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Jack Reeber

MACtion Kicks Off with Trip to Kent State

Huskies Ride Five-Game Winning Streak to Ohio

October 28

Kent State release header 2021
 

  HUSKIE BITES  
  • NIU plays on the road in back-to-back games for the only time this season when the Huskies travel to Kent State for a Wednesday night #MACtion contest at Dix Stadium. 
  • The Huskies have won five straight, the latest a 39-38 nail-biter at Central MIchigan as freshman Kanon Woodill kicked a game-winning field goal with 54 seconds to play. 
  • Woodill and quarterback Rocky Lombardi, who threw for a career high 348 yards on 17-of-27 passing with three TDs at CMU, earned NIU's ninth and 10th MAC Player of the Week honors of the season.  
  • NIU and Kent State meet for the first time since 2017; the Huskies have won the last 10 meetings dating back to 2001   
  • 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, 48 have seen action for NIU in 2021 and 32 are listed on the two-deep this week. 
  • A nation-leading five of the Huskies' eight games to date have been decided by a touchdown or less; NIU won the Georgia Tech, Toledo and Central Michigan games by scoring in the last minute of play.
  • Four different NIU players have run for 100 or more yards in a game seven times this season with freshmen accounting for six of those performances, most recently by Jay Ducker with 210 and 183 yard efforts versus Bowling Green and Central Michigan, respectively.   
  • Second-year freshman C.J. Brown leads the Huskies in tackles from his safety spot with 58, while rover Dillon Thomas' five tackles for loss and three sacks top the NIU charts in those categories. 
  • NIU boasts the No. 12 rushing offense in the country and the top rushing offense in the MAC with a per game average of 232.9 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: 11-15/3rd
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: 598-509-51
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)
 

  KENT STATE FACTS  
Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Sean Lewis (Wisconsin/2007)
Record at Kent State/Years: 16-21/Fourth
Career Record/Years: Same
2020 Record: 3-1
Mid-American Conference Record/Finish: 3-1/Second
Location: Kent, Ohio
Enrollment: 38,323
Conference: Mid-American, West Division (MAC)
Colors: Navy Blue and Gold 
Stadium: Dix Stadium    
        Surface/Capacity: Astro Turf /25,319
President: Dr. Todd Diacon
Athletic Director: Randale L. Richmond
Athletics Website: kentstatesports.com
Twitter: @KentStFootball

KSU Schedule & Results
 

  NIU-KENT STATE SERIES  
Overall: NIU leads 21-7
In DeKalb, Ill.: NIU leads 12-2
At Kent, Ohio: NIU leads 8-5
Neutral Site Games: NIU leads 1-0
In MAC Games: NIU leads 19-3
Streak: NIU, 10
First Meeting: Nov. 18, 1949; KSU 21, NIU 19 (H)
Last Meeting: Oct. 7, 2017; NIU 24 KSU 3 (H)
 

  FOLLOW THE HUSKIES  
TV: NIU-KENT STATE ON ESPN2
  • Watch the NIU-Kent State game on ESPN2.
  • The Huskies will make their 37th all-time appearance on ESPN2, the most of any ESPN Network, and are 24-12 in games broadcast on the network.
  • The Huskies have had at least one game broadcast on ESPN2 every season since 2008.   
  • Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Rocky Boiman (analyst) will be on the call for ESPN2 Wednesday.

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK
  • The Huskie Sports Radio Network broadcast for the Kent State game begins at 5:30 pm (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 Mondays 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.
  • Due to the NIU men's basketball game broadcast, there will not be a show on November 22nd.
  • 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. 
  • New episodes will premiere on the NIU Athletics YouTube Channel on Tuesdays in November. 
  • 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.
  • 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  
LIGHTS, CAMERA, MACTION: After a 10-day "mini-bye" as league teams transition to the traditional Mid-American Conference weekday schedule in November, NIU returns to the road to face Kent State and will play back-to-back road games for the only time this season.  

BOWLING, AGAIN: With the win at CMU, NIU won its sixth game and secured bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. One of the MAC's premiere programs this century, the Huskies will play in a bowl game for the 11th time in the last 14 years and for the 13th time since 2004 - a span of 18 years. Thomas Hammock is the fifth coach to take the Huskies to a bowl game during that time.  

FIVE IN A ROW: NIU's current five-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 only MAC team to win each of its first four conference games. The last Huskie team to go 4-0 in conference games was the 2018 squad that won its first six league contests.  

LAST TIME OUT: Freshman kicker Kanon Woodill booted a 26-yard field goal with 54 seconds to play and Central Michigan's last second field goal attempt was thwarted by a bad snap as the Huskies overcame a 17-point third quarter deficit to earn a 39-38 win in Mt. Pleasant. Trayvon Rudolph caught six passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yarder, completed a two-point conversion pass and ran for seven yards to convert a fourth down on the game-winning drive. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw for 348 yards, Jay Ducker ran 31 times for 183 yards and the NIU defense held CMU to 10 second-half points. 

SOLID START: With a 6-2 record through eight games, NIU has matched its best start since 2017.  The last Huskie team to win seven of its first nine games was the 2014 group that went 10-2 in the regular season and went on to win the MAC Championship.  

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.

HUSKIES IN THE MAC: NIU is 160-111-2 all-time in Mid-American Conference play. The Huskies are 124-66 (.653) in league action since re-joining the MAC in 1997. Since 2010, NIU is 69-21 (.767) 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. 

BEASTS OF THE EAST?: NIU has won 26 of its last 30 regular season games versus MAC East Division opponents and is 30-5 versus MAC East teams since 2008. Buffalo joined Miami and Ohio as the only MAC East foes to defeat the Huskies in regular season games with its 49-30 win over NIU last year in the only "crossover" game played during the shortened COVID-19 season. The Huskies are 4-3 versus the MAC East in conference title games since 2010, defeating Ohio (2011), Kent State (2012), Bowling Green (2014) and Buffalo (2018), while falling to Miami (2010) and Bowling Green (2013 & 2015).

NIU vs. the MAC East (regular season since 2008) 
Buffalo    6-1    
Bowling Green    5-0
Kent State    6-0    
Miami    4-2
Akron    5-0    
Ohio    3-2

MIDWEEK MACTION: NIU is 23-9 in league games played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays since 2010, including a 10-3 mark in MACtion road games.  

SERIES HISTORY: Wednesday night's game between Kent State and NIU will be the 29th meeting all time between the two schools, making the Golden Flashes NIU's most frequent MAC East foe. NIU leads the all-time series, 21-7, and has won the last 10 games between the teams dating back to 2001, although NIU and Kent State have not played since 2017. The Huskies are 8-5 all-time in games played in Kent with wins in each of the last four meetings in Dix Stadium. In MAC competition, NIU leads the all-time series 19-3, including a 44-37 double overtime victory in the 2012 MAC Championship game.  

INFREQUENT FOE: After facing the Golden Flashes six times in seven years between 2011 and 2017, NIU and Kent State will meet for the first time in four seasons on Wednesday, and the Huskies have not played at Dix Stadium since the 2016 season finale. Linebacker Lance Deveaux Jr. is the only player who was on NIU's current roster for that game; he recorded a tackle for loss and a pass break up as a true freshman.

HELLO, STRANGER: In the last meeting between NIU and the Golden Flashes, NIU used a dominating defensive performance on a rainy, windy Saturday at Huskie Stadium to claim a 24-3 win over Kent State on October 7, 2017.  The Huskies recorded three interceptions and defensive end Sutton Smith collected three of NIU's seven sacks, while redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Childers sparked the Huskie offense, throwing three touchdown passes. There were 17 total punts in the game, including eight by current NIU punter Matt Ference. Current Kent State QB Dustin Crum completed two-of-four passes for 15 yards and was intercepted by NIU All-American cornerback Shawun Lurry.  

BADGERS OVERLAP: NIU head coach Thomas Hammock and Kent State mentor Sean Lewis have some familiarity with each other as both were at the University of Wisconsin at the same time - Hammock as a graduate assistant at the beginning of his coaching career and Lewis as a player in Madison. 

LAND OF LINCOLN LEADERS: Since 2010, NIU is the winningest of the three FBS program in Illinois with a .647 winning percentage and a 97-53 record. Northwestern comes in with a 81-63 record for a .562 win percentage over the last 11 seasons, while Illinois is 50-89 (.360). The Huskies defeated Northwestern in the most recent meeting in 2014, and dropped a 28-22 decision to Illinois in 2010. 

TAKING TURNS: When you say "next man up" in the Huskie running backs room, it is no cliché - the backs, 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. After running for 210 yards on 33 carries in the win over Bowling Green, the Bellevue, Neb. product went for 183 yards on 31 rushes at Central Michigan. 

ANSWERING THE CALL: Freshman kicker Kanon Woodill was the next man up last game as he learned on Thursday that he would be handling the kicking duties at Central Michigan. He responded by going a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, including the game-winner with 54 seconds to play, making both of his PAT attempts and kicking off eight times. Woodill was named the MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his heroics. 

RUNNIN' WITH THE PACK: It has been five years since the Huskies have run the ball as well as they have in 2021. Through eight games, NIU is averaging 232.8 yards rushing per game to rank 12th in the FBS and first in the MAC. NIU's season-high 319 yards on 59 carries versus Bowling Green marked its first 300-yard rushing game since Oct. 21, 2017 and Huskie rushers are averaging 4.9 yards per carry. 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.
  
DUCK DUCK: Jay Ducker followed up his 33-carry, 210-yard rushing day versus Bowling Green (10/16) by running for 183 yards on 31 carries at Central Michigan. 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. His 393 total yards in back-to-back games has also not been done since Lynch followed up the WMU game with 126 yards in the MAC Championship game versus Bowling Green. 

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 19th in the FBS this season and are the most by a MAC back in 2021. 

100-YARD HABIT: Four different NIU players have run for 100 or more yards in a game seven times this season. Six 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 Jay Ducker running for 210 and 183 yards versus Bowling Green and Central Michigan, respectively. Junior quarterback Rocky Lombardi joined the 100-yard club with 119 yards rushing versus Maine. 

AIR ATTACK: One game after tallying  38 yards on 4-of-8 passing, NIU's passing game was on display at Central Michigan as Rocky Lombardi completed 17-of-27 passes for a career high 348 yards with three touchdowns, including a career-long 75 yard TD pass. The 348 yards rank 12th all-time at NIU and are the most by a Huskie QB since 2015. Lombardi earned his second MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honor. 

DYNAMIC DUO: Wide receivers Trayvon Rudolph and Tyrice Richie accounted for 307 of NIU's 351 receiving yards at Central Michigan with Rudolph catching six passes for a career high 160 yards and Richie making eight catches for 147 yards. Rudolph's day included receptions of 75 and 46 yards, while Richie had a 50-yard grab. The last time NIU had two 100 yard receivers in the same game was on October 12, 2019 versus Ohio by Cole Tucker (118 yards) and Mitchell Brinkman (100).

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 young, yet veteran 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. Behind this group, the Huskies boast the No. 12 rushing offense in the country and rank seventh in fewest sacks allowed. NIU opponents have just five sacks through eight games. 

CONTRASTING NUMBERS: NIU continued its success on fourth down at Central Michigan as the Huskies converted 4-of-5 fourth down tries and are now 12-of-16 on fourth down this season for a 75 percent success rate. Meanwhile, the Huskie defense has also had success on fourth down in 2021 as opponents have been successful on just six-of-18 fourth down tries for a 33 percent mark. 

LONG DRIVES: And we don't mean in yards. Twelve of NIU's scoring drives have lasted at least five minutes, including four drives lasting seven minutes or longer in the last three games. NIU also has 17 drives of 10 plays or more on the season. The Huskies had five drives of 10 or more plays at Central Michigan.  

DEBUTS: Twelve true freshmen have seen action in at least one game in 2021, and running back Antario Brown, cornerback JaVaughn Byrd and linebacker Makhi Nelson Douglas have been in the starting line-up. Defensive tackle Cade Haberman and running back Mason Blakemore have seen the most action of late on defense and offense while other members of the class have seen considerable playing time on special teams. 

"FRESH D": The Huskie defense is one of the youngest units in the nation with 10 second year freshmen and three true freshmen playing key roles across every level. Second year player C.J. Brown leads NIU in tackles from his safety spot, while Ray Thomas has started every game at defensive end. Jashon Prophete earned his first start at safety at CMU as did true freshman Makhi Nelson-Douglas at linebacker and cornerback JaVaught Byrd.  
 
RED ZONE O: NIU ranks fifth in the nation in red zone offense with a .968 (30-of-31) success rate.  The Huskies have scored 17 touchdowns and made 13 field goals in 31 trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line in 2021. NIU's only miss in the red zone came 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. 

GAME-WINNING DRIVES: NIU and Oklahoma lead the FBS in one-score wins with five on the season, and three of the Huskies' wins  have come via late game-winning drives. The Huskies scored a touchdown and a two-point PAT with 38 seconds to play to defeat Georgia Tech, 22-21, beat Toledo, 22-20 with a John Richardson 29-yard field goal with 26 seconds on the clock and saw Kanon Woodill make a 26-yard field goal with 54 seconds to play. 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 and the Woodill field goal finished a 12-play, 62-yard drive in 5:02.   

TAKING A PASS: While rushing for 319 yards on 59 carries versus Bowling Green, 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 that win.
 
SUPER SENIOR: With 40 catches for 480 yards in 2021, senior Tyrice Richie has accounted for 40 percent of NIU's catches and 36 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 25 consecutive games and his 1,492 career receiving yards on 125 catches ranks 21st 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. 

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 eight games, he has a chance to break Andy Dittbenner's 2007 mark for single season punting average (43.5) in his sights. Ference has punted 30 times for a 43.6-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 making two sacks, a pass break up and seven tackles. He tipped the pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Jaden Dolphin. His 42 tackles are a single season career high. 
     
ULTRA-BACK: Senior grad transfer running back Clint Ratkovich added to his team-leading touchdown total with a one-yard plunge at Central Michigan, giving him seven touchdowns (two receiving, five rushing) on the season. Ratkovich also ranks fourth on the team in rushing (231 yards) and catches (7), and is sixth in all-purpose yards (313) 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.

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: The Huskies' five rushing TDs versus Wyoming were the most by NIU in a game since Nov. 1, 2016 versus 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 - 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 threw a pair of touchdown passes. 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, 15 started at NIU as walk-ons. The list includes senior punter Matt Ference, as well as 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.

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. 






 
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