Huskies Take on Akron in 113th Homecoming Game

Saturday's Contest Kicks Off at 2:30 p.m.

HUSKIE BITES

After playing five of its first seven games, and its last two contests, on the road, the Huskies return home to face MAC East foe Akron in its 113th Homecoming game.
The Huskies' last two games were both decided by three points, with NIU winning at Ohio 39-36 on John Richardson's game-winning field goal as time expired and Miami holding off a late Huskie rally to win, 27-24.
Each of NIU's last four contests have been one possession games.
NIU is 10-5 all-time versus Akron and has won the last five games in the series with the Zips' last win in the 2005 MAC Championship game.
DeKalb native Cole Tucker has caught 14 passes for 200 yards over the last two games to jump to the top of the NIU receiving chart. The sophomore had team season highs of eight catches for 118 yards at Ohio and caught his first career touchdown pass at Miami.
At Miami, NIU true freshman walk-on Nick Rattin and converted safety Marshe Terry joined sophomore Vinny Labus as the Huskies' starting linebackers. Rattin led the group with eight tackles and a pass break-up.
Thomas Hammock was named head coach at his alma mater in January 2019 after five years coaching running backs for the Baltimore Ravens. Hammock, the only two-time first-team Academic All-American in NIU football history, recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons as a player. He coached at Wisconsin and Minnesota prior to going to the NFL.
Twenty-five newcomers, including 12 true freshmen and four transfers, have seen action in at least one of NIU's first seven games.
In the Ohio game, NIU had a 300-yard passer (Ross Bowers, 338), a 100-yard rusher (Tre Harbison, 113) and two 100-yard receivers (Cole Tucker, 118; Mitchell Brinkman 100) for just the second time in school history.
Brinkman became just the sixth Huskie tight end all-time, and the first since Brad Cieslak in 2004, to post a 100-yard receiving game.
NIU blocked its 15th kick in the last three seasons when Corey Lersch blocked an Ohio punt on the Bobcats' first drive and veteran safety Adam Buirge scored on a three-yard return. It was the Huskies' first blocked punt of the season to go along with two field goal and one PAT block.

NIU FOOTBALL FACTS

Head Coach: Thomas Hammock (NIU '02)
Record at NIU/Years: 2-5/First
Career Record/Years: 2-5/First
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
2018 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 8-6/6-2/1st
All-Time Record: 589-498-51
Last Bowl Game: 2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
Bowl Appearances (FBS): 13
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 8, 2018
MAC Championships, Last: 5, 2018
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 52/24
Starters Returning: 16 (7 offense, 7 defense, 2 specialists)
Starters Lost: 10 (5 offense, 4 defense, 1 specialist)

AKRON FACTS
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Tom Arth (John Carroll University '03)
Record at Akron/Years: 0-7/One
Career Record/Years: 49-28/Seven
2018 Record: 4-8
MAC Record/Finish: 2-6/Fourth
Location: Akron, Ohio
Enrollment: 19,218
Conference: Mid-American (East Division)
Colors: Blue and Gold
Stadium: InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field
Surface/Capacity: ProGrass/30,000
President: Dr. John C. Green
Athletic Director: Larry Williams
Athletics Website: gozips.com
Twitter: @AkronZips
Ticket Information: 1-888-99-AKRON

Akron Schedule & Results
Akron Game Notes vs. NIU

NIU-AKRON SERIES

Overall: NIU leads 10-5
In Akron: NIU leads 5-2
In DeKalb: NIU leads 5-2
Neutral Site: Akron leads 1-0
In MAC Games: NIU leads 7-2
Streak: NIU, 5
First Meeting: October 29, 1966: NIU 31, Akron 18 (H)
Last Meeting: November 1, 2018: NIU 36, Akron 26 (A)

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-AKRON ON ESPN3

The NIU-Akron 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-Akron game is Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Forrest Conoly (color analyst).

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

The Huskie Sports Network broadcast for the Akron game begins at 2 p.m. CT, 30 minutes before kickoff.
The game will be carried on NIU network affiliates WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 (DeKalb), AM 560 The Answer (Chicago) and Sports Fan 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 40th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo joins him for the 34th consecutive season, while Andy Garcia is in his seventh season on the NIU sidelines.

INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW

Fans are invited to attend the one-hour weekly show every Monday this season at Noon at Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb (1312 W. Lincoln Highway).
Listen live with the TuneIn app. Hear the show Monday at 7 p.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb, 8 p.m. Monday on 560 AM The Answer in Chicago and Tuesday at 7 p.m. on SportsFan Radio 1330 AM in Rockford.
Host Bill Baker welcomes NIU Head Coach Thomas Hammock, Huskie players and special guests, including NIU head coaches.

NIU WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

Andy Garcia and NIU Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier host the 30-minute show with interviews with coach Thomas Hammock, other NIU coaches and guests.
Airs Friday at 10 p.m. CT in Chicago on AM 560 The Answer, Saturday at 8:30 a.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb and on Sports Fan Radio 1330 in Rockford at 6:30 a.m. Also available on-demand on NIUTube (subscription).

NIUTube (HUSKIE ALL-ACCESS)

See weekly and post-game press conferences, video features and Huskie Olympic sports live game video.
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.

NEWS & NOTES

THIS WEEK'S GAME

HUSKIE HOMECOMING HISTORY: NIU plays its 113th Homecoming game Saturday. The Huskies' annual celebration dates back to an alumni football game played Oct. 10, 1903. NIU's Homecoming is the oldest major college alumni gathering in the state and the Huskies have one of the longest celebrated Homecoming traditions in the country. The Huskies are 72-30-10 all time in their Homecoming football games and have won 19 of their last 21 in front of the alums. NIU is 38-14-2 in Homecoming football games in Huskie Stadium following last season's 24-21 Homecoming win over Ohio (Oct. 13).

HUSKIE HALL CALL: NIU football greats Larry English and Jerry Pettibone will be inducted in the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, October 25 as part of NIU's 113th Homecoming celebration. English, a two-time Vern Smith Leadership Award (MAC MVP) winner, is NIU's all-time leader in sacks with 31.5 and tackles for loss with 63. A three-time first team All-MAC honoree, he became NIU's highest NFL Draft choice when he was selected 16th overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2009. Pettibone, who coached the Huskies from 1985-90, is tied for fifth in Huskie football history with 33 wins, including a 9-2 record during the 1989 campaign. He led NIU to its first victory over a Big Ten foe as the Huskies defeated Wisconsin, 19-17.

SERIES HISTORY: NIU owns an 10-5 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools, including a five-game winning streak dating back to a 27-10 Huskie victory at home on Oct. 31, 2009. It is the longest winning streak by either team in the series. The Huskies scored a 36-26 victory over the Zips last season in Akron. NIU is 5-2 all-time at home against the Zips losing in 1987 and 1996. Akron's last victory over NIU came in the 2005 MAC Championship Game, a 31-30 decision. The Zips won the regular season meeting that year as well, 48-42, in overtime in Akron.

WHEN LAST WE MET: The Huskies scored a 36-26 victory over Akron at InfoCision Stadium on Nov. 1, 2018. The Huskies tallied 494 yards of total offense with 296 yards rushing. Tailback Tre Harbison rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Marcus Jones added 82. Marcus Childers threw for 188 yards and a TD on 21-of-28 passing. Jalen McKie had a 98-yard two-point PAT return and a 28-yard pick six to cap the scoring for the Huskies.

ZIPS IN DEKALB: Saturday's visit by Akron is the first by the Zips since Oct. 13, 2013, NIU's 107th Homecoming Game. The Huskies posted a 27-20 victory over the Zips that day as Jordan Lynch rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown while throwing for 220 yards and a TD on 16-of-35 passing. Safety Jimmie Ward recorded the only turnover of the game when he intercepted a Kyle Pohl pass, which NIU converted into a field goal.

INFREQUENT FOE: With just 15 meetings all-time between Akron and NIU, the Zips are one of the fewest-faced MAC opponents for the Huskies. NIU has played Buffalo just 13 times and Miami in 19 games.

CONFERENCE CALL

NIU VS. THE MAC EAST: NIU has won 24 of its last 27 regular season games over MAC East Division opponents and 28 of 32 since the 2008 season. Miami and Ohio are the only MAC East foes to defeat the Huskies during that time. In addition to last weekend's victory, the RedHawks defeated NIU, 13-7, in 2018, while the Bobcats posted wins in 2009 at Ohio, and 2015 in DeKalb. NIU defeated former league members Temple in 2010 and UMass in 2012 and 2013. The Huskies are 4-3 versus the MAC East in conference title games since 2010, defeating Ohio (2011), Kent State (2012), Bowling Green (2014) and Buffalo (2018), while falling to Miami (2010) and Bowling Green (2013 & 2015).

NIU vs. (Since 2008)	W-L
Buffalo	6-0
Kent State	6-0
Akron	5-0
Bowling Green	4-0
Miami	4-2
Ohio	3-2

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: Following its 27-24 setback at Miami, NIU fell to 153-103-2 all-time in MAC play and 117-58 (.669) in league action since 1997. Since 2010, NIU is 62-13 against MAC foes and has recorded three undefeated campaigns and two one-loss seasons, winning six-straight division championships and seven overall during that stretch. The Huskies are in their 34th season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2019-20, including an initial stint in the league from 1975-85.

START TO FINISH: Ball State's 27-20 victory over NIU was just the Huskies' third loss in a conference opener since 2011 and their first since 2015. NIU suffered a 29-19 setback at Central Michigan on Oct. 3, 2015 and a 48-41 loss to the Chippewas on Oct. 1, 2011. Both years the Huskies advanced to the MAC Championship Game, finishing with a 6-2 and 7-1 MAC West Division mark, respectively. NIU also lost the 2005 conference opener and advanced to the MAC Championship Game.

LEADER OF THE MAC: With a .677 winning percentage since 2010, NIU is the winningest football program in the MAC this decade. The Huskies have made seven trips to the conference championships game in the last nine years, winning the league crown four times. Add eight bowl games to the list, and the Huskies have played 130 games since 2010, seven more than their nearest competitor, Toledo, which played in 123. NIU currently owns an 11-game winning streak over both Eastern Michigan and Buffalo.

Mid-American Conference Team Records Since 2010

Team	W-L	Pct.
NIU	88-42	.677
Toledo	83-40	.675
Ohio	77-48	.616
Western Michigan	64-58	.525
Bowling Green	57-68	.456
Central Michigan	53-68	.438
Ball State	51-66	.436
Buffalo	48-69	.410
Kent State	40-76	.345
Eastern Michigan	38-79	.325
Akron	37-81	.314

RECAPPING LAST GAME

TAKE IT ON THE RUN: Quarterback Marcus Childers, who came in for the injured Ross Bowers in the second quarter of the Huskies' game at Miami, accounted for three touchdowns in the game, two rushing and one passing. Childers scored two rushing touchdowns in a game for the second time in his career, with the first versus Toledo in 2018. The Huskie junior scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter and a three-yard scamper in the third. He hit Cole Tucker with a 10-yard touchdown pass last in the fourth quarter for his third score of the contest.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Wide receiver Cole Tucker followed up his first career 100-yard receiving game (118 yards on eight receptions at Ohio) by making his first career touchdown catch when Marcus Childers connected with the DeKalb native on a 10-yard score in the fourth quarter.

DOUBLING UP ON TACKLES: A week after tallying a career-high 14 tackles at Ohio, Mykelti Williams amassed a team-best 10 stops at Miami. The Huskie senior tallied seven solo tackles and three assists against the RedHawks for his third career double-digit tackle effort. Williams recorded his first double-digit tackle game Sept. 16, 2017 at Nebraska when he tallied 10 stops. Williams leads the team with 52 tackles on the year and has amassed exactly 200 in his Huskie career.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Freshman Nick Rattin tallied a career-high eight tackles at Miami in his first career start. The Huskie walk-on recorded five solo stops and a pass break up in the contest. Rattin has 10 tackles seeing action in all seven games this season after playing primarily as on special teams in NIU's first six games.

MY COUSIN VINNY:  Linebacker Vinny Labus moved into the team lead in sacks with Antonio Jones-Davis when he dropped RedHawk quarterback Brett Gabbert for a four-yard loss in the second quarter. His sack of Gabbert was Labus', a former walk-on long snapper, second of his career and the second in as many weeks. He tallied one at Ohio the previous week.

TURNOVER A NEW LEAF:  The NIU offense recorded its second turnover-free game of the season at Miami. The Huskies also did not turn the ball over at Vanderbilt. The Huskies have thrown five interceptions and lost three fumbles for a turnover margin of -0.43, which ranks eighth in the league and 93rd in the country.

HAMMOCK HOMECOMING

YOUTH IS SERVED: Saturday's game is a match up between two of the youngest FBS coaches in the country. At 38 years old, Thomas Hammock is the eighth youngest head coach in FBS in 2019. He is a little over two months younger than Akron's Tom Arth. Fellow MAC coach Sean Lewis of Kent State is the youngest FBS head coach at 33 years of age.

HAIL ALMA MATER: In addition to being the school's first African-American head coach, Thomas Hammock is the first NIU graduate to lead his alma mater's football team as an FBS program, and the first overall since Howard Fletcher led the Huskies from 1956-68. Fletcher ranks second on NIU's all-time wins list with a .606 winning percentage after posting a 74-68-1 record in 13 seasons.

HUSKIE HEADLINERS

YOUTH IS SERVED: Through seven games this season, NIU has already played almost as many freshmen and redshirt freshman as it did last year. In 14 games last season, 29 freshmen or redshirt freshman saw action for the Huskies. Of those 24, nine appear on the Huskies' two-deep and three – Mark Aitken, Marques Cox and Nick Rattin – have started games.

TUCKERED OUT: After amassing 200 yards receiving in the last two games, 118 at Ohio and 82 at Miami, Cole Tucker has taken over as NIU's leading receiver. The Huskie sophomore has 408 yards receiving on 29 receptions and is averaging 14.1 yards a catch and 58.3 yards a game. Tucker has at least one reception in each of the Huskies seven games this season, including a career-high eight catches against the Bobcats, and has five catches of 20 yards or more for his career, with all of those recorded in 2019.

TRIPLE CROWN: For the seventh time in school history, and the first time since 2015, the Huskies had a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game as quarterback Ross Bowers threw for 338 yards, Tre Harbison rushed for 113 yards and Cole Tucker and Mitchell Brinkman tallied 118 and 100 yards receiving, respectively, in NIU's victory at Ohio. The last time NIU accomplished this feat was a Sept. 5, 2015 contest against UNLV when Drew Hare threw for 360 yards, current Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay amassed 213 yards receiving and tailback Joel Bouagnon tallied 152 yards rushing in the victory over the Rebels.

JOINING THE 300 CLUB: In the win at Ohio, quarterback Ross Bowers became the ninth Huskie and first since Marcus Childers (Nov. 30, 2018) to throw for 300 yards or more in a contest. Bowers recorded 338 yards on 23-of-39 passing with one touchdown and an interception. Bowers is ranked second in the league and 15th in the nation averaging 272.5 yards a game. The school record for passing yards in a game is 486 set by Phil Horvath Sept. 14, 2005 against Akron.

HUSKIE HARDWARE: Tailback Tre Harbison and John Richardson joined Jalen McKie as Huskies to earn MAC Player of the Week honors as the Huskie duo were named MAC West Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively, following their performances in NIU's win at Ohio. Harbison rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns against the Bobcats, while Richardson hit a career-long 51-yard field and a game-winning 37 yarder. McKie earned his second career MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors following his game-clinching interception return for a touchdown against Illinois State.

TWICE AS NICE: Cole Tucker's 118 yards on eight receptions and Mitchell Brinkman's five catches for 100 yards at Ohio marked the first time since Sept. 30, 2017 at San Diego State the Huskies had two different players with 100-yard receiving performances in the same game. Christian Blake tallied 160 yards, while Spencer Tears added 105 in the setback to the Aztecs that year.

TACKLING THE BOOKS: NIU senior offensive lineman Jordan Steckler is a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy. Considered the academic Heisman, the William V. Campbell Trophy annually recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation and is selected from across every division of college football. Steckler, a three-time Academic All-MAC honoree, is a management major with an emphasis on leadership and carries a 3.62 GPA. Current Houston Texans offensive lineman Max Scharping was a finalist for the award last year.

FOR THE DEFENSE

DOGGED DEFENSE: The NIU defense continues to be one of the top defenses in the MAC. The Huskies lead the league in opponents' third down conversions (.333 percent) and are second in pass defense, allowing 206.3 passing yards a game. NIU is third in the league in total defense, allowing 370.6 yards of total offense a game, and is sixth in scoring defense (29.0).

SACK LUNCH: The NIU defense recorded its third consecutive multi-sack game when the Huskies recorded a pair of sacks against Ohio, with Antonio Jones-Davis and Vinny Labus each collecting a sack. The Huskies tallied two sacks by Jack Heflin and Jones-Davis against Ball State the previous week. Senior Marcus Kelly and freshman Cam Mattox each recorded their first career sacks Vanderbilt.

GROUNDED: The Huskie defense held Ball State, which was averaging 344.5 passing yards a game, to 34 yards on 4-of-14 passing. The last time NIU held an opponent under 100 yards passing was Oct. 7, 2017 when the Huskies held Kent State to 29 yards through the air.

SAFETY FIRST:  The Huskie defense recorded its first safety in 100 games when Jordan Cole tackled Nebraska running back Maurice Washington in the endzone on a swing pass in the second quarter. The last Huskie safety was recorded Nov. 25, 2011 by defensive end Sean Progar who tackled the Eastern Michigan ballcarrier in the endzone.

ON THE OFFENSIVE

MILLENIAL: With his 83 yards rushing on 26 carries at Miami, tailback Tre Harbison vaulted to 20th on NIU's all-time rushing list with 1,890 yards on 388 carries. He needs 82 more yards to move into 19th on the list and surpass Marshall Taylor and is 110 yards away from becoming the Huskies' 19th 2000-yard rusher. The Huskie junior tallied 1,034 yards last year on 206 carries to become the first Huskie since Joel Bouagnon in 2015 to gain 1,000 yards rushing in a season.

ALL MY CHILDERS: Marcus Childers' 70-yard rush in the third quarter at Ohio was the longest rush by a Huskie since Anthony Maddie ran for 75 yards at Ball State on Oct. 1, 2016. The play went to the Ohio seven-yard line and NIU scored its first offensive touchdown two plays later. Childers finished the game with 75 yards rushing on two carries. Childers' 108 yards rushing this season gives him 1,112 yards for his career.

RARE AIR: Courtesy of his 144 yards passing at Miami, Marcus Childers became the 10th Huskie quarterback to eclipse the 4,000-yard passing mark for his career. The Huskie junior has 4,030 yards on 405-of-693 passing in his career and needs 47 yards to surpass Huskie Hall of Famer Bob Heimerdinger for ninth all-time at NIU.

RARE ACCOMPLISHMENT: The Huskies' 300-yard passing game from Ross Bowers, 100-yard rushing effort by Tre Harbison and 100-yard receiving performances from both Cole Tucker and Mitchell Brinkman at Ohio is just the second time in school history NIU had two 100-yard receivers in addition to a 100-yard rusher and 300-yard passer in a game. The first time the Huskies recorded this achievement was Oct. 23, 2004 when Josh Haldi threw for 333 yards, while Garrett Wolfe rushed for 185. Wide receiver Dan Sheldon and tight end Brad Cieslak amassed 213 and 111 yards receiving, respectively, in a victory over Western Michigan.

HARBISON'S HUNDRED: Tailback Tre Harbison earned his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game and seventh of his career when he ran for a game-high 113 yards on 25 carries at Ohio. He tallied a season-high 146 yards on 22 carries against Ball State (Oct. 5). Harbison's career best is 169 yard rushing at Akron (Nov. 1) last year. The Huskie junior ranks seventh in the league in rushing, averaging 80.9 yards a game.

BACK-TO-BACK FOR THE TAILBACK:  Tailback Tre Harbison recorded his second consecutive multi-touchdown game of the season when he ran for three scores at Ohio. He is the first Huskie since Jordan Huff (Eastern Michigan; Nov. 16, 2016) to rush for three touchdowns in a game and the first to tally back-to-back multi-touchdown games since Joel Bouagnon against Central Michigan, Ball State and Miami in 2015. The Huskie junior has three career multi-touchdown games with the other two coming against Ball State (2018 & 2019).

GOING LONG: Quarterback Ross Bowers ranks 18th among all FBS quarterbacks in plays of 10 yards or more with 73 on the season. Of those 73, 25 are of 20 yards or more and 11 are of 30 yards or more. Bowers' longest pass of the season is a 74-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Tears at Utah (Sept. 7). It is also the longest play from scrimmage for the Huskies this season. Washington State's Anthony Gordon leads the country with 118 plays of 10 yards or more.

RECEIVERS OF THE CENTURY:  Cole Tucker (118) and Mitchell Brinkman (100) became the third and fourth Huskies to record 100-yard receiving games this season following their performances at Ohio. Spencer Tears eclipsed the century mark twice this season when he tallied 100 yards on three catches at Vanderbilt and a career-high 112 yards receiving at Utah. Tyrice Richie topped the century mark with 102 receiving yards against Illinois State. Tears is the first Huskie since Kenny Golladay to have multiple 100-yard receiving games in a season. Golladay tallied four 1,000-yard games in 2016.

TAKE A PASS: The NIU offense has more than doubled last year's passing yards after the first seven games. The Huskies have thrown for 1,907 yards on 152-of-263 passing this year. Through the first seven games last year, NIU threw for 949 yards on 120-of-217 passing. NIU quarterback Ross Bowers, who ranks 35th in the nation with 246.6 passing yards per game has amassed 1,726 yards passing this season, which ranks 30th in the country.

DO YOU HAVE THE TIME: NIU ranks second in the league and 23rd in the nation in time of possession with a 32:07 TOP per game average. The Huskie offense has held the time of possession advantage in five of seven games this season. NIU possessed the ball for a season-high 37:58 at Nebraska, the longest time of possession for NIU since the 2014 MAC Championship Game when NIU held the ball for 37:59 in a 51-17 victory over Bowling Green.

DYNAMIC DUO: Daniel Crawford and Mitchell Brinkman are the only two tight ends in the country from the same to school to be ranked among the nation's top receivers. Crawford's 346 receiving yards ranks 14th among tight ends in the country, while Brinkman ranks 15th in the nation with 324 yards. Crawford is 12th among the country's tight ends in catches with 27.

TIGHT WORK: NIU's tight ends have accounted for 36.9 percent of the Huskies' receiving yards this season with 704 yards on 53 receptions. Daniel Crawford leads the way with 346 yards on 27 receptions, while Mitchell Brinkman has 24 catches for 324 yards and a touchdown after recording a career-high 100 yards receiving at Ohio. Max Thower and Corey Lersch have one catch each for eight and 26 yards, respectively.

WELCOME BACK: Tight end Daniel Crawford, who missed the entire 2018 season recovering from a knee injury suffered in the spring, ranks second on the team in receiving with 27 catches for 349 yards on the season with at least three catches in every game this year. He had five grabs versus Nebraska, Ball State and Ohio, and a career-high 85 yards against the Bobcats. Crawford entered the season with seven career receptions for 65 yards.

TIGHT RECORD: With 346 receiving yards on 27 receptions, Daniel Crawford is 130 yards away from the school record for receiving yards by a tight end (475 by Reggie Sims in 1984) and 13 catches away from surpassing Sims' mark for receptions by a tight end in a season. Sims amassed 39 receptions in 1984.

EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: NIU tight end Mitchell Brinkman caught five passes for 100 yards in NIU's 39-36 win over Ohio to become just the sixth tight end in school history to have a 100-yard receiving game. He set new career highs for both catches (5) and yards (100) in the game. Brinkman's career-long 48-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter set up the Huskies' final touchdown of the game as it put NIU on the Ohio three-yard line. One play later, NIU scored to go ahead 36-29. On the season, Brinkman has 24 catches for 324 yards for a 13.5 yards per catch average.

SPECIAL FORCES

JUST FOR KICKS: Redshirt freshman John Richardson, who has made at least one field goal in all seven games this season, improved to 10-for-14 on field goal attempts this season after connecting on one of two attempts at Miami. Andrew Gantz made 13-of-18 field goals for NIU last year and the school record for made field goals in a season is 21 by Steve Azar in 2003. Of his 14 attempts, 10 have come from 36 yards and beyond. Richardson hit a career-best 51-yard field goal in the first quarter against Ohio (Oct. 12) before making a 37-yarder as time expired for the win. He is two-for-four on field goals of 45 yards or longer with misses coming from 49 and 50 yards.

KICKING THE STREAK ALIVE: John Richardson extended NIU's streak of consecutive PATs to 136 when he connected on three point-after-touchdowns at Miami. The streak began Sept. 6, 2016 when Christian Hagan hit his last three extra points in the season opener at Wyoming. NIU's streak is currently the fourth-longest streak in the nation, behind third-place Utah State, with 159 and current NCAA leader Georgia (274). Ohio State sits at No. 2 with 209.

FIELD GOALING: Kicker John Richardson connected on a career-long 51-yard field goal in the first quarter at Ohio (Oct. 12) and hit his first career game-winner at NIU when he hit a 37 yarder as time expired to give NIU a 39-36 victory at Ohio. Richardson's previous career long was 46 yards set at Utah (Sept. 7) earlier this season.

KICKING THE WIN: John Richardson's game-winning 37-yard field at Ohio is the first game-winner for the Huskies since Aug. 31, 2013 at Iowa. Mathew Sims made a 36-yard field goal with four seconds left on the clock as NIU earned a 30-27 victory over the Hawkeyes in the season opener. Sims made three game-winning field goals during his career, including a 33-yarder as time elapsed in the 2011 MAC Championship Game against Ohio.

FOUR THE BLOCK: The Huskies, who have four blocked kicks on the season, are tied for the national lead in blocked kicks. NIU set a new record for blocked placekicks in a game with three at Nebraska on Sept. 14. In that game, Antonio Jones-Davis and Jalen McKie each blocked a field goal and McKie added a blocked extra point attempt. The last time the Huskies blocked three kicks in a game was Dec. 19, 2006 when NIU blocked two TCU punts and an extra point in the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl.

TWICE AS NICE:  Huskie cornerback Jalen McKie recorded a pair of blocks in NIU's setback at Nebraska, blocking an extra point attempt and field goal. It was the first blocked PAT by a Huskie since Ben LeRoy's block at Akron (Nov. 1) last season. NIU's last blocked field goal was by Jack Heflin against Utah (Sept. 8) last year. McKie is the first Huskie to block two kicks in the same season since Ben Compton, who blocked a PAT at Buffalo (Nov. 11) and a field goal against Ohio (Nov. 24) in 2015.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

BLOCK PARTY:  NIU blocked its first punt of the season and eighth in the last three years when Corey Lersch blocked Michael Farkas' first punt of the game at Ohio (Oct. 12). Adam Buirge ran it in for the Huskies' first touchdown of the game. NIU blocked a punt for a touchdown last year when Sutton Smith blocked a Toledo punt and ran it 27 yards for a touchdown last season.

TEARS FOR 1,000: Spencer Tears has climbed to 24th on NIU's all-time list for receiving yards with 1,212 yards on 101 receptions in 44 games played in his Huskie career, and is the Huskies' first 1,000-yard receiver since Kenny Golladay. Tears is 70 yards away from passing Willie Hatter (1970-72) for 23rd on the list.

DEGREES IN HAND: Nine players on the 2019 NIU roster are college graduates. Five have earned their degrees from NIU, while three came to DeKalb as graduate transfers.

Ross Bowers (QB) - American Studies, Cal
Adam Buirge (S) Leadership and Management, NIU
Daniel Crawford (TE) - Enterprise Software, NIU
Trayshon Foster (S) - Organizational & Corporate Communications, NIU
Marcus Jones (TB) - General Studies, NIU
Antonio Jones-Davis (LB) - Communications, NIU
Andrew Starr (OL) - English, Sacred Heart
Marshé Terry (S) - Communications, Connecticut
Quintin Wynne (DE) - Biological Sciences, NIU

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