HUSKIE BITES

• After opening Mid-American Conference play with a win over Central Michigan at Huskie Stadium last week, the NIU Huskies step back out of conference to take on Florida State. 
• The only previous meeting between NIU and FSU took place on January 1, 2013 in the Discover Orange Bowl, as NIU made history as the first MAC team to play in a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game.    
• Florida State is the third autonomous conference team NIU will face in 2018 as the Huskies are playing one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the country. NIU played at Iowa and hosted Utah to start the season, and will take on BYU in Provo on Oct. 27.  
• The Huskies' roster features seven Florida natives, including five listed on the depth chart and three starters - linebackers Antonio Jones-Davis and Lance Deveaux Jr., and cornerback Albert Smalls. All of the Florida Huskie are from the southeast part of the state.    
• NIU defensive end Sutton Smith, a 2017 Consensus All-American, registered his first career blocked punt versus Central Michigan. Smith, who ranks sixth nationally in tackles for loss, was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week after totalling eight tackles, 4.5 TFLs and two sacks versus Utah.  
• Senior left tackle Max Scharping makes his 43rd consecutive start Saturday at Florida State. Scharping, a nominee for the NFF William Campbell Trophy, is in his final semester of graduate school.  
• After blocking six kicks a year ago (four punts, two field goals), the Huskies have two blocked punts and a blocked field goal already in 2018.
• NIU is one of just three teams from a "Group of 5" conference to play in nine bowl games in the last 10 seasons.
• The first meeting between NIU and FSU in the Orange Bowl marked Rod Carey's coaching debut as took the reigns of the Huskie program on Dec. 2, 2012. Since that time, Carey's NIU teams are 45-26. 

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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: 45-26/Sixth
Career Record/Years: 45-26/Sixth
Alma Mater/Year: Indiana/1993
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
All-Time Record: 580-490-51
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
Acting 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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SEMINOLES' FACTS
2017 Record/ACC Record: 7-6/3-6
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Willie Taggart
        (Western Kentucky/1998) 
Record at Florida State /Years: 1-2/1st
Career Record/Years: 48-52/9th
Location: Tallahassee,Fla.
Enrollment: 41,867
Conference: ACC (Atlantic Division)
Colors: Garnet and Gold
Stadium: Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium    
    Surface/Capacity: Natural Grass /79,560
President: John Thrasher
Interim Athletics Director: David Coburn
Athletics Website: Seminoles.com
Twitter: @FSUfootball
Ticket Information: 888-FSU-NOLE

2018 Florida State Schedule & Results

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NIU-FSU SERIES
Overall: FSU leads 1-0
Streak: FSU, 1
Series History: 1/1/13 - FSU 31, NIU 10 (Discover Orange Bowl)
 

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HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS

TV: NIU-FSU ON ESPNU

• The NIU-Florida State game is the third of at least seven NIU games this season to be nationally televised on a broadcast network, the second to air on an ESPN Network, and the first on ESPNU.
• In addition to ESPNU, watch the game on mobile devices via the ESPN App or online (with appropriate provider login) at ESPN.com. 
• The ESPNU crew for the game includes Mark Neely (play-by-play), John Congemi (color analyst) and Edward Aschoff (reporter).

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS RADIO NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Radio Network broadcast for the FSU game begins at 2 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'S GAME
SECOND TIME AROUND: Saturday's meeting with Florida State is the second all-time between the two schools. The first meeting was Jan. 1, 2013 in the Discover Orange Bowl, a 31-10 victory for Florida State.

THE LAST TIME WE MET: Making its first appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game, NIU trailed Florida State, 17-10, heading into the fourth quarter of the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl. The Huskies allowed a pair of touchdowns in the final frame to fall to the Seminoles, 31-10. Florida State running back Leon Pryor ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, while E.J. Manuel threw for 291 yards and one TD in the game. Jordan Lynch rushed for a team-high 44 yards, while passing for 176 yards and one touchdown.

AGAINST THE ACC: The Huskies have played nine games versus teams that were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference at the time they played and are 2-7 in those contests. NIU's ACC wins came versus Wake Forest, 42-41, in Huskie Stadium in 2002 and over 15th-ranked Maryland, 20-13, in overtime in 2003 at home. NIU is 1-1 against Wake Forest, 0-2 against Boston College and has lost one meeting to ACC members Florida State, N.C. State and Duke. The Huskies suffered a 36-14 setback to the Blue Devils in the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. The FSU game is NIU's fourth versus an ACC team in the last four seasons. 

NIU VERSUS THE STATE: NIU is 3-8 all-time versus teams from the state of Florida. The Huskies are 2-1 versus Central Florida, 1-3 against South Florida, 0-2 against Florida and 0-1 versus both Florida State and Miami. 

HEAD COACH MATCH-UP: NIU head coach Rod Carey is 0-1 against first-year Florida State head coach Willie Taggart. The two previously faced each other Sept. 10, 2016 when Taggart was head coach at South Florida. Taggart led the Bulls to a 48-17 win over the Huskies.

NIU vs. THE POWER FIVE: NIU fell to 15-71 versus teams that were in an autonomous conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC & Pac-12) at the time the Huskies played them following its 17-6 loss to Utah on Sept. 8. Of those 15 wins, seven have come in the last nine years, beginning with NIU's 28-20 win over Purdue in 2009. The Huskies will face three teams from an autonomous five conference, as well as independent BYU, this year and have played a team from one of those five conferences in 35 of the last 36 years. NIU did not play a team from an autonomous five conference in 2016.

SEARCHING FOR VICTORY IN THE SUNSHINE STATE: Saturday's game in Tallahassee will be the 10th game for NIU in the state of Florida. The Huskies' last visit to the Sunshine State was Sept. 10, 2016 when the Huskies fell to South Florida in Tampa. NIU lost to Marshall in the 2014 Boca Raton Bowl and Florida State in the 2013 Orange Bowl. The Huskies, which are 1-8 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.

DO I KNOW YOU?: One common high school, St. Thomas Aquinas, is represented on the rosters of both NIU and Florida State. Huskie linebacker Lance Deveaux, Jr., a junior, FSU freshman quarterback Beau Fillichio, and freshman defensive back Asante Samuel Jr. all prepped at the Fort Lauderdale school. 
 
HUSKIE SUNSHINE STATERS: Seven players on the 2018 NIU roster hail from the state of Florida. Freshman Kewan Parker joined six returning Florida Huskies – redshirt senior Albert Smalls, redshirt juniors Antonio Davis-Jones and Trequan Smith, junior Lance Deveaux and redshirt freshmen Jalen McKie and Dennis Robinson.  The seven – all from the southeast coast of the state – represent seven different Florida high schools. 
 

Name	Class	Pos.	Hometown (High School)
Lance Deveaux, Jr.	So.	LB	Pompano Beach (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Antonio Jones-Davis	So.-R	LB	Vero Beach (Vero Beach)
Jalen McKie	Fr.	CB	Ft. Lauderdale (Waukegan, Ill.)
Kewan Parker	Fr.	LB	Miami, Fla. (Carol City)
Dennis Robinson	Fr.	WR	Hollywood (South Broward)
Albert Smalls	Jr.-R	CB	Miramar (Monsignor Pace)
Trequan Smith	So.-R	S	Boynton Beach (Boynton Beach)

COMMON BONDS: NIU cornerback Albert Smalls trains with Florida State defensive back Stanford Samuels III in the offseason. The pair are trained by Samuels' father, Stanford Samuels, Jr. While St. Thomas Aquinas is the only common high school between the two teams, the south Floridians on both rosters grew up playing against  each other in youth football leagues all the way through high school.  

RECAPPING LAST WEEK
STREAK SNAPPER: The Huskies won their first game of the season and their first in four games dating back to last season, with a 24-16 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 15 at Huskie Stadium. Prior to last Saturday, NIU's last victory was a 35-31 victory over Western Michigan on Nov. 15, 2017 at Huskie Stadium.

BLOCK PARTY: For the third straight week, the NIU special teams blocked a kick when Sutton Smith 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. Over the past two seasons, NIU has now blocked nine kicks.
NIU's 2018 Blocks
Jauan Wesley (Punt) - at Iowa
Jack Heflin (Field Goal) - vs. Utah
Sutton Smith (Punt) - vs. Central Michigan

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, sealed NIU's win over Central Michigan when he grabbed a deflected pass at the NIU six-yard line for his first career interception. 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.

HUNDRED FOR HARBISON: NIU tailback Tre Harbison turned in his first career 100-yard rushing game, amassing 124 yards on 13 carries in NIU's win over Central Michigan. He also recorded the Huskies' longest play from scrimmage this season as he broke off a 48-yard run in the third quarter to set up a Huskie touchdown. Harbison leads the MAC and ranks 15th in the country in rushing yards per carry with a 7.13 average.

CORCORAN'S COMEBACK: 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 eight of NIU's 11 sacks this year, with Sutton Smith leading the way with three.

THE FIRM: Linebacker Antonio Jones-Davis - nicknamed "Law Firm" - tallied a career and team-high 16 tackles in NIU's win over Central Michigan. It tops his previous career best of nine set last year at Toledo (Nov. 2) and was the most stops by a Huskie since Kyle Pugh made 17 in last year's season opener versus Boston College 

CAREY KERNELS
HUSKIE HEAD MAN RANKINGS: NIU head coach Rod Carey currently ranks fourth on NIU's all-time coaching list for wins with 45, 19 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. 

MOVING UP IN THE MAC: With 45 wins on his ledger; NIU head coach Rod Carey is three 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 winning percentage of .639 currently ranks 14th and he needs to get to .658 to move into the top 10.

HUSKIE HEADLINERS
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.

WESLEY RISING: Wide receiver Jauan Wesley established a career high in receptions when he tallied eight catches for 73 yards against Utah. His previous career best was four, set in the 2018 season opener at Iowa. His career high in receiving yards is 109 set last year against Duke in the Quick Lane Bowl. He leads the Huskies in catches and has already surpassed his 2017 and career totals for catches. 

SACK LUNCH: A week after recording a season-high seven sacks by five different players in the game versus Utah, the Huskie defense added three sacks versus Central Michigan. Defensive tackle Ben LeRoy led the way with a career-high 1.5. NIU has 11 sacks by seven different players in three games in 2018 to rank eighth nationally in team sacks. Last year, 14 different defenders accounted for 43 sacks.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Tight end Ty Harmston, playing in his 23rd game at NIU tallied his first career reception in the home opener against Utah. The senior from nearby Stockton, Ill. finished the night with three catches for 21 yards.

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 had 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
AMONG THE ELITE: 2017 All-American Sutton Smith ranks in the top five nationally in career sacks and sacks per game among active players. The junior ranks fourth in career sacks with 18, and is fifth in sacks per game with 0.67 in 16 career games played. Smith ranks second in career tackles for loss with 1.36 a game.

LEAGUE HONORS: Following his team-high eight tackle, two sack and 4.5 tackles for loss performance against Utah, Smith was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week. It was the fourth honor for Smith in his career, having earned it three times in 2017 en route to MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
 
SUTTON ON THE SACK: Smith tallied the fourth multi-sack game of his career with two sacks against Utah. He is second in the MAC and ranks 18th in the nation in sacks per game with 1.0. Smith led the nation in quarterback sacks last season with 14. 

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Smith is moving up in the top 10 on NIU's all-time list for quarterback sacks and tackles for loss in a career. The Huskie junior has 18 career sacks, to rank seventh, while his 38 career tackles for loss, rank ninth. Huskie great Larry English leads both categories with 31.5 sacks and 63 tackles for loss. Smith needs one more sack to move into sixth and one tackle for loss to move into eighth.

YOUTH & EXPERIENCE: Of the 11 defenders who started at Iowa, only one, cornerback Albert Smalls, had made more than 20 starts and amassed more than 100 tackles. Smalls, who started his 26th career game as a Huskie last Saturday, also has the most games played on the NIU defense with 44. Defensive tackle Marcus Kelly, defensive end Matt Lorbeck and linebacker Antonio Jones-Davis each made their first career starts for NIU at Iowa, while Weston Kramer was a first time starter versus Utah.

NO SMALLS FEAT: NIU senior cornerback Albert Smalls recorded the Huskies' first interception of the season with a first quarter pickoff of Iowa's Nate Stanley. It was his first interception since Nov. 18, 2015 (vs. Western Michigan) and the fourth of his career. Smalls missed most of the 2016 season with an injury and did not have an interception last year.

SECONDARY TO NONE: Three of the five seniors playing on the Huskie defense reside in the NIU secondary in cornerbacks Albert Smalls, Jalen Embry and Tifonte Hunt. Both Smalls and Embry are starters, while Hunt is NIU's nickleback. Smalls tallied a first quarter interception at Iowa, while Embry has 15 tackles, including one for loss, and Hunt has seven stops on the year.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH PUGH: After missing the final nine games of the 2017 season, Kyle Pugh has returned to the starting line-up in 2018. 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 tied for second on the team in tackles with 21 and has a fumble recovery.

ON THE OFFENSE
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 two catches for 15 yards.

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 42 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 123 starts over the last four seasons with seniors Scharping (42) and Luke Shively (27) and junior Jordan Steckler (27) leading the way. 

DéJáuan VU: In addition to tallying his second career punt block in the season opener at Iowa, Jauan Wesley tallied his third career touchdown reception when quarterback Marcus Childers found him in the end zone in the fourth quarter. It was the second time in his career Wesley has recorded a blocked punt and a touchdown catch in the same game. He had a 70-yard TD reception against Ball State last year. 

RUNNING TO WINS: Last season, NIU went 5-0 when running for more than 200 yards in a game and went 3-5 when they did not make the 200 mark. The Huskies have also won nine of their last 10 games when hitting that number.

TOUCHDOWNS TO SHARE: Quarterback Marcus Childers has thrown touchdown passes to four different players in 2018, with a season-best three TD passes last Saturday versus Central Michigan going to receivers Spencer Tears (14 yards), Dennis Robinson (seven yards) and D.J. Brown (two yards). Childers has thrown for 1,999 yards in 15 games (11 starts) over the last two seasons. 

SPECIAL FORCES
JUST FOR KICKS: Graduate transfer Andrew Gantz hit his third consecutive field goal, a 36-yarder, in NIU's win over Central 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.

PINNING THEM DEEP: Sophomore punter Matt Ference averaged 46.0 yards on eight punts and pinned Utah inside the 20 yard-line four times to out-duel Ray Guy award winner Matt Wishnowsky of Utah. 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.

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 blocked punts.

ALL ABOUT THE TEAM
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Twenty-one Huskies have made their debuts for NIU this season including, wide receivers Rodney Hall, Fotis Kokosioulis, Leon Payne, Dennis Robinson, and Cole Tucker; linebackers Jordan Cole, Cortez Hogans, Rayshwan Gay, Vinny Labus, Kewan Parker and Danny Walker; defensive ends Jawon Denton and Mike Kennedy; tailbacks Jaden Huff and Jordan Nettles; kicker Andrew Gantz, long snapper Erik Abrell, cornerbacks Devin Haney and Jalen McKie, safety Dillon Thomas and offensive lineman Christopher Perez. Payne, Tucker and Perez have all also started games with Perez and Tucker still in the line-up. 

ALL-AMERICAN 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.

MAKING HER RETURN: NIU Associate Athletic Director for Communications Donna Turner is a 1985 graduate of Florida State who began her career as a student assistant in the FSU Sports Information Office in 1981 and returned to work in Tallahassee as an assistant and then associate sports information director from 1987-94 as the Seminoles' baseball and football contact. She visits Tallahassee for the first time as the opponent.