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HUSKIE BITES

• The Northern Illinois University Huskies wrap up the 2019 season with a Senior Night battle versus Western Michigan on ESPNU.
• The Huskies will honor 18 seniors, including 11 defensive players and six on offense, in ceremonies prior to the game.  
• Thomas Hammock is wrapping up his first season as head coach at his alma mater. Prior to coming to NIU, Hammock spent five years coaching running backs for the Baltimore Ravens. The only two-time first-team Academic All-American in NIU football history, he recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons as a player in 2000-2001. He coached at Wisconsin and Minnesota prior to going to the NFL. 
• Junior tailback Tre Harbison has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season, becoming the first Huskie running back to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Chad Spann (2009-10), and the first NIU player to reach that standard since Jordan Lynch (2012-13). 
• After posting his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and 10th of his career with 112 yards versus Eastern Michigan, Harbison upped his career total to 2,345 rushing yards. He needs 88 yards to surpass Thomas Hammock for 13th on the Huskies' all-time rushing list.  
• Turnovers have told much of the tale for the Huskies this season. NIU has committed 17 turnovers on the year while forcing 11. The Huskies are 3-0 when winning the turnover battle, 0-2 when that total is tied and 1-5 when they have more turnovers than their opponent.   
• Newcomers and freshmen (either redshirt or true) have made 39 starts in 2019, including filling 22 starting spots on offense. Of that group, left tackle Marques Cox has made the most starts with nine, followed by grad transfer quarterback Ross Bowers with eight and junior college wide receiver Tyrice Richie with six. Defensively, grad transfer Marshé Terry has made six starts at either safety or linebacker, while true freshman Nick Rattin, a walk-on, has started five games.   
• With a 34-yard field goal at Eastern Michigan, freshman kicker John Richardson has made 13-of-17 attempts on the year with at least one made field goal in all 10 games he has attempted a three-pointer. Included in that number are two game-winners - at Ohio and versus Toledo. 

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NIU FOOTBALL FACTS

Head Coach: Thomas Hammock (NIU '02)
Record at NIU/Years: 4-7/First
Career Record/Years: 4-7/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: 591-500-51
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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WMU FOOTBALL FACTS

Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Tim Lester (Western Michigan/2000)
Record at WMU/Years: 20-16/Third
Career Record/Years: 60-39/Eighth
2018 Record: 7-6
Mid-American Conference Record/Finish: 5-3/T-2nd
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Enrollment: 23,562
Conference: Mid-American, West Division (MAC)
Colors: Brown & Gold 
Stadium: Waldo Stadium    
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /30,200
President: Dr. Edward B. Montgomery
Athletic Director: Kathy Beauregard
Athletics Website: wmubroncos.com
Twitter: @WMU_Football
Ticket Information: 1-888-4-WMU-TIX

WMU Schedule & Results
WMU Game Notes

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NIU-WMU SERIES

Overall: WMU leads 25-19
In Kalamazoo: WMU leads 14-8
In DeKalb: Tied 11-11
Streak: WMU, 1
First Meeting: Sept. 23, 1950; WMU 40, NIU 13 (A)
Last Meeting: Nov. 20, 2018; WMU 28, NIU 21 (A)

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-WESTERN MICHIGAN ON ESPNU

• The Huskies' match-up versus Western Michigan will air on ESPNU.
• NIU will appear on an over-the-air network for the seventh time this season, on ESPN2 or ESPNU for the third straight week, and plays on ESPNU for the first time.  
• The Huskies make their 21st all-time appearance on ESPNU and have an 11-9 record in games broadcast on that network all-time.
• Dave Lamont will handle the play-by-play call with Dustin Fox alongside as color analyst.

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Network broadcast for the Eastern Michigan game begins at 5:30 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 closing out his 40th season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo has been alongside for 34 years, while Andy Garcia is in his seventh season on the NIU sidelines. 

INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW

• The final Inside Huskie Football Radio Show of 2019 will be held Monday, November 25th 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: Western Michigan holds a 25-19 advantage in the all-time series with NIU, and the series is tied, 11-11, in games played at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies have won eight of the last nine meetings in DeKalb, including the last five. The last victory by the Broncos in Huskie Stadium was Oct. 13, 2007 when Western Michigan posted a 17-13 win over NIU.

THE LAST TIME WE MET: Western Michigan's Jamari Bogan ran for 62 yards and two touchdowns, scoring the game-winning TD with 1:36 left in the game to give the Broncos a 28-21 win over NIU at Waldo Stadium on Nov. 20, 2018. Trailing 13-7 at half, NIU took a 14-13 lead when Marcus Childers scored on a one-yard run late in the third quarter. The Broncos grabbed a 21-14 lead with 1:28 left in the third and were poised to extend it later in the quarter before Sutton Smith returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 21-21.

MIDWEEK MACTION: NIU is 22-6 in league games played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays since 2010, including a 12-4 mark in MACtion home games. Western Michigan is NIU's second-most faced opponent in MACtion contests, behind Toledo, with four meetings. The Huskies are 3-1 versus the Broncos in the previous four games.

MACTION THREE-PEAT: Tuesday night's regular season finale with Western Michigan is the last of three consecutive MACtion games for the Huskies this season. NIU defeated Toledo, 31-28, on Wednesday, Nov. 13 and suffered a 45-17 defeat to Eastern Michigan last Tuesday. NIU has played at least three MACtion games each year since 2013, including four in 2015 and 2017.

CONFERENCE CALL

NIU VS. MAC WEST: Since the MAC went to divisional play in 1997, NIU is 73-44 versus teams from the MAC West, including a 37-12 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.  NIU earned a 31-28 win at Toledo (Nov. 13), while Eastern Michigan defeated the Huskies last week.

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: Following a 45-17 setback to Eastern Michigan, NIU fell to 155-105-2 all-time in MAC play and 119-60 (.665) in league action since 1997. Since 2010, NIU is 64-15 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 .672 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	90-44
Toledo	85-42
Ohio	79-50
Western Michigan	67-58
Bowling Green	58-71
Central Michigan	55-69
Ball State	51-69
Buffalo	51-70
Miami	47-75
Kent State	41-78
Eastern Michigan	40-81
Akron	37-85

RECAPPING LAST GAME

TIGHT ENDZONE: A week after scoring his first career touchdown, NIU tight end Daniel Crawford scored on a nine-yard pass from Marcus Childers in the fourth quarter against Eastern Michigan last week. His first career touchdown came on his 39th career reception when Ross Bowers hit him on a 36-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter in NIU's victory at Toledo (Nov. 13). It was the fifth receiving TD by a Huskie tight end this season with Mitchell Brinkman (2) and Corey Lersch (1) recording the other three.

NOSE FOR THE ENDZONE: Marcus Childers scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season and 16th of his career when he reached the endzone on an eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Eastern Michigan. Childers has five rushing TDs on the season, scoring a pair at Miami (Oct. 19) and at Toledo (Nov. 13). The native of Adairsville, Ga. rushed for a career-best six touchdowns last year.

MILLENIAL: Tre Harbison became the first Huskie in six years to record back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons when he tallied 112 yards against Eastern Michigan to give the Huskie junior 1,021 yards on the season. He is the first Huskie running back to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Chad Spann (2009 & 2010). The native of Shelby, N.C. ranks 14th on NIU's all-time list with 2,345 career rushing yards and needs 88 yards to surpass NIU head coach Thomas Hammock for 13th on the list. 

HAMMOCK HOMECOMING

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.

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. 

HAMMOCK'S HUSKIE PLAYING CAREER:  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.

FOR THE DEFENSE

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 had two former walk-ons, Nick Rattin and Vinny Labus, and graduate transfer Marshé Terry starting in their stead, along with sophomore Jordan Cole.

DOUBLING UP ON TACKLES: 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 82 tackles on the year and has 230 in his Huskie career.

DOUBLE-DIGIT TRIO: Three Huskie defenders tallied double-digit tackle efforts for the second consecutive game at Toledo, as Dillon Thomas, Vinny Labus and Mykelti Williams recorded 12, 11 and 10 stops, respectively. 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).

SACKS IN TWOS: 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: Freshman walk-on linebacker Nick Rattin, who was thrust into the starting role in game seven following an injury to Antonio Jones-Davis, has tallied 32 tackles on the season, including a career-high 10 at Central Michigan. He recorded his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown, also a career first, against Akron (Oct. 26). Rattin began his Huskie career playing primarily on special teams in NIU's first six games of the season.

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

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 35 catches for 432 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 432 receiving yards on 35 receptions, Daniel Crawford is 44 yards away from breaking the school record for receiving yards by a tight end (475 by Reggie Sims in 1984) and needs five 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 38 yards from Sims' receiving yards record and seven 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.

HARBISON'S HUNDRED: Tailback Tre Harbison earned his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and 10th of his career when he ran for 112 yards on 30 carries against Eastern Michigan. Harbison amassed a season-high 168 yards at Toledo and 158 against Akron (Oct. 26). He tallied 113 yards on 25 carries at Ohio (Oct. 12), while 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 92.8 yards a game with 1,021 total yards on the season.

SACKED OUT: At Toledo, the NIU offensive line, which featured a first-time starter at right guard, freshman Logan Zschernitz, and a new center after Brayden Patton moved from right guard, 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. Prior to the Nov. 13 game, the last time a Huskie offensive line did not allow a sack was Sept. 29, 2018 at Eastern Michigan.

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 how has 1,031 career rushing yards on 201 carries, joins teammates Tre Harbison (2,065) and Marcus Childers (1,167) as active players with 1,000 career yards rushing at NIU. 

RARE AIR: After adding 12 completions and two touchdowns, one rushing and one passing to his career totals last week, Marcus Childers moved up to fifth all-time at NIU in pass completions and touchdowns responsible for. The Huskie junior has 4,237 yards on 428-of-733 passing and his name can be found on several other career lists at NIU. 
 

Plays	1,118	5th
Pass Completions	428	5th
Total Offense Yards	5,553	8th
Touchdowns Responsible For	52	5th
Touchdown Passes	36	8th

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 marked just the second time in school history NIU had two 100-yard receivers, a 100-yard rusher and a 300-yard passer in a game. The only other time the Huskies recorded this achievement was Oct. 23, 2004 when Josh Haldi threw for 333 yards, Garrett Wolfe rushed for 185, and wide receiver Dan Sheldon and tight end Brad Cieslak amassed 213 and 111 yards receiving, respectively, in a victory over Western Michigan.

HUSKIE HEADLINERS

WALK THIS WAY: Of the 86 Huskies to see action so far 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 29 of 38 games during his Huskie career, while Rattin, who walked-on to the team this year, has started the last five games at linebacker.

HUSKIE HARDWARE: Defensive tackle Jack Heflin became the fifth Huskie to earn a MAC West Player of the Week honors when he collected the Defensive Player of the Week award for the West Division following his performance at Toledo. Heflin had five tackles, a quarterback sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble versus the Rockets. Kicker John Richardson became NIU's first repeat player of the week when he earned MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week accolades after kicking the game-winning field goal against the Rockets. Richardson earned the same 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
November 13 vs. Toledo - John Richardson (K), Special Teams
November 13 vs. Toledo - Jack Heflin (DT), Defense

TUCKERED OUT: Wide receiver Cole Tucker upped his team-leading receiving totals to 531 yards and 38 catches with an 11-yard reception against Eastern Michigan. The Huskie sophomore leads NIU, averaging 48.3 yards a game and has had a reception in 10 of NIU's 11 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 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 in the last two games. Of that group, Zschernitz, Aitken and Rattin are true freshmen. Cox has started nine games for the Huskies at left tackle in 2019, while Rattin has started the last five contests at linebacker.

TACKLING THE BOOKS: NIU senior offensive lineman Jordan Steckler was 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 who carries a 3.62 GPA. Current Houston Texans offensive lineman Max Scharping was a finalist for the award last year.

SPECIAL FORCES

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 (Nov. 13) 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. 

JUST FOR KICKS: Redshirt freshman John Richardson, who has made at least one field goal in 10 of NIU's 11 games this season, improved to 13-for-17 on field goal attempts after connecting on a 34-yarder against Eastern Michigan. Andrew Gantz made 13-of-18 field goals for NIU last year. Of Richardson's 17 attempts, 10 have come from 36 yards and beyond. He is 10 of 11 from inside 40 yards this season. Richardson hit a career-best 51-yard field goal 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 (227) and is three 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 third in punting yards (9,334), 391 yards away from passing Baker for second. His career punting average of 41.12 is ahead of Tyler Wedel (2011-14), who finished his career with a 41.10 average. 

KICKING THE STREAK ALIVE: John Richardson extended NIU's streak of consecutive PATs to 151 when he hit a pair of PATs versus Eastern Michigan. 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 with those schools yet to play games on Saturday.

FOUR THE BLOCK: The Huskies, who have four blocked kicks on the season, lead the league and are ranked fourth in the nation 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 touchdowns.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

TEARS FOR 1,000: Spencer Tears has climbed to 23rd on NIU's all-time list for receiving yards with 1,318 yards on 106 receptions in 48 games played in his Huskie career. He is the Huskies' first 1,000-yard receiver since current Detroit Lions receiver Kenny Golladay (2015-16). Tears is 20 yards away from passing Carl Aikens (1981-84) for 22nd on the list.

HIGHS AND LOWS: NIU's 49-0 victory over Akron was the Huskie defense's first shutout of an opponent since a 63-0 win over UMass on Nov. 3, 2013, a span of 92 games. The Huskies' 49 points were a season high and the most points scored by NIU since a 63-17 victory over Ball State on Nov. 9, 2017, 24 games ago.

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