Huskies Look to Extend Win Streak at Central Michigan

Last Saturday Regular Season Game Kicks Off at 11 am CT

Football October 19

Huskies Look to Extend Win Streak at Central Michigan

Last Saturday Regular Season Game Kicks Off at 11 am CT

HUSKIE BITES

NIU travels to Central Michigan as the only Mid-American Conference team to go unbeaten in MAC play to date while riding a four-game winning streak.
The Huskies are coming off a 34-26 home victory over Bowling Green as NIU gained 319 rushing yards on 59 carries, led by Jay Ducker who ran for 210 yards on 33 attempts.
Just before halftime versus BG, Trayvon Rudolph returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, NIU's first KOR TD since 2016, tying the school record for longest scoring play.
Jay Ducker became the third freshman running back and the fourth Huskie player to surpass the 100-yard mark in rushing in a game this season en route to MAC West Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors.
After going 0-6 a year ago, NIU's turnaround has come with a roster that includes 75 players who finished high school in 2020 or 2021 and 11 more who graduated in 2019; of those 86 players, 47 have seen action for NIU in 2021 and 32 are listed on the two-deep this week.
Four of the Huskies' six games to date have been decided by a touchdown or less; NIU won both the Georgia Tech and Toledo games by scoring in the last 40 seconds.
NIU has played Central Michigan 56 times since 1939, more than any other current NCAA FBS team. The Huskies will be looking for their first win in Mount Pleasant since 2013, where CMU has won six of the last seven meetings.
Second-year freshman C.J. Brown leads the Huskies in tackles from his safety spot with 50, while fellow safety and second-year freshman Jordan Hansen is third on the team with 40 stops.
After posting its first 300-yard rushing game since 2017, NIU has the No. 11 rushing offense in the country and the top rushing offense in the MAC with a per game average of 237.9 yards per game.
NIU head coach Thomas Hammock, a two-time first team CoSIDA Academic All-American who rushed for over 1,000 yards for the Huskies in 2000 and 2001, is in his third season as head coach at his alma mater. He is one of three former NIU players on the football coaching staff.

NIU FOOTBALL FACTS
Head Coach: Thomas Hammock (NIU '02)
Record at NIU/Years: 10-15/3rd
Career Record/Years: Same
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-3
First Year of Football: 1899
2020 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 0-6/0-6/6th
All-Time Record: 597-509-51
Last Bowl Game: 2018 Cheribundi Roca Raton Bowl (UAB 37, NIU 14)
Bowl Appearances (FBS): 13
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 8, 2018
MAC Championships, Last: 5, 2018
Experience Returning/Lost: 46/16
Starters Returning: 22 (9 offense, 10 defense, 3 specialists)
Starters Lost: 5 (4 offense, 1 defense, 0 specialists)

CENTRAL MICHIGAN FACTS
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Jim McElwain (Eastern Washington/1984)
Record at CMU/Years: 15-12/Third
Career Record/Years: 59-39/Ninth
2020 Record: 8-6
Mid-American Conference Record/Finish: 3-3/Fourth
Location: Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Enrollment: 19,431
Conference: Mid-American, West Division (MAC)
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Stadium: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
    Surface/Capacity: AstroTurf /30,255
President: Dr. Robert O. Davies
Athletic Director: Amy Folan
Athletics Website: cmuchippewas.com
Twitter: @CMU_Football

CMU Schedule & Results

NIU-CMU SERIES
Overall: CMU leads 31-24-1
In DeKalb: NIU leads 15-12-1
At Mount Pleasant: CMU leads 19-9
In MAC Games: CMU leads, 19-16
Streak: CMU, 2
First Meeting: Sept. 30, 1939; CMU 6, NIU 0 (A)
Last Meeting: Nov. 11, 2020; CMU 40, NIU 10 (H)

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

TV: NIU-CENTRAL MICHIGAN ON ESPNU

For the second consecutive season, the NIU-Central Michigan game will air on ESPNU.
The Huskies are making their 23rd all-time appearance on ESPNU and will be featured on the network for the seventh time in the last four seasons. NIU is 12-10 all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.
John Schriffen (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst) will be on the call for ESPNU Saturday.

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

The Huskie Sports Radio Network broadcast for the Central Michigan game begins at 10:30 am (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 Huskie All Access, and on mobile devices via the FREE NIU Huskies Mobile app or The Varsity Network app.
Bill Baker is in his 42nd season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo has joined him for 36 seasons, while Andy Garcia is in his ninth 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 El Jimador Mexican Grill in DeKalb (260 E. Lincoln Hwy).
Listen live on the NIU Huskies mobile app and on The Varsity Network app, and hear the show Monday at 7 p.m. on WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9 in DeKalb.
Host Bill Baker welcomes NIU Head Coach Thomas Hammock each week, along with Huskie players and special guests.

NIU WEEKLY ON YOUTUBE

The show features weekly interviews with the NIU football staff, including head coach Thomas Hammock, his assistants and staff, as well as NIU coaches of other sports and guests.
Watch new episodes on the NIU Athletics YouTube Channel on Thursday nights.
The show is hosted by Andy Garcia and NIU Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier.

NIU ATHLETICS ON YOUTUBE

See weekly and post-game press conferences, video features, highlights of past games and more.
Subscribe for FREE and click the bell to be notified every time NIU posts a new video.
Search "NIU Athletics" on YouTube.com.
Archived videos and highlights, replays of some of the greatest games in school history and special features are also available 24/7 on YouTube.

NIU HUSKIES MOBILE APP

Download the new, free NIU Huskies mobile app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
Link to the NIU radio broadcasts, live stats, complete team rosters, digital game programs and more.
Connect to the NIU social media channels and sign up for notifications on any Huskie team.

NOTING NIU

HITTING THE ROAD: After extending its winning streak to four games with a 34-26 victory over Bowling Green at home last Saturday, NIU heads back out on the road to face MAC West foe Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant.

FOUR IN A ROW: NIU's current four-game winning streak is its longest since the 2018 team won six straight games between Sept. 29 and Nov. 7 en route to a spot in the MAC Championship game. That streak included five league wins and a 7-6 victory at BYU.

PERFECT IN CONFERENCE: NIU is the lone MAC team to win its first three league games and is one of just two MAC teams with five wins on the season.

SOLID START: NIU will try to match its best start to a season since 2017 Saturday at Central Michigan. The Huskies' current 5-2 record through seven games is NIU's best start to a season in four years, since the 2017 Huskies won six of their first eight games. In 2019, NIU went 1-4 to open the season and the Huskies were 2-3 through five games in 2018.

FULL SLATE: After playing a six-game, all Mid-American Conference schedule in November and December last year, NIU and the rest of the MAC have returned to a full 12-game slate in 2021. The Huskies faced their five MAC West foes and played one crossover game versus Buffalo out of the East Division in 2020.

NON-CON SPLIT: NIU went 2-2 in its four-game non-conference slate with wins over Georgia Tech (22-21) and Maine (41-14) sandwiching losses to Wyoming (50-43) and Michigan (63-10). NIU earned two non-conference wins for the first time since 2017, when the Huskies defeated Eastern Illinois and Nebraska.

LAST WEEK: Freshman Jay Ducker ran for 210 yards and Trayvon Rudolph scored on a 100-yard kickoff return just before halftime as NIU took an eight-point lead over Bowling Green at the break which proved to be the final margin in the Huskies' 34-26 win. NIU ran for a season-high 319 yards on 59 carries on a windy day in DeKalb, while the Falcons managed to complete just 16-of-41 passes and were forced to settle for four field goals. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi scored on a three-yard run and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Rudolph, while NIU kicker John Richardson added a pair of field goals.

MOST FREQUENT FOE: The Huskies have played Central Michigan 56 times since 1939, more than any other current NCAA FBS team. The Chippewas lead the all-time series 31-24-1 and are 19-16 versus NIU in 35 games as MAC opponents. CMU has won 19 of the 28 games played in Mount Pleasant, including six of the last seven, with NIU's last win in Kelly-Shorts Stadium in 2013. CMU has also won six of the last seven games in the series overall dating back to 2014 with the Huskies' last win on Sept. 15, 2018 by a 24-16 margin.

LAST TIME: Leading 9-0, Central Michigan scored 24 unanswered points - aided by a pair of NIU turnovers - to start the second half on its way to a 40-10 victory over the Huskies on Wednesday night, Nov. 11, 2020, at Huskie Stadium. Despite going 1-of-11 on third downs, CMU gained 433 yards, as quarterback Daniel Richardson threw touchdown passes of 56 and 58 yards, while tailback Lew Nicholds ran for a 36-yard score. All of NIU's scoring came in the fourth quarter.

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: NIU is 159-111-2 all-time in Mid-American Conference play. The Huskies are 123-66 (.651) in league action since re-joining the MAC in 1997. Since 2010, NIU is 68-21 (.764) against the MAC with three undefeated campaigns, two one-loss seasons, seven division championships, including a run of six-straight. The Huskies are in their 36th season as a member of the league in 2021, including an initial stint from 1975-85.

DIVISION FOES: Since the MAC went to divisional play in 1997, NIU is 76-49 (.608) versus teams from the MAC West, including a 39-18 (.684) mark since 2010.

LAND OF LINCOLN LEADERS: Since 2010, NIU is the winningest of the three FBS program in Illinois with a .644 winning percentage and a 96-53 record. Northwestern comes in with a 81-62 record for a .566 win percentage over the last 11 seasons, while Illinois is 49-89 (.355). The Huskies defeated Northwestern in the most recent meeting in 2014, and dropped a 28-22 decision to Illinois in 2010 the last time those teams met. NIU has played in eight bowl games and a record seven MAC Championship games during the same time span.

RUNNIN' WITH THE PACK: It has been five years since the Huskies have run the ball as well as they have in 2021. Through seven games, NIU is averaging 237.9 yards rushing per game to rank 11th in the FBS and first in the MAC, while NIU's season-high 319 yards on 59 carries marked its first 300-yard rushing game since Oct. 21, 2017 versus Bowling Green. Huskie backs are averaging 5.0 yards per carry this season. The last time NIU's total rushing yards, yards per carry and yards per game approached the level of this year's team was in 2016 when NIU finished the season with a rushing average of 239.8 yards per game.

TAKING TURNS: When you say "next man up" in the Huskie running backs room, it is no cliché - the backs, and yards, and carries, keep on coming. Second year freshman Harrison Waylee started the first five games of the season and gained 574 yards on 101 carries before going down in the first half of the Eastern Michigan game. Enter true freshman Antario Brown, who gained 101 yards in the second half versus EMU, then got his first career start and carried the ball 24 times for 93 yards at Toledo. Brown started and played the first series versus Bowling Green before giving way to second year freshman Jay Ducker. All Ducker did was run for 210 yards on 33 carries in the win over Bowling Green.

DUCKIN' IN: Running back Jay Ducker put together a very quiet 200-yard rushing game versus Bowling Green, so quiet that NIU head coach Thomas Hammock had no idea Ducker had put up that many yards until he saw the postgame stat sheet. Ducker's 210-yard game was the most yards by a Huskie since Heisman finalist and quarterback Jordan Lynch gained 321 yards versus Western Michigan on November 26, 2013 and the most by a Huskie running back since Cameron Stingily's 266-yard day versus Kent State earlier that year (October 5). It was the 45th 200-yard rushing game in school history.

TOTING THE ROCK: Jay Ducker's 33 carries versus Bowling Green are tied for the third-most by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) runner this season, while his 210 yards rank 17th in the FBS this season and are the most by a MAC back in 2021.

JOINING THE PARTY: Jay Ducker became the fourth Huskie to gain 100 or more rushing yards in 2021 and a NIU back has surpassed the 100-yard mark six times this season. Five of the 100-yard games have been notched by freshmen with Harrison Waylee posting three 100-yard games (Georgia Tech, Wyoming, Maine), Antario Brown going for 101 versus Eastern Michigan and Ducker versus Bowling Green. Junior quarterback Rocky Lombardi joined Waylee in the 100-yard club versus Maine.

LONG TERM COMMITMENT: Thomas Hammock's commitment to running the football may start with his background as a running back at NIU - he rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both 2000 and 2001 - but it has been nourished along his coaching journey. At Wisconsin (2011-13), his running backs included Montee Ball, James White and Melvin Gordon, while he coached NIU Hall of Famer Garrett Wolfe during his stint as an assistant at NIU (2005-06) under Joe Novak. Working under John Harbaugh as running backs coach with the Baltimore Ravens (2014-18), Justin Forsett, Kyle Juszczyk and Alex Collins were just three of the backs Hammock helped flourish.

LEADING THE WAY: NIU's running backs are running behind a sturdy offensive line led by 32-game starter and super senior Brayden Patton at center. Patton is flanked by a pair of redshirt freshmen guards in Logan Zschernitz and J.J. Lippe, who alternates with second year freshman John Champe. Sophomore tackles Marques Cox and Nolan Potter man the edges along with tight ends Liam Soraghan and Tristen Tewes. Behind this group, the Huskies not only have the No. 11 rushing offense in the country, they rank FOURTH in the country in fewest sacks allowed and 13th in fewest tackles for loss allowed. NIU opponents have just three sacks through seven games.

NOT THE FIRST TIME: Huskie quarterback Rocky Lombardi will face Central Michigan for the second time as the Michigan State transfer got his first career snaps under center versus the Chippewas on Sept. 29, 2018 in a 31-20 MSU win. Lombardi played one series in the fourth quarter in the game.

DEFENDING WITH YOUTH: NIU's starting defense includes five members of the 2020 freshman class in safeties C.J. Brown and Jordan Hansen, cornerback Myles McGee and defensive end Ray Thomas, while Devonte O'Malley has split starts at defensive end. Third-year players James Ester and Demond Taylor man the interior defensive line, while sophomores Jordan Gandy (CB) and Nick Rattin (LB) - both former walk-ons - are in their third seasons. Sixth year senior Lance Deveaux Jr. (LB), and redshirt juniors Dillon Thomas (ROV) and Michael Kennedy (DE) bring 113 career games and 40 career starts of experience.

DEBUTS: While running back Antario Brown is the only true freshman to start a game for NIU this year, 10 of his 2021 classmates have seen action in at least one game. Aside from Brown, cornerback JaVaughn Byrd and defensive tackle Cade Haberman are members of the defensive rotation. Running back Mason Blakemore and fullback Brock Lampe have played in the last two games, with Blakemore displaying some of his moves on a 17-yard touchdown run versus Bowling Green. Cornerback Ty Myles made his Huskie debut on special teams versus BG.

NOT QUITE FRESHMEN: With cornerback Myles McGee making his first NIU start at Toledo, 11 second-year or "COVID" freshmen have started games for the Huskies this year, including nine defensive players, tailback Harrison Waylee and receiver Trayvon Rudolph.

TOUGH ON FOURTH: The Huskie defense has been tough on fourth down in 2021 as opponents have been successful on just four-of-15 fourth down tries this season. Conversely, the NIU offense has made good on eight of its 11 fourth down attempts this season.

LONG DRIVES: And we don't mean in yards. Eight of NIU's scoring drives have lasted at least five minutes, including drives lasting 7:23 and 7:21 in the last two games. NIU also has 14 drives of 10 plays or more on the season.

RED ZONE O: Despite having its perfect mark in Red Zone Offense spoiled at Toledo when Clint Ratkovich's touchdown run was reversed after review and John Richardson's 23-yard attempt went awry after a poor snap on the same drive, NIU continues to rank among the national leaders in red zone offense with a .961 (25-of-26) success rate. The Huskies have scored 15 touchdowns and made 10 field goals in 26 trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line in 2021.

KEEPING IT CLOSE: In NIU's five wins, Huskie opponents are averaging 20.2 points per game. Meanwhile, NIU has averaged 29.2 points per game in its wins, winning both the Georgia Tech and Toledo games with 22 points, the Eastern Michigan game by a 27-20 margin and scoring 34 points versus Bowling Green. Five of NIU's seven games have been decided by seven points or less with the BG (8 points) and Maine (27) games the only exceptions.

TWO-MINUTE OFFENSE: NIU has executed a pair of game-winning "two-minute" drives this season as the Huskies scored a touchdown and a two-point PAT with 38 seconds to play to defeat Georgia Tech, 22-21, and beat Toledo, 22-20 with a John Richardson 29-yard field goal. Versus Georgia Tech, NIU drove 80 yards in nine plays and 2:04 for the score, while the Toledo game-winning drive went 60 yards in nine plays and 3:02. The Huskies also had a successful drive for a touchdown in the last minute of the first half at Toledo.

TAKING A PASS: While rushing for 319 yards on 59 carries versus Bowling Green last week, NIU completed just four-of-eight passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. It was the fewest completions for the Huskies since Nov. 5, 2009 when NIU quarterbacks completed four-of-seven passes for 118 yards in a 50-6 win over Eastern Michigan. The Huskies ran for 419 yards in the win.

SUPER SENIOR: With 32 catches for 333 yards in 2021, senior Tyrice Richie has accounted for 38 percent of NIU's catches and 34 percent of the Huskies' receiving yardage. Richie set up John Richardson's game-winning field goal at Toledo with a 34-yard catch, one of his season-high eight catches for 98 yards in the game. One of his biggest catches of 2021 doesn't show up in the stats as he made a diving grab of a two-point conversion pass with 38 seconds to play to give NIU the upset victory at Georgia Tech. He has caught at least one pass in every game of his NIU career, a streak of 24 consecutive games and his 1,345 career receiving yards on 117 catches ranks 22nd all-time at NIU.

HE'S NO ROOKIE: Quarterback Rocky Lombardi came to NIU as a seasoned veteran with nine starts in 22 games in three seasons at Michigan State. The Iowa native, whose grandfather Bob was a hall of fame coach in the Illinois high school ranks, completed 159-of-332 passes for 1,902 yards with 11 TDs and 14 interceptions from 2018-20 at MSU and was a 1,000-yard passer in 2020. His father, Tony, was a long-time college and high school football coach, while his younger brother, Beau, is a sophomore offensive lineman at Army West Point.

BIG RETURN: Second year freshman Trayvon Rudolph's 100-yard kickoff return touchdown versus Bowling Green was the Huskies' first kickoff return score in 55 games, since October 22, 2016 when Aregeros Turner had a 97-yard kickoff return for a score versus Buffalo. The return tied NIU's school record as the longest scoring play in school history, matching Tommylee Lewis' 100-yard kickoff return on Nov. 1, 2011 at Toledo and Dave Petway's 100-yard interception return versus Southern Illinois on October 22, 1977.

KOR TD EFFECT: Nothing like a 100-yard kickoff return - and 149 total KOR yards on three returns by Trayvon Rudolph versus Bowling Green - to dramatically raise the Huskies' rankings, not to mention season kickoff return average. Prior to Saturday, NIU had averaged 14.17 yards on nine kickoff returns to rank 125th nationally and 12th in the MAC. Entering the CMU game, NIU's 25.60 average (an increase of 11.43 yards) ranks 26th nationally and second in the league.

GETTING HIS KICKS: Sophomore kicker John Richardson tied the NIU school record by making five field goals in the win at Toledo, including the 29-yard game-winner with 26 seconds to play. Richardson hit from 43, 26, 43, 47 and 29 yards and, including the PAT after NIU's lone touchdown, scored 16 of the Huskies' 22 points. The last NIU kicker to score 16 or more points in a game was Mathew Sims, who had 16 points versus Kent State on October 8, 2011.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: In 28 games as NIU's full-time kicker, John Richardson is climbing the NIU career kicking charts. His 34 field goals made and 166 points scored rank eighth at NIU all-time while his 41 field goal attempts are 10th. He is 34-of-41 all-time on field goals for an .829 percentage which ranks first.

ALL THE RECORDS: Fifth-year punter Matt Ference already holds nearly every NIU punting record and after five games, he has Andy Dittbenner's 2007 mark for single season punting average (43.5) in his sights. Ference has punted 26 times for a 44.0-yard average. He punted seven times for a 48.3-yard average at Michigan and his 65-yard punt versus Maine was his longest since 2017. Ference picked up his fifth career MAC Player of the Week honor earlier this season after twice pinning Georgia Tech inside its 10-yard line.

SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION: After playing cornerback and safety in his first four seasons with the NIU, Dillon Thomas moved to the hybrid "rover" position in 2021 and took over the starting position versus Eastern Michigan. He now leads NIU in tackles for loss (5.0) and quarterback sacks (3.0) despite entering the season without a single TFL or sack to his name. Thomas was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week versus EMU after collected two sacks, a pass break up and seven tackles. He tipped the pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Jaden Dolphin.

SOLID D: While the Huskies have played solid defense on a down-to-down basis, nearly 40 percent of NIU opponents' yardage has come on plays of 25 yards or longer in 2021. Huskie opponents have 26 plays of 25 yards or longer for a total of 1,110 yards and nine touchdowns. Takeaway those plays and NIU opponents are averaging just 249.4 yards per game and 4.1 yards per play with 19 touchdowns.

LANCE A LOT (OF TACKLES): After playing in just one game over the last two seasons due to injury, super senior linebacker Lance Deveaux Jr. has brought much needed experience, as well as expertise to the NIU defense. Deveaux, who has played in 40 career games with 145 tackles, 96 solo, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and five pass break ups, made a career high 13 tackles at Georgia Tech to earn his first MAC Player of the Week honor.

ULTRA-BACK?: Senior grad transfer running back Clint Ratkovich leads NIU in scoring with six touchdowns (two receiving, four rushing), ranks fourth on the team in rushing (225 yards) and catches (7), and is fifth in all-purpose yards (307) AND has made two tackles on special teams. The strongest player on the team, he scored three rushing TDs versus Wyoming and is the Huskies' top blocking and short yardage back.

SUCCESS STORY: Wide receiver Tyrice Richie was named as a semifinalist for the William Campbell Trophy, presented by the National Football Foundation to the top football Scholar-Athlete in the country. Richie, who went to junior college out of Homewood-Flossmoor High school to get his academics in order, has compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.24 in sport management and is set to graduate from NIU in December.

SENIOR WITH CLASS: NIU punter Matt Ference was named one of 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS award for football. The award honors seniors who have excelled in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition. Ference is the first Huskie to make the exclusive candidate list - with just 30 players annually selected - since Jordan Lynch in 2013 and is the sixth NIU player to earn the honor all-time. The St. Louis native has already earned his B.S. in marketing and MBA from NIU and is pursuing a second master's in finance.

HUSKIE PRIDE: As a two-time Academic All-American, Thomas Hammock's emphasis on academic success and graduation is real, and he has the numbers to prove it. Over the last three semesters, Hammock's Huskies have posted the best cumulative team GPAs in school history, compiling a school record 3.08 GPA for the spring 2021 semester.

GRADS: The NIU roster includes 14 players who have already earned their undergraduate degrees - either at NIU or from another institution, and one with two degrees as punter Matt Ference is currently pursuing his second master's degree. Transfers Braxton Chapman, Miles Joiner, Rocky Lombardi, Luke Mallette and Clint Ratkovich all came to NIU with degrees from their previous institutions. Erik Abrell, Erin Collins, Lance Deveaux Jr., Michael Kennedy, Brayden Patton, Kyle Pugh, Dillon Thomas and Cole Tucker are Huskie alumni.

QUICK HITS: NIU posted matching rushing totals with 55 rushes for 242 net yards in back-to-back games versus Eastern Michigan and Toledo... The Huskies' five rushing TDs versus Wyoming were the most by NIU in a game since Nov. 1, 2016 versus Bowling Green... NIU's sweep of the MAC West Player of the Week awards following the Georgia Tech game was the first for the Huskies since Sept. 24, 2004 when Garrett Wolfe (offense), Javan Lee (defense) and Chris Nendick (special teams) were winners after a 34-17 victory over Bowling Green... Wide receiver Cole Tucker became the 37th player in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards when he caught four passes for 114 yards versus Maine. Tucker has 1,029 career receivng yards on 81 catches to rank 35th all-time at NIU... In 11 career games, second-year freshman tailback Harrison Waylee became the 43rd NIU player to tally 1,000 career rushing yards. Waylee's career totals stand at 1,030 yards on 208 carries and he has averaged 93.6 yards per game in his young career... Rocky Lombardi became the first Huskie to accumulate 400 yards of total offense in a game in 56 games, since October 1, 2016, with 401 yards (282 passing/119 rushing) versus Maine. Lombardi's day included the first rushing TDs of his collegiate career - of 7, 64 and 18 yards - and a season-long completion of 66 yards.

ADDING TO THE BONEYARD: The Huskies stunned Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Sept. 4 when Tyrice Richie's diving catch of Rocky Lombardi's two-point conversion pass with 38 seconds left gave NIU a 22-21 "Boneyard Win". Boneyard Wins - designated as wins over prominent and/or "Power 5" opponents - have been collected since 1983. Versus Georgia Tech, Harrison Waylee ran for 144 yards on 27 carries and Lombardi completed touchdown passes to Miles Joiner and Clint Ratkovich while Lance Deveaux Jr. led the defense with 12 tackles. NIU made two fourth down stops and forced three punts while Georgia Tech missed three field goals. NIU has collected nine Boneyard Wins in the last 12 years and 17 all-time.

LEAD DOGS: Six players were elected team captains for 2021, including newcomers Rocky Lombardi (QB) and Clint Ratkovich (RB). Super seniors Lance Deveaux Jr. (LB) and Brayden Patton (C) and third-year players Nick Rattin (LB) and James Ester (DT) round out the group. This is the first year that NIU has selected captains prior to the season under Hammock.

WALK-ON U: Of the 85 scholarship players currently on the roster, an amazing 15 started at NIU as walk-ons. The list includes senior punter Matt Ference, and starters Nick Rattin, Trayvon Rudolph and Jordan Gandy. During 2021 preseason camp, offensive lineman Matthew Schooley and tailback Mason Blakemore were put on scholarship. They join a long and distinguished list of NIU players who arrived as walk-ons, including 2010 MAC MVP Chad Spann and NFL veteran Rashaan Melvin.

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