Football | September 1
***NIU falls to 18-32 in season opening games as an FBS program (since 1969). The Huskies have dropped three consecutive season openers.
***NIU is now 8-37-1 versus teams from the Big Ten Conference all-time, and is 1-9 versus Iowa.
***NIU senior cornerback
Albert Smalls recorded his first interception since 2015 (vs. Western Michigan) with a first quarter pickoff versus Iowa. Smalls missed most of the 2016 season with an injury and did not have an interception last year.
***NIU's seven points were its fewest scored in a game since Sept. 17, 2011 when the Huskies fell to Wisconsin, 49-7 at Soldier Field.
***Wide receiver
D.J. Brown completed his first career pass, a five-yard toss to quarterback
Marcus Childers, in the first quarter.
***Iowa became the first opponent since Oct. 17, 2015, to score a safety on the Huskies when they tackled
Jordan Nettles in the end zone in the fourth quarter. The last team to score a safety versus NIU was Miami (Ohio), who earned the safety when the NIU kickoff return man retreated into the end zone.
***
Jauan Wesley has recorded both of the Huskies' last two blocked punts with a block versus Ball State last November (11-9) and today's block versus Iowa. A year ago, the Huskies were one of the nation's leaders in blocked punts with four.
***Wesley's four catches were a career high for the senior, who has now caught a touchdown pass in two consecutive games for NIU (Duke, Iowa).
"Firsts"
First career rush –
Jordan Nettles
First career catch –
Leon Payne,
Cole Tucker,
Rodney Hall
First game action (2018 newcomers) – WR
Leon Payne, LB
Cortez Hogans (special teams), LG Christopher Perez, K
Andrew Gantz,
First game action (redshirts) – TB
Jaden Huff, WR
Cole Tucker, DE Mike Kennedy, LB
Jordan Cole, LB
Danny Walker (special teams), CB
Jalen McKie, LB
Vinny Labus (special teams), WR/QB
Rodney Hall
First career start – LG Christopher Perez (JC transfer), DT
Marcus Kelly, DE
Matt Lorbeck, LB
Antonio Jones-Davis, WR
Leon Payne* (true freshman), WR
Cole Tucker.
