HUSKIE BITES

• The MAC Champion NIU Huskies take on Conference USA champs UAB in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl in the first meeting between the two schools.
• NIU is making its 10th bowl appearance in the last 11 seasons, a record of consistency matched by just one other current "Group of Five" team (Boise State). 
• The Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl is one of just three bowl games - and the only game outside of the College Football Playoff - that matches two conference champions. 
• The Huskies become the first team to make two appearances in Boca Raton's bowl game as NIU fell to Marshall in the inaugural contest in 2014. 
• NIU won its fifth MAC Championship with a 30-29 comeback victory over Buffalo on November 30 in Detroit. The Huskies trailed 22-10 at halftime and 29-10 at the 11:25 mark of the third quarter. Quarterback Marcus Childers threw his fourth and final touchdown pass to D.J. Brown with 1:09 to play to secure NIU's win. 
• With a 52-29 record and .642 winning percentage (all at NIU), sixth-year head coach Rod Carey ranks fourth all-time among Huskie head coaches and is in the Top 20 in the MAC, in wins and winning percentage.  
• Left tackle Max Scharping, who will start his 53rd game in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl, was selected as one of 13 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes and was honored in New York on Dec. 4 as a finalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy.
• The Huskie defense has held an opponent to less than 100 yards rushing in seven games this season and NIU opponents are averaging just 2.7 yards per rush and 109.7 rushing yards per game in 2018. 
• Huskie junior defensive end Sutton Smith leads the nation in sacks with 15 and ranks second in the FBS in tackles for loss with 24.5 after recording two sacks and 3.5 TFLs in the MAC title game to earn Defensive MVP honors.
• Sutton Smith became the first NIU player to be named a first team All-American in back-to-back seasons when he was selected to the AP, SI.com and ESPN first teams for 2018.  Smith was a consensus All-American a year ago.
• Behind Smith, senior defensive end Josh Corcoran (10.0 sacks) and sophomore defensive tackle Jack Heflin (6.0), who earned first, second and third team All-MAC honors, respectively, the Huskies lead the nation in sacks with 50, breaking the NIU single season record. 
• Quarterback Marcus Childers threw for a career-high 300 yards with four touchdown passes - two each to wide receivers Spencer Tears and D.J. Brown - to earn Offensive MVP honors in the MAC Championship game; the sophomore with 21 career starts is already climbing the NIU career passing charts.   
• Sophomore tailback Tre Harbison needs 15 rushing yards to become the Huskies' first 1,000-yard rusher since Joel Bouagnon in 2015; the North Carolina native has five 100-yard games this year. 
• With its trip to the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl, NIU looks for its first bowl win since the 2011 season when the Huskies defeated Arkansas State in the 2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl.
• Six Huskies will return to their south Florida roots with the trip to Boca Raton, including starting linebackers Antonio Jones-Davis (Vero Beach), a first team All-MAC choice, and Lance Deveaux Jr. (Fort Lauderdale). 
• Nine of NIU's 13 opponents this year were bowl eligible and eight, including non-conference foes Iowa, Utah and BYU as well as Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan and Buffalo, will play in bowls this year.   

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HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: Rod Carey
Record at NIU/Years:52-29/Sixth
Career Record/Years: 52-29/Sixth
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 587-493-51
Bowl Appearances (FBS): 13
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 8, 2018
MAC Championships: 5 (1983, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018)
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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UAB FACTS
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Bill Clark (Jacksonville State/1990)
Record at UAB/Years: 24-14 (Third)
Career Record/Years: 35-18 (Fourth)
2017 Record: 8-5
2018 Conference USA Record/Finish: 7-1/First
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Enrollment: 20,902
Conference: NCAA Division I
Colors: Forest Green and Old Gold
Stadium: Legion Field
        Surface/Capacity: Field Turf/71,594
President: Dr. Ray Watts (UAB, 1976)
Athletic Director: Mark Ingram (Tennessee, 1996)
Athletics Website: uabsports.com
Twitter: @UAB_FB
Ticket Information: tickets@uab.edu

UAB Schedule & Results
 

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NIU-UAB SERIES
Overall: First Meeting
 

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HUSKIE BOWL HISTORY  

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: CHERIBUNDI BOCA RATON BOWL ON ESPN

• NIU will make its 10th appearance on national television, its eighth appearance on an ESPN Network and its season debut on ESPN in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl.
• The ESPN game means the Huskies have now appeared on every ESPN outlet in 2018 with games on ESPNews, ESPNU, ESPN2, as well as ESPN+ and ESPN3. 
• In addition to ESPN, watch the game on mobile devices via the ESPN App or online (with appropriate provider login) at ESPN.com. 
• The broadcast crew for the Boca Raton Bowl includes Dave Lamont (play-by-play), Desmond Howard and Jonathan Vilma (analysts) and Alyssa Lang (sidelines).

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS RADIO NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Radio Network broadcast for the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl begins at 5:30 p.m. CT, 30 minutes prior to kickoff. 
• Listen to the game on NIU network affiliates WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb), AM 560 The Answer (Chicago), and on 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 wrapping up 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. 

RADIO: ESPN RADIO

• ESPN Radio will broadcast the game on stations throughout the country. 
• Bill Rosinski will handle the play-by-play call with David Norrie alongside as analyst and Ian Fitzsimmons on the sidelines. 

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 more at NIU Athletics' social media hub online.

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NEWS & NOTES

 BOWL BITS 

LET'S GO BOWLING!: The NIU football program is playing in its 10th bowl game in 11 years. The only other Group of Five team to qualify for 10 bowls in the last 11 years is Boise State. In its last bowl appearance, NIU suffered a 36-14 setback to Duke in the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl. NIU's last bowl victory came in the 2012 GoDaddy Bowl, where the Huskies defeated Arkansas State, 38-20, on January 8, 2012

HUSKIES IN BOWLS:  NIU will play in its 13th bowl game as a Division I FBS program and its 18th bowl all-time with this year's trip to the Boca Raton Bowl. The Huskies appeared in a MAC-record eight consecutive bowl games from 2008-15. NIU will be playing in its 12th bowl game in the last 15 seasons dating back to a 2004 appearance in the Silicon Valley Classic. NIU is 4-8 (FBS) and 5-12 overall in bowl games. The Huskies' modern bowl history began in 1983 at the California Bowl under head coach Bill Mallory.

RETURN ENGAGEMENT:  The Huskies' invitation to the 2018 CheribundiBoca Raton Bowl marks the second time in the bowl's history NIU will appear in the game. The Huskies played in the inaugural game in 2014, suffering a 52-23 setback to Marshall. It is the second bowl game NIU is making multiple appearances in as the Huskies played in three Poinsettia Bowls (2006, 2013 and 2015).

DOUBLING UP: The 2018 NIU Huskies are looking to become the first team to win the MAC Championship Game and their bowl game in the same season since the 2011 NIU football team accomplished the feat. The 2011 squad defeated Ohio in the league's championship game before posting a victory over Arkansas State in the GoDaddy Bowl (Jan. 8, 2012). The 2012 MAC champion Huskies fell to Florida State in the Orange Bowl, while the 2014 edition suffered a loss to Marshall in the Boca Raton Bowl.

SEARCHING FOR VICTORY IN THE SUNSHINE STATE: NIU's contest with UAB in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl will be the 11th game for NIU in the state of Florida, and the second this season. The Huskies' last visit to the Sunshine State was in week four when the Huskies fell at Florida State (Sept. 22), 37-19. NIU, which is 1-9 in games played in Florida, are looking for their first win in the state since a 30-28 victory over Central Florida on Oct. 9, 2004. NIU lost to Marshall in the 2014 Boca Raton Bowl and Florida State in the 2013 Orange Bowl. 

 THIS WEEK'S GAME 

SERIES HISTORY: This is the first meeting between UAB and NIU on the gridiron. However, the Huskies and Blazers have met in three other sports – baseball, softball and women's basketball – with UAB winning four games over the Huskies, including two in softball. The last meeting between NIU and UAB occurred Feb. 28, 2009 on the softball diamond, a 16-3 Blazer victory.

NIU AND CONFERENCE USA: NIU is 0-2 all-time versus Conference USA teams. The Huskies lost their last meeting to a Conference USA opponent, falling to Marshall in the 2014 Boca Raton Bowl. The Huskies also suffered a 27-3 defeat to former conference member Louisville on Oct. 19, 1996. NIU is a combined 7-15 against CUSA's current membership, with victories over Marshall, Middle Tennessee State and Southern Miss.

NIU VS. THE STATE OF ALABAMA: While this is the first meeting between NIU and UAB, it is the Huskies' fourth meeting all-time against a school from the "Yellowhammer State." NIU is 2-1 in those contests, defeating Alabama, 19-16, on Sept. 20, 2003 in Tuscaloosa, and Troy, 34-21, in the Silicon Valley Bowl on Dec. 30, 2004. The Huskies only loss to a team from the state of Alabama was to Auburn, 31-17, on Sept. 23, 2000.

DO I KNOW YOU: The rosters of NIU and UAB have two cities in common. NIU safety Trayshon Foster is the lone Huskie on NIU's roster from the state of Alabama and hails from Tuscaloosa. Freshman long snapper for UAB, Cole Kizziah, also calls Tuscaloosa home. Huskie linebacker Antonio Jones-Davis and UAB safety Will Dawkins are from Vero Beach, Fla. and both went to Vero Beach High School.

I'LL BE HOME BEFORE CHRISTMAS: Several members of the NIU football team will be returning to their home state when NIU plays in the 2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. The five Huskies playing on their native soil – all from the southeast coast of the state – represent seven different Florida high schools. 

LB Lance Deveaux, Jr.  - Jr. - Pompano Beach (St. Thomas Aquinas)
LB Antonio Jones-Davis  - Jr.-R - Vero Beach (Vero Beach)
LB Kewan Parker - Fr. - Miami (Carol City)
WR Dennis Robinson - Fr.-R - Hollywood, Fla. (South Broward)
S Trequan Smith - Jr.-R - Boynton Beach (Boynton Beach)

 CONFERENCE CALL 

IN GOOD COMPANY: With its win in the 2018 MAC Championship Game, NIU won its fifth MAC title in school history, and fourth since 2011. NIU is one of four schools in Football Bowl Subdivision to win four non-shared conference championships this decade joining Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: NIU improved to 4-4 in MAC Championship games in Detroit with its victory over Buffalo. NIU has won five Mid-American Conference titles all-time, as the Huskies' first MAC crown came in 1983 under head coach Bill Mallory (Rod Carey's college coach). That season, NIU went 8-1 versus league teams and clinched the championship with a 26-14 win over Toledo before the days of conference championship games.  

SUCCESS: NIU represented the MAC West in the 2018 MAC Championship game for a league-record eighth time and for the seventh time in the last nine years. Since 2010, no other Football Bowl Subdivision school has advanced to its conference title game seven times. The only other FBS program to advance to their conference's title game seven times in nine years is Florida, who appeared in the SEC Championship game from 1992-96 and 1999-2000. 

BEST IN THE WEST: With this year's MAC West Division title, the Huskies have won a league-best eight outright division crowns. Trailing NIU are Toledo with six and Miami, Ohio and Bowling Green with four division championships. Central Michigan and Western Michigan have each won three, while Akron and Buffalo have won two division titles. Ball State and Kent State each have one first-place division finish to their credit.

 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP 

CALL IT A COMEBACK: The Huskies' 19-point comeback against Buffalo in the MAC Championship Games was their largest of the season and the most since rallying from a 20-point deficit in a 23-20 victory over Ohio in the 2011 MAC Championship Game.

THIRTY SOMETHING: With its 30-29 victory over Buffalo in the 2018 MAC Championship Game, the NIU defense has held opponents under 30 points for the ninth consecutive time this season and 11th overall. The last Huskie foe to tally more than 30 points was Florida State, which scored 37 on Sept. 22, while Iowa joins the Seminoles as the only NIU opponents to top the 30-point mark. The Hawkeyes scored 33 in the season opener (Sept. 1).

CHILDERS' CAREER NIGHT: NIU quarterback Marcus Childers threw for a career-high 300 yards on 21-of-33 passing in the Huskies' victory over Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game. It was the sophomore's first career 300-yard game as he earned Offensive MVP honors. His four touchdowns passes in the contest also tied a career best, which he set against Ball State on Nov. 9, 2017. Childers has tallied 15 TD passes on the season and 31 for his career.

TWO FOR TWO: NIU wide receivers D.J. Brown and Spencer Tears each recorded a pair of touchdown receptions in NIU's victory in the MAC Championship Game. It's the first time since NIU's contest at San Diego State on Sept. 30, 2017 a Huskie receiver had two touchdown receptions in a game, a span of 21 games. The last time NIU had two players with two TD receptions in the same game was Sept. 12, 2015 when tight end Shane Wimann and Kenny Golladay had two against Murray State. 

 SUTTON SMITH, ALL-AMERICAN 

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN: Sutton Smith became the first Huskie in NIU history to earn first-team All-America accolades in back-to-back years when he was named to SI.com, the Associated Press and ESPN All-America teams (Dec. 10, 2018). Additionally, Smith earned second team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation and the Football Writer's Association of America.

FIFTEEN FOR 15: Sutton Smith broke NIU's single season record for sacks, which he established last year with 14, by tallying 15 sacks this season. Smith recorded a sack in nine games this season, tallying multi-sack games four times, including a career-high four at Western Michigan in the regular season finale.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY: Sutton Smith's 15 sacks this season are currently tied for the lead in FBS. Last season, his 14 were also the most by a FBS player. No defensive player in FBS has led the NCAA in quarterback sacks in back-to-back years since sacks became an official stat in 2002.

STAYING ACTIVE: Sutton Smith ranks in the top five in three career defensive categories among active players. He ranks second in tackle for loss per game with 1.47 and third in total sacks with 30 and sacks per game (0.79). For a complete list, see his bio in Players' to Watch.

NO RELATION: NIU defensive end Sutton Smith became the ninth Huskie all-time and second NIU defensive player to win the MAC's Vern Smith Leadership Award. Voted on by the league coaches, the Vern Smith Leadership Award is presented to the league's most valuable player. Smith joins Larry English, who won the award in 2007 and 2008, and Central Michigan's Ray Bentley (1982) as the only defensive players to win MAC MVP honors.

DUPLICATING A FEAT: In addition to taking home MAC MVP honors and first team All-MAC accolades, Sutton Smith became the first Huskie to win back-to-back MAC Defensive Player of the Year awards.

SUTTON ON THE SACK: Sutton Smith moved within a sack of second place on NIU's all-time list for quarterback sacks after recording two in the MAC Championship Game. He has 30 for his career, and is two sacks from surpassing Cary Caliendo (1987-90) for second. The Huskie junior, leads the MAC and ranks fourth in the country in quarterback sacks with 15 on the year. Huskie great Larry English amassed a school record 31.5 sacks from 2004-08. 

CHASING A RECORD: With 30 career sacks, Sutton Smith is 15 away from becoming the NCAA's all-time sack leader. Terrell Suggs holds the NCAA record with 44 career sacks from 2000-02 while playing for Arizona State.

AT A LOSS: With 3.5 tackles for loss against Buffalo, Sutton Smith has 56 for his career to move him up to second on NIU's all-time list. The Huskie defensive end leads the MAC and ranks fourth in the nation, averaging 1.9 tackles for loss a game. Larry English holds the school record for career tackles for loss with 63.

SUTTON SPECIAL: Sutton Smith recorded his second career punt block in NIU's victory over Toledo and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown to turn a 10-9 NIU lead into a 17-9 halftime margin. Smith's first career punt block occurred in the Huskies' win over Central Michigan (Sept. 15) in the third game of the season.

SUTTON ON THE SCORE: Defensive end Sutton Smith scored his second touchdown of the season, and fourth of his career, when he returned a fumble 85 yards for a score in the third quarter at Western Michigan. It was his fourth career touchdown. 

RECORD SETTER: Sutton Smith's 85-yard fumble return for a TD at Western Michigan was the third fumble return TD of his career, which broke his own school record. He scored his first career touchdown on a fumble he forced, running it back 16 yards at Bowling Green (Oct. 21, 2017). His second, a 58-yard fumble return for a touchdown came against the Broncos at Huskie Stadium in 2017. 

QUITE THE NIGHT FOR SUTTON: In addition to his touchdown return at Western Michigan, Sutton Smith recorded career highs in sacks and solo tackles versus the Broncos to earn his third MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honor of the year and sixth of his career. Smith tallied seven tackles, all solo, and four sacks, to tie as the most by any player in an FBS game this year. Of those seven stops, five were for a loss. His previous career best in sacks was three set against Kent State (Oct. 7) last year, while his six solo stops against Utah this season was his career high.

 CAREY KERNELS 

CAREY SIX PACK:  NIU head coach Rod Carey is leading a Huskie football team into a bowl game for a school-best sixth time, with his debut as a head coach coming in the 2013 Orange Bowl. Carey also led the Huskies to bowl games in 2013 (Poinsettia), 2014 (Boca Raton), 2015 (Poinsettia) and 2017 (Quick Lane). Howard Fletcher is next on the list, leading the Huskies to three Mineral Water Bowls (1962-63 & 65). Joe Novak (2004 & 2006), Jerry Kill (2008 & 2009) and George Evans (1946-47) have each led NIU to two bowl games.

FASTEST TO FIFTY: NIU head coach Rod Carey became the fastest Huskie head man to reach 50 wins when the Huskies posted a 38-26 victory over Akron on Nov. 1, 2018 in Carey's 77th game as NIU head coach, surpassing George "Chick" Evans, who won his 50th game as NIU head coach in his 80th game. Evans (1929-54) is NIU's all-time leader with 132 wins. Carey, who currently ranks fourth on NIU's all-time coaching list for wins with 52, is 11 behind Joe Novak (1996-2007). He also ranks fourth in games coached with 81.

CAREY-ING THE MAC: One of the longest tenured coaches in the MAC with six years in the conference, Carey's .642 winning percentage is the highest among league active coaches with a minimum of five years in the league. His 52 wins trail only Frank Solich, the MAC's longest tenured coach, who has amassed 105 wins in 14 seasons at Ohio.
 

Coach (School)	Seasons	Record	Pct.
Rod Carey (NIU)	6	52-29	.642
Frank Solich (Ohio)	14	105-75	.583
Chris Creighton (EMU)	5	22-39	.361
Chuck Martin (Miami)	5	22-39	.361

MOVING UP IN THE MAC: Carey's 52nd career win moved the sixth-year head coach to No. 18 on the Mid-American Conference's Top 20 list for overall wins; Don Nehlen (BGSU, 1968-76) ranks 17th with 53 victories. Carey's career winning percentage of .642 currently ranks 13th in MAC history, and he needs to get to .658 to move into the top 10.

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: Carey owns a 38-10 (.791) record in conference-only games in his six-year career at NIU and is 15th in MAC wins. He needs two more victories to pass Tom Amstutz (Toledo, 2001-08) for 14th. His winning percentage ranks fifth among coaches that coached at least three years in the league.
 

Coach	School	Years	W-L	Pct.
Sid Gillman	Cincinnati	1949-52	13-1	.929
Ara Parseghian	Miami	1951-55	19-2-1	.886
Bob Pruett	Marshall	1997-2004	54-10	.844
Doyt Perry	Bowling Green	1955-64	46-9	.836
Rod Carey	NIU	2013-present	38-10	.791

 HUSKIE HEADLINERS 

YOU FIRST: With NIU's victory over Buffalo, the Huskies improved to 5-4 on the season when it's opponent scores first. NIU defeated Central Michigan (Sept. 15), Eastern Michigan (Sept. 29), BYU (Oct. 27) and Toledo (Nov. 7) when the opponent scored first, while dropping games to Iowa (Sept. 1), Florida State (Sept. 22), Miami (Nov. 14) and Western Michigan (Nov. 22). Conversely, NIU is 3-1 in games when it scores first, defeating Ball State (Oct. 6), Ohio (Oct. 13) and Akron (Nov. 1). Utah (Sept. 8) is the only team to beat the Huskies after NIU scored first.

SECOND HALF SUCCESS: NIU's victory over Buffalo was its second of the season when trailing at halftime. The Bulls led the Huskies, 22-10, after the first two periods of play. The last time NIU won a game when trailing at half was Oct. 27, 2018 when the Huskies defeated BYU, 7-6, after trailing 3-0 at halftime. The Huskies are 2-4 when trailing at halftime this season.

ALL-MAC HUSKIES: The Huskies placed nine players on the 2018 All-MAC Team, including three first teamers, one on offense, two on defense, five second-team selections and one third-team honoree. NIU's nine selections rank fourth among league schools as Buffalo led the way with 11, while Eastern Michigan and Toledo placed 10. Left tackle Max Scharping and linebacker Sutton Smith are repeat first team selections for NIU, with Scharping earning first team All-MAC accolades three times in his career.

KEEP IT UNDER 100: The NIU defense is one of four FBS teams to not allow a 100-yard rusher in each of its games this season, and has a streak of 14 consecutive games dating back to the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl (Dec. 26). The last opponent to rush for 100 yards versus NIU was Central Michigan's Jonathan Ward, who gained 159 yards on 21 carries in a CMU win over the Huskies on Nov. 24, 2017. Clemson (19 consecutive games), Southern Miss (14) and Marshall (12) also have also not allowed a 100-yard rusher in their games this season.

SCHARP-ING AS A TACK-LE: Senior offensive tackle Max Scharping became NIU's third first team Google Cloud Academic All-American from the College Sports Information Directors of America in football, joining Thomas Hammock (2000 and 2001) and Alan Baxter in 2012. A second team CoSIDA Academic All-American last year, Scharping is NIU's first three-time academic all-district selection as well after earning Google Cloud Academic All-District 5 honors this season.

ACADEMIC HEISMAN CANDIDATE: Max Scharping was one of 13 student-athletes across all divisions of college football to be named a finalist for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy, one of the most prestigious awards in college football, which annually recognizes the best scholar-athlete in the nation and is presented by the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame. Scharping is the fifth NIU player all-time to earn the NFF Scholar-Athlete Award, joining Nabal Jefferson (2011), Chandler Harnish (2010), Josh Haldi (2004) and Patrick Stephen (1998).

IMPRESSIVE STRETCH: From Sept. 22 to Nov. 1, the Huskies played a stretch of five of six games away from Huskie Stadium. NIU went 5-1 in those games, with NIU's only loss coming at Florida State on Sept. 22,. NIU posted wins at BYU and at Akron in the final two games of that stretch.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: A year after becoming the first MAC team to win at Memorial Stadium in Nebraska, NIU achieved another first for a league member when the Huskies became the first MAC team to defeat BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium with their 7-6 victory over the Cougars on October 27. Western Michigan is 0-2 in its visits to Provo (1964 and 1967), while Bowling Green (1983) and Toledo (2016) each lost games at BYU. 

NIU vs. THE POWER FIVE: NIU's victory over BYU on Oct. 27 is considered a "Boneyard Win," as Huskie victories over prominent opponents from larger conferences are characterized. The BYU win was NIU's 16th versus such an opponent in 88 games. Of those 16 wins, eight have come in the last nine years and five have occurred under Rod Carey. The Huskies' entire 2018 nonconference schedule was made up of "Boneyard" opponents, and the Huskies have faced at least one larger conference school in 35 of the last 36 seasons.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: NIU's 7-6 victory at BYU was the Huskies' first win when scoring seven points or less since Sept. 3, 1988 when NIU defeated Akron, 7-6, at Huskie Stadium. 

NO TDs ALLOWED: The Huskie defense held BYU to two field goals in the win in Provo. The last time NIU did not allow a touchdown in a game was on Oct. 7, 2017 when the Huskies defeated Kent State, 24-3, in the 111th Homecoming Game. The last time the Huskie defense limited an opponent to less than six points in a victory on the road was Nov. 26, 2010 when NIU defeated Eastern Michigan, 71-3.

MAX SCHOLAR-ATHLETE: Max Scharping was named MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week following his performance in NIU's victory over Ohio. Scharping, who graduates Dec. 10 with his master's degree in exercise physiology and fitness leadership, took a lateral into the end zone on a two-point conversion and led the Huskies to a 400-yard day on offense. He was the first Huskie, male or female, to earn the MAC's weekly academic award this year and the first football player since Jackson Abresch last season.

WORKING OVERTIME: NIU improved to 8-4 in overtime games with their triple overtime win at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 29. 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. This year's game was NIU's first triple overtime contest since a 34-28 loss to Central Michigan Oct. 15, 2016.

JUST FOR KICKS: The Huskie defense has forced 76 punts this season, tying the school record of 76 set in 2014. The Huskies' best performance of the season came at Eastern Michigan. 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. The Huskies forced a season-high 10 punts by Miami.

TEARS OF JOY: Spencer Tears recorded a season-high 84 yards receiving, including a 58-yard touchdown catch, on a career-best six receptions at Western Michigan. They are the most receiving yards for Tears since he amassed a career-high 105 at San Diego State (Sept. 30) last season. His 58-yard TD reception is his longest catch since his 81-yard touchdown reception at San Diego State. He is currently third on the team in receiving with 372 yards on 34 receptions.

GROUNDED: The NIU defense held its seventh opponent to under 100 rushing yards this season when Western Michigan rushed for just 94 yards on 46 carries. The last time an NIU defense held seven opponents to under 100 yards rushing in a season was 2010. NIU's season-low for rushing yards allowed is 35 by Akron, which was the lowest rushing total by an opponent since Arkansas State rushed for 28 yards on 29 carries in the 2012 GoDaddy Bowl (Jan. 8). NIU, which leads the MAC and ranks 13th in the nation in rushing defense, is 4-3 this season when holding an opponent under 100 yards. 

 

Opponent	Net Rushing Yards	W-L	Score
Utah	68	L	17-6
Eastern Michigan	62	W	26-23 (3OT)
Ohio	46	W	24-21
BYU	93	W	7-6
Akron	35	W	36-26
Miami	94	L	7-6
Western Michigan	94	L	28-21

 DOGGED DEFENSE 

GETTING DEFENSIVE: In addition to some outstanding individual performances, the NIU defense has turned in some spectacular efforts as a unit. From tallying a season-high seven sacks against Utah, to forcing a season-high four turnovers at Florida State, the Huskie defense has stepped up each week. 

Iowa -- Held Iowa to three points in first half
Utah -- Tallied a season-high seven sacks
CMU -- Intercepted a pass on Chippewas' final drive to seal win 
Florida State -- Forced four turnovers
EMU -- Held Eagles w/o a 1st down on 9 straight possessions
Ball State -- Forced three field goal attempts
Ohio -- Allowed 46 rushing yards
BYU -- Did not allow a touchdown
Akron -- Scored a defensive touchdown
Toledo -- Held Toledo to minus four yards rushing in 3rd quarter
Miami -- Allowed a season-low 201 yards of total offense
WMU -- Did not allow a 100-yard rusher for 13th-straight game
Buffalo -- Shut down the Bulls in the second half, allowing just one TD and collecting four sacks

UN-CORKED-ORAN: Josh Corcoran, who recorded two sacks in the second half against Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game after sitting out the first half due to a targeting call at Western Michigan, has amassed a career-high 10 on the season. His 16.5 career sacks ranks eighth on NIU's all-time sacks list.

DYNAMIC DUO: No other defensive duo in the nation has as many sacks combined as Sutton Smith and Josh Corcoran. The Huskie pair, who rank first and second in sacks in the MAC, combined for 25 sacks on the season, six more than the nearest duo, Kentucky linebackers Josh Allen (14) and Jamar Watson (5). Smith and Corcoran are also the first defensive end pair to enter NIU's all-time career sacks list in the same season since Sean Progar (4th; 24) and Alan Baxter (t-8th; 16) accomplished the feat in 2012.

TOTALLY NOT ALLOWED: The Huskie defense allowed a season-low 201 yards of total offense in the setback to Miami. They were the fewest total yards allowed in a game by the Huskies since NIU held Kent State (Oct. 7) to 131 yards of total offense last season. They are the fewest yards allowed in a loss since NIU gave up 228 yards in a 38-31 loss at Ohio (Nov. 21) in 2009. The Huskie defense ranks 31st in the nation and leads the league in total defense, allowing 347.8 yards a game.

STRIPPING AGENT: Josh Corcoran became the latest Huskie to join the "strip sack" club when he recorded one versus Miami. Sutton Smith leads the team in strip sacks this season with four and has five for his career. Smith recorded a strip sack in the season opener at Iowa (Sept. 1), at Florida State (Sept. 22) and versus Ohio (Oct. 13) this year, and had a half sack and forced fumble last season at Buffalo (Oct. 14). Smith has seven career forced fumbles. The school record for forced fumbles in a career is 12 set by C.J. Rose (1992-95).

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK: Defensive tackle Jack Heflin recorded three assisted tackles in NIU's MAC Championship win giving the redshirt sophomore 23 stops, eight tackles for loss and six sacks in the last seven games. Heflin's best game came against Toledo, when he recorded 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and seven tackles, five solo, all career highs, in NIU's win over the Rockets.  

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Jalen McKie sealed the Huskie victory over Akron when he made his second career interception nine plays after his first. McKie, the son of former Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie, is the first Huskie to intercept two passes in a game since Mayomi Olootu versus Buffalo on Oct. 22, 2016. His returned his first career INT 23 yards for the Huskies' first defensive touchdown of the season and their first since Nov. 24, 2017, and made a fourth-down INT later in the game. 

DEFENSIVE "PAT" ON THE BACK: In addition to his team-leading two interceptions, McKie became the first Huskie to score on a defensive PAT since Sept. 20, 2003 when he ran Ben LeRoy's blocked PAT at Akron back 86 yards for two huge points, as the play turned a potential tie score into a three-point Huskie lead. Kevin Woods scored the Huskies' last defensive PAT in NIU's historic 19-16 win at Alabama. Added to his INT return for a TD, McKie accounted for NIU's last eight points at Akron.

THE FIRM: Antonio Jones-Davis – nicknamed "Law Firm" –  tallied his fifth double-digit tackle performance of the season when he amassed a game-high 15 tackles, including two for loss, in NIU's win over Buffalo. The Huskie junior ranks 43rd in the nation and sixth in the MAC in total tackles with a team-best 119. Jones-Davis recorded a career-high 16 stops twice this season, against Central Michigan (Sept. 15) and at Ball State (Oct. 6). Jones-Davis' 13 stops at Eastern Michigan helped him earn MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors. 

TACKLE LEADER: Antonio Jones-Davis' 119 tackles are the most by an NIU defender since Dustin Utschig amassed 121 stops in 2005. Jones-Davis made 12 solo stops at Ball State, which are the most by a Huskie since linebacker Boomer Mays made 12 against Western Michigan Nov. 18, 2015 at Huskie Stadium. Mays finished the game with 15 stops. 

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. He is second on the team in tackles with 99 after amassing nine tackles against Buffalo and is tied for the team lead with two fumble recoveries. Pugh also recorded his first career solo sack versus Toledo and has four tackles for loss and at least eight tackles, while leading or tying for the team lead in tackles, in the last five regular season games.

 ON THE OFFENSE 

MILLENIAL: With his 139 rushing yards against Toledo, Tre Harbison became the 41st Huskie to rush for 1,000 yards in his career. The redshirt sophomore has 1,275 career yards after gaining 35 yards on 11 carries against Buffalo, which puts him 33rd on NIU's all-time list. Harbison is 15 yards from reaching 1,000 for the season and would become the first Huskie since Joel Bouagnon in 2015 to reach that mark. 

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES: With 526 yards on 93 carries this season, tailback Marcus Jones is 15 yards from 1,000 career rushing yards. Jones has tallied 985 yards on 184 carries during his three-year career at NIU.

HUNDREDS FOR HARBISON: NIU tailback Tre Harbison has recorded five 100-yard games this season, including a stretch of three in a row from Nov. 1-14. Harbison became the first Huskie to record three straight 100-yard games since Heisman Finalist Jordan Lynch posted four straight in 2013. He is the first Huskie since Joel Bouagnon in 2015 to amass five 100-yard games in a season. Harbison tallied a career-high 169 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown in the 36-26 victory at Akron (Nov. 1) and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry this season. He ranks third in the league in rushing, averaging 79.2 yards a game.

COUNTER TRE: The Huskies are 4-1 when Tre Harbison rushes for 100 yards or more in a game. In NIU's eight wins, Harbison has averaged 91 yards on 16.6 carries. Conversely, in the Huskies' five losses, Harbison is averaging 51.4 yards a game and 11 carries. 

RUNNING TO WINS: NIU has won 10 of its last 11 games when rushing for 200 yards or more in a game. The Huskies have rushed for 200 yards or more in six games in 2018, including a season-high 296 yards in their victories over Toledo and Akron. NIU's only loss during that stretch was a 13-7 decision to Miami when the Huskies ran for 212 yards. 

PLAYING THE 45: NIU is 33-3 in the Rod Carey era when rushing the ball 45 times or more in a game. The Huskies are 4-0 this season when running the ball 45 times or more and are averaging 241.5 yards in those games. NIU is 19-1 in its last 20 such games, with the lone loss coming last season at San Diego State (Sept. 30) when NIU ran 45 times for 155 yards in a 34-28 setback to the Aztecs.

QUITE THE COMPARISON: The NIU offense is averaging 15.2 points more a game in conference play than in its non-conference contests. The Huskies have almost tripled their rushing average in MAC play, with 225.9 yards a game compared to 78.2 in its four non-conference games. On the season, NIU is averaging 176.7 rushing yards a game.
 

	MAC Games	Non-Conference Games	All Games
Games	8	4	13
Points/Game	25.0	9.8	20.7
Points/Game Allowed	19.8	23.2	21.5
Rushing Yards/Game	225.9	78.2	171.5
Rushing Yds/Game Allowed	99.1	122.8	109.7
Total Offense/Game	369.0	216.0	325.0
Total Offense/Game Allowed	333.1	370.0	347.8

ALL MY CHILDERS: Quarterback Marcus Childers currently ranks sixth on NIU's all-time list for career passing yards per game, averaging 146.8 yards. Childers' 364 career completions rank eighth all-time at NIU and trail Phil Horvath, who ranks seventh with 397. Childers has also completed 57.5 percent of his passes for his career, which ranks seventh, behind Dan Nicholson, who completed 59.2 percent of his passes. His career average of 25.3 pass attempts a game over the last two seasons is No. 1 on NIU's all-time list.

TWO FOR 100: Tre Harbison (139) and Marcus Jones (103) became the first Huskie duo to rush for 100 yards in the same game since Oct. 1, 2016, when the two rushed for 139 and 103 yards, respectively, in NIU's win over Toledo. Joel Bouagnon (153) and Anthony Maddie (160) accomplished the feat at Ball State. It is the 26th time NIU has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game. 

WORKING ON THE LINE: The Huskies have employed seven different starting offensive line combinations this season, led by Academic All-American tackle Max Scharping who has started a team-leading 52 consecutive games, every game of his NIU career. Center Luke Shively joins Scharping to start all 12 games at center this season, 38 for his career. JC transfer Christopher Perez has made 10 starts at left guard, while Nathan Veloz and Braden Patton have split time at right guard with Veloz starting eight games and Patton starting five. Patton has also made three starts at left guard. Jordan Steckler (9), Ryan Roberts (2) and Isaac Hawn (2) have each started at right tackle this year.

TACKLING A TWO-POINT CONVERSION: NIU converted its first two-point conversion attempt since Oct. 1, 2011 when left tackle Max Scharping took a lateral pass into the end zone to give NIU a 24-21 lead over Ohio. Scharping's score came in his 46th start and marked the first time the offensive tackle has handled the football in his college career.

 SPECIAL FORCES 

PINNING THEM DEEP: Sophomore punter Matt Ference has placed 32 of his 83 punts inside the 20-yard line and has 13 punts of 50 yards or more on the season. Ference landed three of his nine punts at BYU inside the 10-yard line, including one that landed at the one foot-line, to earn MAC West Specialist of the Week honors. He outdueled 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. 

ON THE RIGHT FOOT: Punter Matt Ference's 40.7 yards per punt career average ranks second on NIU's all-time list for punting average, while his 6,753 punting yards ranks eighth all-time behind Jim Gilbert's 6,874 punting yards. Ference's 166 career punts ranks ninth all-time, one punt shy of Jimmy Erwin for eighth place. 
NINE IS FINE: Ference booted a season-high nine punts for 421 yards, also a career best, for an average of 46.8 yards in NIU's victory at BYU, the second-highest single game punting average of his career. His career best came in the 2018 season opener at Iowa when he averaged 47.2 yards on six punts for 283 yards. He ranks seventh in the MAC and 63rd in the country with a 41.2 yard average.

BLOCK PARTY: With Sutton Smith's punt block in the second quarter against Toledo, NIU special teams have blocked five kicks this season and 11 in the last two years. It was Smith's second punt block this season and the third for NIU this year. Smith blocked a punt against CMU (Sept. 15), while Jauan Wesley recorded a block in the season opener at Iowa. Ben LeRoy blocked an extra point attempt in the win at Akron, which was returned for two points by Jalen McKie, while Jack Heflin had a blocked field goal versus Utah.

Jauan Wesley, Punt vs. Iowa
Jack Heflin, Field Goal vs. Utah
Sutton Smith, Punt vs. Central Michigan
Ben LeRoy, PAT vs. Akron
Sutton Smith, Punt vs. Toledo

AHEAD OF PACE: With five blocked kicks this season, the Huskies are one way from their total of last season. NIU blocked six kicks, two field goals and four punts, in 2017. NIU ranks second in the nation in blocked kicks and blocked punts.

 ALL ABOUT THE TEAM 

ABOVE THE AVERAGE: Eighty-six players have suited up and taken the field for the Huskies this season, the most since 2014 when 78 players saw action in a contest. Since 2013, NIU has played an average of 77.3 players a season.

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, Univ. of 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

NEW GRADS: Six players are slated to earn their bachelor's degrees from NIU while the Huskies are in Boca Raton, while two Huskies have completed their master's studies.  NIU will honor them with a graduation ceremony during the bowl trip. 
 
Master's Degrees
Jaden Huff (TB) - Business (M.B.A.)
Max Scharping (OT) - Exercise Physiology & Fitness Leadership
 
Bachelor's Degrees
Tifonte Hunt (CB) - Kinesiology
Hayden Sak (LB) - Marketing
Alex Schlee (OL) - Computer Science – Software Development
Sutton Smith (DE) - Organizational & Corporate Communications
Maalik Todd (CB) - Rhetoric and Public Communications
Jauan Wesley (WR) - General Emphasis