HUSKIE BITES

• The NIU Huskies (1-0) make the first of three straight road trips when they head west to take on a Pac-12 opponent for the first time since Nov. 16, 1996 when the Huskies played at Oregon State. 
• NIU is 1-0 for the first time since 2015 after defeating intra-state foe Illinois State, 24-10, at Huskie Stadium last Saturday
• NIU and Utah play for the second consecutive season with Utah taking the only previous meeting, 17-6, in DeKalb on Sept. 8.
• The Huskies will face a ranked opponent for the first time since Sept. 30, 2017 when they fell, 34-28, at No. 19 San Diego State. NIU's last win over a ranked team from outside the Mid-American Conference was a 21-16 victory over No. 21 Alabama on Sept. 20, 2003.       
• A pair of newcomers sparked the Huskie offense versus Illinois State. Transfer quarterback Ross Bowers (Cal), who won the job over incumbent Marcus Childers during preseason camp, threw for 299 yards on 20-of-33 passing, hitting junior college transfer Tyrice Richie on touchdown passes of 22 and 68 yards. 
• Thomas Hammock was named the 23rd head coach at his alma mater in January 2019 after five seasons as the Baltimore Ravens' running backs coach. Hammock, who recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons as a player, is the only two-time first-team Academic All-American in NIU football history.   
• The Huskie defense, ranked 11th nationally against the run in 2018, gave up just 51 yards on the ground versus Illinois State, the eighth time in its past 15 games a team has totaled less than 100 yards rushing.  
• Since 2003, NIU has been one of the most successful "Group of Five" teams in the country with four MAC Championships in the last eight seasons (including 2018) and 10 bowl appearances in the last 11 years, a record of consistency matched only by Boise State among non-autonomous teams. NIU has played in seven of the last nine MAC title games, defeating Buffalo 30-29 in comeback fashion last year. 
• Sophomore cornerback Jalen McKie was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week after scoring on a 32-yard interception return to seal the Huskies' win over Illinois State.  

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HUSKIE FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: Thomas Hammock (NIU '02)
Record at NIU/Years: 1-0/First
Career Record/Years: 1-0/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: 588-493-51
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)

NIU FACTS
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Founded: 1895
Enrollment: 17,169
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
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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UTAH FACTS
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Kyle Whittingham (Brigham Young/1982) 
2018 Record: 9-5
 Pac-12/Finish: 6-3/First South 
Record at Utah /Years: 121-61/15th
Career Record/Years: 121-61/15th
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Enrollment: 33,023
Conference: Pac-12
Colors: Red and White
Stadium: Rice-Eccles Stadium    
    Surface/Capacity: Field Turf /45,807
President: Ruth V. Watkins
Athletic Director: Mark Harlan
Athletics Website: UtahUtes.com
Twitter: @Utah_Football
Ticket Information: 801-581-UTIX

Utah Schedule & Results
Utah Game Notes - NIU (PDF)
 

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NIU-UTAH SERIES
Overall: Utah leads 1-0
In DeKalb: Utah leads 1-0
In Salt Lake City: First Meeting
Streak: Utah, 1
Only Meeting: September 8, 2018: Utah 17, NIU 6 (H)
 

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FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-UTAH ON PAC-12 NETWORKS

• The NIU-Utah game will mark the Huskies' debut on the Pac-12 Networks.
• The content arm of the Pac-12 Conference, Pac-12 Networks is carried by several providers, including DISH and Xfinity and is also available on Apple TV and via the Pac-12 Now app. 
• Go to https://pac-12.com/getpac-12networks to see if it is available in your area.   
• J.B. Long (play-by-play), Chad Brown (color analyst) and Krista Blunk (sidelines) will be on the call for the Pac 12 Networks on Saturday.

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Network broadcast for the Utah game begins at 11:30 a.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 at Noon at Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb (1312 W. Lincoln Hwy), except for Sept. 2 when the Labor Day show will begin at 5 p.m.
• 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.
• Weekly show with host Bill Baker, NIU Head Coach Thomas Hammock, Huskie players and special guests. 

NIU WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

• The 30-minute show features 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).
• 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 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

TWO UTES: This is the second meeting all-time between NIU and Utah. The Utes won the only previous meeting between the two schools, defeating NIU, 17-6, in the Huskies' 2018 home opener. 

WHEN LAST WE MET: In a game dominated by defense, Utah clinched its 17-6 victory over the Huskies with a pick six late in the fourth quarter to end a potential game-winning drive. The two teams combined for 582 yards of total offense in the game with Utah totaling 354 yards of offense, but just 68 on the ground. Tre Harbison rushed for a team-high 63 yards in the losing effort for the Huskies.

RARE ENCOUNTER: NIU's visit to Utah is the first trip to a Pac-12 school since Nov. 16, 1996 when the Huskies suffered a 67-28 setback at Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon. NIU is 0-2 all-time against teams from the league.

WHAT ARE YOU DRIVING AT?: NIU's nine play, 92-yard scoring drive in the third quarter of its win over Illinois State, capped by a 22-yard touchdown pass from Ross Bowers to Tyrice Richie for the first touchdown of the year, was the longest scoring drive by a Huskie offense since its initial drive in a 31-21 victory at Kent State on Nov. 25, 2016. In that game, the Huskies drove 93 yards in 16 plays, capped by a three-yard touchdown run by quarterback Daniel Santacaterina. NIU's longest drive in school history is 99 yards, achieved multiple times, last at Toledo (Nov. 20, 2013).

COACHING CONNECTIONS: NIU head coach Thomas Hammock and Utah offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig served on the same coaching staff at Wisconsin in 2013. Hammock was the Badgers' assistant head coach and running backs coach, while Ludwig was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Wisconsin.

BACK FOR SECONDS: NIU is looking for its second victory over a team from the "Beehive State" in as many years. The Huskies improved to 1-3 versus teams from Utah when NIU earned a 7-6 win at BYU (Oct. 27) last year. In addition to the loss to Utah in 2018, the Huskies have lost twice to Utah State (in 1995 and 2013). 

NIU vs. THE POWER FIVE: NIU's 7-6 victory over BYU on Oct. 27, 2019 was added to the list of NIU "Boneyard Win," as Huskie victories over prominent opponents from larger conferences are characterized. The BYU win was NIU's 16th versus such an opponent in 88 games. Of those 16 wins, eight have come in the last nine years. The Huskies' 2019 nonconference schedule includes three "Boneyard" opponents – Utah (Sept. 7), Nebraska (Sept. 14) and Vanderbilt (Sept. 28). The Huskies have faced at least one autonomous conference school in 36 of the last 37 seasons.

RANKING WINS: The Huskies are looking for their first win over a ranked opponent in their last three tries when NIU travels to No. 14 Utah. Since 1968, NIU is 6-31 all-time versus teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Huskies' last win over a ranked opponent was on Nov. 3, 2015 when NIU earned a 32-27 triumph at No. 20 Toledo. NIU's first victory over a ranked foe came on Oct. 6, 1990 when the Huskies defeated No. 24 Fresno State, 73-18, at Huskie Stadium. The highest-ranked opponent NIU defeated was No. 15 Maryland on Aug. 28, 2003 in DeKalb. NIU did not play a ranked team in 2018.

GO WEST YOUNG MAN: The Huskies' visit to Utah continues a streak of seven consecutive years NIU has played a game in the Western region of the United States. The Huskies traveled to Idaho and faced Utah State in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl in 2013, played UNLV in Las Vegas in 2014. NIU returned to San Diego when it faced Boise State in the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl. The Huskies opened the 2016 season at Wyoming and played at San Diego State in 2017. Last year, NIU defeated BYU, 7-6, in its first trip to Provo, Utah.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK

NUMBER ONE:  New NIU Head Coach Thomas Hammock earned his first career win in his debut as a head coach, leading the Huskies to a 24-10 victory over Illinois State at Huskie Stadium. He is the first head coach to win his debut since Dave Doeren in 2011 (over Army). 
 
LAND OF LINCOLN LEADERS: Since 2010, NIU is the winningest football program among the state of Illinois' Division I football programs, and are 4-2 versus in-state foes during that time following the victory over Illinois State. The Huskies defeated Eastern Illinois in 2017 and 2013 and Northwestern in 2014, while falling to Illinois and Western Illinois in 2010 and 2016, respectively. With eight bowl games and seven MAC Championship game appearances in the last nine years, NIU has also played more games, 124, than any other school in the state in that time.

Illinois' Division I Schools Since 2010
 

Team	W-L	Pct.
NIU	87-37	.702
Illinois State	68-44	.607
Northwestern	69-48	.590
Eastern Illinois	50-56	.471
Western Illinois	48-59	.449
Southern Illinois	41-60	.406
Illinois	41-71	.366

WELCOME BACK: Tight end Daniel Crawford returned to action for the first time since 2017 and finished the Illinois State game with a career high three catches for 75 yards. His catches of 45 and 27 yards set up NIU field goal attempts. Crawford, who missed the entire 2018 season recovering from a knee in jury suffered in the spring, entered Saturday night's game with seven career receptions for 65 yards. 

ON THE BRINK: Tight end Mitchell Brinkman, who played in four games last year while redshirting, tallied a career-high four receptions for 51 yards versus Illinois State. His previous career best came in last year's MAC title game when he tallied three catches for 42 yards against Buffalo (Nov. 30, 2018) in his last action
 
NEWCOMER TO NEWCOMER:  A pair of newcomers hooked up to record the Huskies' first touchdown of 2019 when quarterback Ross Bowers connected with wide receiver Tyrice Richie on a 22-yard reception in the third quarter.  Bowers transferred to NIU from California, and won the quarterback job after a preseason battle with incumbent Marcus Childers, while Richie came to the Huskies out of Dodge City Community College in January 2019.
GOING LONG: The 68-yard completion for a touchdown from Bowers to Richie on the Huskies' second touchdown was NIU's longest play from scrimmage since October 21, 2017 when Marcus Childers connected with Chad Beebe on a 73-yard touchdown pass versus Bowling Green.
 
HUSKIE HUNDRED:  Junior Tyrice Richie went over the 100-yard mark in receiving for the game with three catches for 102 yards in his Huskie debut. A year ago, NIU receivers recorded just one 100-yard receiving game on the season when D.J. Brown went for 117 yards on seven catches versus Florida State. It was the best debut by a Huskie receiver since Kenny Golladay who tallied nine receptions for 213 yards in the 2015 season opener against UNLV. 
 
NO, NO, NO:  The Huskie defense now has not allowed an opposing player to gain 100 yards rushing in its past 16 games, dating back to November 24, 2017 versus Central Michigan when Jonathan Ward ran for 159 yards. NIU also held Illinois State to under 100 yards rushing, a feat they accomplished seven times last year.

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 program as an FBS program, and the first 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. 

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.

HUSKIE HEADLINERS

TITLE DEFENSE:  For the fifth time in school history and the fourth time in the last eight years, NIU opens a season as defending MAC Champions. The Huskies rallied from a 29-10 third-quarter deficit to defeat Buffalo, 30-29, in the 2018 MAC title game. NIU won its first conference crown in 1983, and second and third in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The 2014 team also took home a conference title.

HUSKIE DEBUTS:  Of NIU's 39 new faces this year, 13 players, three true freshmen, four transfers and six redshirt freshmen, made their Huskie debuts against Illinois State. Three of those 13 – Ross Bowers (QB), Mark Aitken (CB) and Marques Cox (OT) – started the game. 

MEET THE NEW GUYS:  NIU welcomed three grad transfers to the program in 2019. Quarterback Ross Bowers started 13 games for Cal in 2017 and 2018, and threw for 3,039 yards as a sophomore in 2017. Offensive tackle Andrew Starr was a three-year starter at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, while Marshé Terry played in 31 games with 13 starts at UConn. All three saw action in the victory over NIU. Bowers threw for 299 yards, Terry recovered a muffed punt and Starr saw significant time at left tackle.

CUTTING IT CLOSE:  NIU played in eight one-possession games (eight points or less) last season, going 6-2 in those contests. Two of those games, both wins, were decided by one point. NIU beat BYU, 7-6, in Provo and Buffalo, 30-29, in the MAC Championship Game. The Huskies defeated Eastern Michigan, 26-23, in triple overtime for the third-straight year.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:  Ross Bowers turned in the best debut by a Huskie quarterback since Chandler Harnish when he threw for 299 yards on 20-of-33 passing and two touchdowns against Illinois State. Harnish amassed 321 yards passing and two touchdowns while completing 17-of-29 attempts at Minnesota on Aug. 30, 2008 in his first career start at NIU. In between the two, six different quarterbacks started games for NIU with five getting wins.

MILLENIAL: A year ago, junior Tre Harbison became the Huskies first 1,000-yard rusher since Joel Bouagnon in 2015 as the North Carolina native tallied 1,034 yards last year on 206 carries. Harbison's career total of 1,423 yards rank 30th at NIU all-time. He needs 120 yards to pass Ed Johnson for 29th.

IN SEARCH OF 1,000: Senior tailback Marcus Jones is 12 yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard plateau with 988 rushing yards on 188 career attempts. He will be the 42nd Huskie to reach that milestone. He would join teammates Tre Harbison (1,423) and Marcus Childers (1,004) as active players with 1,000 career yards rushing at NIU.

HUSKIE HARDWARE: Sophomore Jalen 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. The Gurnee, Ill. native also tallied four stops in the contest. His pick six against Illinois State was the second of his career, with his first coming at Akron (Nov. 1) last year.

SUNSHINE STATERS: The 2019 Huskie roster includes seven players from the state of Florida. Freshmen Jace Hohenthaner and Jimmy Lowery join five returning Florida Huskies – seniors Lance Deveaux,  Antonio Davis-Jones and Trequan Smith, sophomores Dennis Robinson and Kewan Parker. Except for Hohenthaner, who is from Lakeland in the central part of the state, the Florida Huskies are from the southeast coast between Vero Beach and Miami. 

KICKING THE STREAK ALIVE: Redshirt freshman John Richardson became the third Huskie kicker to extend NIU's streak of consecutive PATs to 125 when he connected on three point-after-touchdowns in the second half of the Huskies' victory over Illinois State. The streak began Sept. 6, 2016 when Christian Hagan hit his last three extra points in the season opener at Wyoming. It's the seventh longest streak in the nation, behind Wisconsin, who has hit 141 and current NCAA leader Auburn (277).

THE FIRM: With four tackles against Illinois State, linebacker Antonio Jones-Davis, nicknamed "Law Firm", is 12 tackles from 200 for his career. He amassed a career-high 130 tackles last season and tallied six double-digit tackle efforts en route to All-MAC honors. He recorded a career-best 16 stops against Central Michigan (Sept. 15) and at Ball State (Oct. 6). His 12 solo stops against the Cardinals were the most by a Huskie linebacker since linebacker Boomer Mays made 12 against Western Michigan Nov. 18, 2015 at Huskie Stadium.

DEGREES IN HAND: Eight players on the 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

HUSKIE HALL CALL: NIU football greats Larry English and Jerry Pettibone will be inducted in the NIU 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. 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.