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HUSKIE BITES

• After completing its seven-game road schedule with a 31-28 win at Toledo, the Huskies play their final two games of the regular season at home, beginning with Tuesday night's contest versus Eastern Michigan.
• The last three games between these teams have all gone to overtime, tying the NCAA record for most consecutive overtime games between two teams. 
• NIU has defeated EMU 11 consecutive times dating back to 2007, including the three overtime victories: 31-24 in Ypsilanti on Nov. 16, 2016 in one overtime; 30-27 in DeKalb on Oct. 26, 2017 in one overtime; and 26-23 in Ypsilanti on Sept. 29, 2018 in three overtimes.
• After rushing for a season high 168 yards on 32 carries, tailback Tre Harbison has gained 909 yards on 200 carries this season. He needs 91 yards to become the first Huskie running back to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Chad Spann (2009-10).
• For the second consecutive game, three Huskies posted double-digit tackles as Dillon Thomas (12), Vinny Labus (11) and Mykelti Williams (10) each cracked the mark at Toledo. Williams continues to lead all NIU players with 77 stops on the year.
• 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.
• The Huskies started three new players in the interior of the Huskies' offensive line last week as Brayden Patton moved from his right guard spot to start at center, true freshman Logan Zschernitz made his first career start at right guard, and senior Nathan Veloz got the start at left guard.
• Freshman kicker John Richardson made his second game-winning kick of the season when he hit from 25 yards out with 41 seconds on the clock at Toledo. Richardson also had the game-winner at Ohio on the final play of the game.
• It's the home stretch of their careers for 16 Huskie seniors, including 10 defensive players and six on offense.  

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NIU FOOTBALL FACTS

Head Coach: Thomas Hammock (NIU '02)
Record at NIU/Years: 4-6/First
Career Record/Years: 4-6/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: 591-499-51
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) 

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EMU FOOTBALL FACTS

Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Chris Creighton (Kenyon, 1991) 
Record at EMU/Years: 23-40/Fifth
Career Record/Years: 161-86/22nd
2018 Record: 5-7
MAC Record/Finish: 4-4/4th 
Location: Ypsilanti,Mich.
Enrollment: 21,105
Conference: Mid-American
Colors: Green and White
Stadium: Rynearson Stadium    
    Surface/Capacity: Field Turf /30,200
President: James M. Smith
Athletic Director: Scott Wetherbee
Athletics Website: emueagles.com
Twitter: @EMUFB
Ticket Information: 734-487-3669

EMU Schedule & Results
EMU Game Notes

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NIU-EMU SERIES

Overall: NIU leads 33-14-2
In Ypsilanti: NIU leads 16-7-1
In DeKalb: NIU leads 17-7-1
In MAC Games: NIU Leads 23-4-2
Streak: NIU, 11

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-EASTERN MICHIGAN ON ESPN2

• The Huskies' match-up versus Eastern Michigan will air on ESPN2.
• NIU will appear on an over-the-air network for the sixth time this season and plays on ESPN2 for the second consecutive week.  
• The Huskies make their 35th all-time appearance on ESPN2, the most of any ESPN Network, and are 24-10 in those games all-time.
• Matt Barrie will handle the play-by-play call with Cole Cubelic alongside as color analyst.

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Network broadcast for the Eastern Michigan game begins at 6 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.

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NEWS & NOTES

THIS WEEK'S GAME

SERIES HISTORY: NIU holds a 33-14-2 advantage in the all-time series with EMU and has won 17 of the last 18 meetings, including the last 11 games. The only Huskie loss to Eastern Michigan in the last 18 games was 2007, when EMU posted a 21-19 victory in DeKalb. Since 2006, NIU has outscored Eastern Michigan, 348-122, while the Huskie defense has pitched two shutouts (2006 and 2008). 

WHEN LAST WE MET: Tre Harbison rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries, scoring the game-winner in overtime on his final carry as the Huskies earned a 26-23 victory in triple overtime at Eastern Michigan. The Eagles opened up a 10-0 advantage in the first 10 minutes of the game. NIU took the lead after scoring the next 13 points. After a scoreless third quarter, EMU kicker Chad Rylan hit a 28-yard field with three seconds left in the game to send the contest into overtime. Both teams scored a touchdown in the first OT, while shutting each other out in the second. The Eagles hit a 42-yard field goal on their possession in the third overtime.

FAMILY REUNION: NIU offensive linemen Brayden Patton will be facing off against his father, James, when the Huskies and Eagles meet for the 48th time. Brayden has started all 10 games for NIU this season, moving to center last week at Toledo. James, the Eagles' offensive line coach, is a veteran coach with more than 26 years coaching experience.

WORKING OVERTIME: NIU and Eastern Michigan have played three consecutive overtime games, with the Huskies winning all three. The 2018 game tied the NCAA mark for consecutive overtime contests between Football Bowl Subdivision foes. Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan played three straight overtime games from 2004 to 2006. NIU is 8-4 all-time in overtime games.

Year: Final Score  (OTs) -  How Game Was Won
2016: NIU 31, EMU 24 (1OT)  -  Jordan Huff TD; EMU fails to score
2017: NIU 30, EMU 27 (1OT)  -  EMU field goal; Marcus Jones TD
2018: NIU 26, EMU 23  (3OT)  -  EMU field goal; Tre Harbison TD

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The Huskies and Eagles have combined for some pretty impressive numbers during the last three overtime games. NIU ran 97 plays last season, while the Eagle offense tallied 94 plays in 2016. The two teams combined for 960 yards of total offense in the 2016 meeting with the Huskies accounting for 485 yards.
 

Category	Combined Totals
Total Plays	496
Total Offense	2,353
Rushing Yards	1,122
Passing Yards	1,231

STREAKING HUSKIES: NIU's current 11-game winning streak over Eastern Michigan is NIU's second longest winning streak over a conference opponent. The Huskies have won 12 consecutive games over MAC foe Buffalo and own a 10-game winning streak over Kent State.  NIU's streak over Eastern Michigan ranks 15th nationally, while Ohio State's 25-game winning streak over Indiana leads the country.

MIDWEEK MACTION: NIU is 22-5 in league games played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays since 2010, including a 12-3 mark in MACtion home games. The Huskies have faced Eastern Michigan in midweek contests twice (2016 & 2017), winning both games. Western Michigan is NIU's second-most faced opponent in MACtion contests, behind Toledo, at four meetings in the last nine years. The Huskies are 3-1 versus the Broncos in those contests.

MACTION THREE-PEAT: Tuesday night's meeting with Eastern Michigan is the second of three consecutive MACtion games for the Huskies this season. NIU defeated Toledo, 31-28, on Wednesday, Nov. 13 and will play host to Western Michigan (Tuesday, Nov. 26) in the regular season finale. NIU has played at least three MACtion games each year since 2013, including four in 2015 and 2017.

COACHING CONNECTION: Eastern Michigan tight ends coach Rob Reeves spent three years (2008-10) as the running backs coach at NIU. 

CONFERENCE CALL

NIU VS. MAC WEST: Since the MAC went to divisional play in 1997, NIU is 73-43 versus teams from the MAC West, including a 37-11 mark in the division since 2010. The Huskies, who were 4-1 against divisional foes last season, suffered a 27-20 setback to Ball State (Oct. 5) in this season's MAC opener and fell at Central Michigan on Nov. 2 before getting the win over Toledo. 

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: After a 31-28 victory at Toledo, NIU improved to 155-104-2 all-time in MAC play and 119-59 (.668) in league action since 1997. Since 2010, NIU is 64-14 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.

LEADER OF THE MAC: With 90 wins since 2010 and a 677 winning percentage, NIU is the winningest football program in the MAC this decade. The Huskies have made seven trips to the conference championship game in the last nine years, winning the league crown four times. Add eight bowl games to the list, and the Huskies have played 131 games since 2010, seven more than their nearest competitor, Toledo, which has played 124.

MAC Schools Since 2010
 

Team	W-L
NIU	90-43
Toledo	85-41
Ohio	78-50
Western Michigan	67-58
Bowling Green	58-70
Central Michigan	55-69
Ball State	51-69
Buffalo	50-70
Miami	46-75
Kent State	41-78
Eastern Michigan	39-81
Akron	37-84

RECAPPING LAST GAME

THE MARCUS TOUCH: Quarterback Marcus Childers was on the field at some point on all five of NIU's scoring drives in the Huskies' victory over Toledo. He completed a 13-yard pass to Tyrice Richie on the third play of NIU's initial scoring drive that ended with a Daniel Crawford TD reception. Childers scored NIU's second score on a 40-yard run in the second quarter. He spelled Ross Bowers during the Huskies' first scoring drive in the third quarter, and handed the ball off to Harbison to cap the drive. Childers' one-yard rush late in the third gave NIU a 28-7 lead over Toledo. His 11-yard run on the 10th play of NIU's final drive helped set up John Richardson's game-winning field goal and he went on to finish that possession at QB.

NOSE FOR THE ENDZONE: Marcus Childers scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season and 15th of his career when he reached the endzone twice at Toledo. Childers gave NIU the lead on a 40-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, while his one-yard score in the third extended NIU's lead to 28-7. Childers has four rushing TDs on the season, scoring a pair at Miami (Oct. 19). The native of Adairsville, Ga. rushed for a career-best six touchdowns last year.

HARBISON'S HUNDRED: Tailback Tre Harbison earned his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and ninth of his career when he ran for 168 yards on 32 carries, both season-highs, at Toledo. Sixty-two of Harbison's 168 yards came in the fourth quarter. He amassed a game-high 158 yards against Akron (Oct. 26) and tallied 113 yards on 25 carries at Ohio (Oct. 12). His first 100-yard effort of season came against Ball State (Oct. 5) when he rushed for 146 yards on 22 carries. Harbison's career best is 169 yards rushing at Akron (Nov. 1) last year. The Huskie junior ranks sixth in the league in rushing, averaging 90.8 yards a game with 909 total yards on the season.

KICKING THE WIN: Kicker John Richardson drilled his second game-winning field goal of the season when he connected on a 25-yard attempt at Toledo to give NIU a 31-28 lead with 41 seconds to play. Richardson's first career game-winning kick came at Ohio (Oct. 12) when he hit a 37-yarder as time expired. Mathew 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.

TIGHT ENDZONE: NIU tight end Daniel Crawford scored his first career touchdown on his 32nd career reception when Ross Bowers hit him on a 36-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter in NIU's victory at Toledo. It was the fourth receiving TD by a Huskie tight end this season with Mitchell Brinkman (2) and Corey Lersch (1) recording the other two.

THREE OF A KIND: For the second consecutive game, three Huskie defenders tallied double-digit tackle efforts as Dillon Thomas, Vinny Labus and Mykelti Williams recorded 12, 11 and 10 stops, respectively, at Toledo. The 12 and 11 tackles for Thomas and Labus were career bests, while Williams' 10 stops was the fourth double-digit tally for the Huskie senior this year. Williams, Labus and Nick Rattin each tallied double-digit tackle efforts as the trio amassed 12, 10 and 10 stops, respectively, at Central Michigan (Nov. 2).

SACKED OUT: The NIU offensive line, which featured a first-time starter at right guard, freshman Logan Zschernitz, and Brayden Patton moving from right guard to center, as well as the second start of 2019 by senior Nathan Veloz at left guard, did not allow a sack for the first time this season. The last time a Huskie offensive line did not allow a sack was Sept. 29, 2018 at Eastern Michigan.

HAMMOCK HOMECOMING

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. 

AS A PLAYER:  A four-year letterwinner at NIU, Thomas Hammock was a tailback for the Huskies from 1999-2002. Hammock gained 2,423 yards rushing in 32 games in his NIU career, which still ranks 13th all-time in Huskie history. He earned first team All-MAC honors in 2000 and 2001 after back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. He was sidelined after the first game of his senior season with a heart condition.

HUSKIE CONNECTIONS: NIU starting linebacker Nick Rattin, a Fremd High School product, is at NIU thanks to a connection from head coach Thomas Hammock's Huskie playing days. Fremd High School football coach Lou Sponsel lettered at NIU from 1997-98 and was the fullback for Hammock during their playing days. Sponsel recommended Rattin, who walked on to the NIU program in June, to Hammock when the latter was named NIU head coach.

YOUTH IS SERVED:  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, while Kent State's Sean Lewis is the youngest at 33 years of age.

FOR THE DEFENSE

DOGGED DEFENSE: The NIU defense continues to be one of the top units in the MAC. The Huskies are fourth in the league in total defense, allowing 386.2 yards per game and rank second in opponents' third down conversions (.338 percent) and in fourth down conversions (.400). 

NEXT MAN UP: NIU has always had a "Next Man Up" mentality and 2019 is no exception as the Huskies lost their three starters at NIU's deepest position, linebacker, by game six of the season. Lance Deveaux, who tallied 67 stops in 2018 was lost to injury before the season, while Kyle Pugh, who has 150 career tackles to his credit, was lost during the Utah (Sept. 7) game in week two. Antonio Jones Davis, who has 234 career tackles in 41 games, suffered a season-ending injury at Ohio. NIU has two former walk-ons, Nick Rattin and Vinny Labus, and graduate transfer Marshé Terry starting in their stead.

DOUBLING UP: Mykelti Williams, who entered the season with one double-digit tackle game in his career (10 at Nebraska on Sept. 16, 2017), posted his fourth of the year when he amassed 10 stops at Toledo. He recorded a career-best 14 tackles in the victory at Ohio (Oct. 12), had 10 stops at Miami (Oct. 19) and 12 at Central Michigan (Nov. 2). Williams leads the team with 77 tackles on the year and has 225 in his Huskie career.

SACK LUNCH: The NIU defense recorded its fifth multi-sack game this season when Jack Heflin and Quintin Wynne each tallied a sack at Toledo. Michael Kennedy and Matt Lorbeck each recorded a sack against Akron for their first sacks of the season and the Huskies recorded a pair of sacks at Ohio (Oct. 12), with Antonio Jones-Davis and Vinny Labus, each collecting one. NIU tallied two more, one each by Heflin and Jones-Davis, against Ball State (Oct. 5). Senior Marcus Kelly and freshman Cam Mattox each recorded their first career sacks Vanderbilt. Eight different players have accounted for NIU's 10 sacks on the year.

PLAYING LIKE A HUSKIE: A week after freshman linebacker Nick Rattin recorded his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown, also a career first, he amassed a career-high in tackles with 10 at Central Michigan. The Huskie walk-on linebacker has 31 tackles while playing in all 10 games this season, including playing primarily on special teams in NIU's first six games. 

A LOW (FIRST) DOWN SHAME: The NIU defense held Akron to seven first downs in the Huskies' victory over the Zips. It was the lowest first down total by an NIU opponent since allowing a school-record tying six to Presbyterian on Aug. 28, 2014 in the season opener.

THREE OF A KIND: NIU linebacker Marshé Terry and defensive tackle Jack Heflin lead the MAC in fumble recoveries and forced fumbles, respectively. Terry has recovered three fumbles on the season, most recently at Toledo, while Heflin has forced three fumbles this year including a fumble in the Toledo game.

ON THE OFFENSIVE

MILLENIAL: With his 168 yards rushing at Toledo, Tre Harbison has moved up to 14th on NIU's all-time rushing list with 2,233 yards during his NIU career. He needs 200 yards to surpass NIU head coach Thomas Hammock for 13th on the list. Harbison 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. He is 91 yards from becoming the first Huskie running back to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Chad Spann (2009 & 2010).

NOSE FOR THE ENDZONE:  Tailback Tre Harbison recorded his third multi-touchdown game of the season and fourth of his career when he ran for touchdown scores of five and 30 yards in NIU's victory over Akron. Harbison became the first Huskie since Jordan Huff to rush for three touchdowns in a game when he ran for three scores at Ohio (Oct. 12). The Huskie junior became the first NIU tailback since Joel Bouagnon in 2015 to tally back-to-back multi-touchdown games when he rushed for a pair of scores against Ball State (Oct. 5) the week prior. Harbison leads the Huskies with eight rushing scores on the season.

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 33 catches for 410 yards. 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.

RACE TO THE RECORD: With 410 receiving yards on 33 receptions, Daniel Crawford is 66 yards away from breaking the school record for receiving yards by a tight end (475 by Reggie Sims in 1984) and needs seven catches to surpass Sims' mark for receptions by a tight end in a season. Sims amassed 39 receptions in 1984. Fellow tight end Mitchell Brinkman is 72 yards from Sims' receiving yards record and nine catches from the reception record.

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 contest. 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 26 catches for 360 yards for a 13.8 yards per catch average.

MARCUS' MILESTONE: With a one-yard run in the first quarter at Central Michigan, tailback Marcus Jones became the 42nd Huskie to rush for 1,000 career yards. The carry gave the Huskie senior exactly 1,000 yards rushing for his career. Jones, who added a two-yard run in the third quarter, joins teammates Tre Harbison (2,065) and Marcus Childers (1,167) as active players with 1,000 career yards rushing at NIU.

RARE AIR: With 71 yards on 7-of-9 passing against Akron, Marcus Childers surpassed Huskie Hall of Famer Bob Heimerdinger for ninth all-time at NIU in passing yards. The Huskie junior has 4,138 yards on 416-of-707 passing and has moved up several other career lists at NIU.
 

Plays	1,079	5th
Pass Completions	416	6th
Total Offense Yards	5,362	8th
Touchdowns Responsible For	50	8th
Touchdown Passes	35	T9th

DO YOU HAVE THE TIME: NIU ranks second in the league and 23rd in the nation in time of possession with a 32:18 TOP per game average. The Huskie offense has held the time of possession advantage in seven of 10 games this season. NIU possessed the ball for a season-high 39:25 against Akron, the longest time of possession for NIU since Oct. 25, 2008 when NIU held the ball for 38:37 in a 16-13 victory over Temple.

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.

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 with 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 in his Huskie debut versus 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.

HUSKIE HEADLINERS

WALK THIS WAY: Of the 86 Huskies to have seen action in 2019, 14 are walk-ons or former walk-ons. Five of those 14 – Jack Heflin, Vinny Labus, Josh Earl, Jalen McKie and Nick Rattin – have made starts for the Huskies on defense this year. Special teamers Erik Abrell (LS) and Matt Ference (P) are also former walk-on starters for NIU. Heflin has started 28 of 37 games during his Huskie career, while Rattin, who walked-on to the team this year, has started the last four games at linebacker.

HUSKIE HARDWARE: Punter Matt Ference became the fourth Huskie to earn a MAC West Player of the Week honor when he collected the Special Teams Player of the Week award for the West Division following his performance at Central Michigan. He is also the second Huskie to earn special teams player of the week accolades. Kicker John Richardson earned the honor after kicking the game winning field goal at Ohio.

2019 NIU MAC West Players of the Week
August 31 vs. Illinois State - Jalen McKie (CB),  Defense
October 12 vs. Ohio - Tre Harbison (TB), Offense
October 12 vs. Ohio - John Richardson (K), Special Teams
November 2 vs. CMU - Matt Ference (P), Special Teams

TUCKERED OUT: Wide receiver Cole Tucker upped his team-leading totals to 520 yards receiving and 37 receptions after recording 37 yards receiving on five receptions at Toledo. The Huskie sophomore leads NIU, averaging 52 yards a game and has had a reception in nine of NIU's 10 contests this season, including a career-high eight catches at Ohio. Tucker, a DeKalb native, has six catches of 20 yards or more for his career, with all of those recorded in 2019.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: NIU has already played as many freshmen and redshirt freshmen, 29, as it did in 2018. Of those 29, nine appear on the Huskies two deep. Five freshmen have started at least one game for the Huskies this season, with Logan Zschernitz joining Joshua Earl, Mark Aitken, Marques Cox and Nick Rattin on that list when he started the Toledo game at right guard. Of that group, Zschernitz, Aitken and Rattin are true freshmen. Cox has started eight games for the Huskies at left tackle in 2019, while Rattin has started the last four contests at linebacker.

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.

TACKLING THE BOOKS: NIU senior offensive lineman Jordan Steckler was named a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy for 2019. 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.

SPECIAL FORCES

JUST FOR KICKS: Redshirt freshman John Richardson, who has made at least one field goal in nine of NIU's 10 games this season, improved to 12-for-16 on field goal attempts after connecting on a 25-yarder at Toledo (Nov. 13). 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 Richardson's 16 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. 

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Punter Matt Ference ranks fifth at NIU all-time in career punts (223) and is seven punts shy of moving past Jim Hannula (1977-80) for third place. Kent Baker (1996-99) holds the school record with 257 career punts. The Huskie junior is fourth in punting yards (9,170), 41 yards away from passing Tom Wittum (1969-71) and second in career punting average (41.1) behind Tyler Wedel (2011-14). 

KICKING THE STREAK ALIVE: John Richardson extended NIU's streak of consecutive PATs to 147 when he hit four point-after-touchdowns at Toledo. 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 162 and current NCAA leader Georgia (278). Ohio State sits at No. 2 with 223.

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.

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. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

TEARS FOR 1,000: Spencer Tears has climbed to 24th on NIU's all-time list for receiving yards with 1,294 yards on 104 receptions in 46 games played in his Huskie career, and is the Huskies' first 1,000-yard receiver since Kenny Golladay. Tears is eight 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