Johnson in 1993.

Sutton Smith, DE -    USA Today (2nd Team), Athlon (2nd), The Athletic (2nd), The Sporting News (2nd),  Phil Steele (4th)
Max Scharping, OT -    USA Today (2nd), Athlon (4th)

DEGREES IN HAND: Seven players on the NIU roster are college graduates. Five have earned their degrees from NIU, while two came to DeKalb as graduate transfers. 

Andrew Gantz    K    Sport Administration    Cincinnati
Ryan Graham    QB    Leadership and Management    NIU
Ty Harmston    TE    Biology    NIU
Max Scharping    LT    Kinesiology    NIU
Luke Shively    C    Chemistry-Biochemistry    NIU
Albert Smalls    CB    Kinesiology    NIU
Jaden Huff    LB    Finance     St. Cloud State

HONORING A LEGEND: In July, NIU and Miami (Ohio) announced that the teams will now play for The Mallory Cup, in honor of the late Bill Mallory, who coached both teams to MAC Championships during a hall of fame career and passed away over the summer. Mallory is the only man to lead two league programs to MAC titles. The first Mallory Cup game will be November 14, 2018 at Huskie Stadium.      

POLLING THE MAC: NIU was picked to finish first in the MAC West Division in 2018 by both the MAC media and MAC Coaches. The Huskies edged out Toledo by one point in the Coaches Poll and by eight in the Media Poll. Ohio was picked to win the East in both polls. This is the first time in the five years the MAC has had a Media and Coaches Poll that the Huskies were picked to win the West in both polls. The coaches picked the Huskies as the top team in the division for the third time overall.