DeKALB, Ill. – Three weeks away from the 2021 season opener, Northern Illinois University head football coach Thomas Hammock put his team through its most intense scrimmage of the preseason Saturday during a two-and-a-half hour practice at Huskie Stadium.
 
For the first time, the Huskies were divided into Cardinal and Black teams for the 120-play scrimmage with the first and second team players playing together on the Cardinal squad. Hammock said the idea to implement this format stemmed from his time coaching in the NFL.  
 
"The way we set the scrimmage up, we wanted to set it up like a game," he said. "We go offense versus defense every day. During my time with the NFL, we had preseason games and guys learned how to become a team. Today we went Cardinal versus Black, we separated the ones and twos [onto one team] and what you saw was the defense cheering on the offense and the offense cheering on the defense.  That helps us on September 4th when we become one team."
 
With several players sitting out the scrimmage to save the wear and tear on their bodies in preparation for the season – including tailback Harrison Waylee (Johnston, Iowa/Urbandale HS), safety Devin Lafayette (Brunswick, Ga./Brunswick HS) and linebacker Lance Deveaux Jr. (Pompano Beach, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) – freshman Jay Ducker (Bellevue, Neb./Bellevue West HS) scored twice during red zone situations, and quarterback Rocky Lombardi (Clive, Iowa/Valley HS) connected with tight ends Liam Soraghan (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child HS) and Miles Joiner (Dayton, Ohio/Butler HS) for scores. Freshman Ethan Hampton (Elburn, Ill./Aurora Christiaan HS) led the second team offense throughout the scrimmage and twice connected with Trayvon Rudolph (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee HS) for early touchdowns. Lombardi also hit Rudolph on a 60-plus yard completion late in the workout.  
 
Hammock was pleased with the operation and production he saw from the offense on Saturday.
 
"The quarterback gives us a chance to operate the offense the way we want to operate it," Hammock said. "He gets us in the right checks, gets us in the right calls, he's an extension of the coaching staff. The offensive line is being physical, the backs are playing hard, and the receivers are making plays. Miles Joiner is a difference maker, he helps us in the run game and the pass game and he's a big, big man."
 
Meanwhile, the defense was able to effectively stop the Black team offense early with Raishein Thomas' (Racine, Wis./Washington Park HS) 65-yard fumble return touchdown highlighting their effort. The Black offense was able to put together a pair of touchdowns in the "second half" of the scrimmage behind the running of freshman tailback Mason Blakemore (O'Fallon, Mo./Centralia [Ill.] HS). 
 
"I thought early in the scrimmage, the defense dominated which we expected, but then later on, we saw a young guy like Mason Blakemore make some plays for the Black team," Hammock said.
 
Following the scrimmage, Blakemore was informed that he had earned a scholarship for his work through the first 10 days of camp.
 
"Every day in practice, he's proven he's a scholarship player," Hammock said. "Recruiting is not an exact science and how that kid comes here with no scholarship offers is unbelievable. We asked him to walk on, he did and he's proven to be in the mix where he can compete for snaps. We've got some good backs, but when you have a talent like that who puts in the work, you want to keep them. He earned it, he earned it the hard way and his family should be very proud of him."
 
Hammock said Saturday's scrimmage will be the most extensive of camp as the focus turns to preparing for Georgia Tech, formulating the depth chart and continuing to get as much out of practice as possible.
 
"In a scrimmage like this, you want to see how people play for four quarters," Hammock said. "Today with the volume of plays, we wanted to test them, we wanted to stress them, then when you get to a game like situation, they're ready.  We just scrimmaged for 120 plays, so a 60-70 play game should be no problem.  
 
"Every day we go ones against ones and good against good, and we get more out of that, out of practice, than we do out of getting guys tackled," Hammock said. "We're going to go back, evaluate each snap and from there, we'll start getting guys in position to be able to play."
 
NIU returns to the practice field Sunday morning in short and helmets. Practices are open to the public and fans in attendance are asked to remain in the West Stands and not to post any photos or videos of practice. For a complete preseason camp schedule, go to 2021 Camp Central on NIUHuskies.com.
 
NIU opens the season at Georgia Tech on September 4 before welcoming fans back to the stands at full capacity in Huskie Stadium beginning with the home opener versus Wyoming on September 11. Kickoff for the game is at 12:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will honor First Responders and Health Care Heroes, while also serving as a Welcome Back Fans celebration.
 
Single game and season tickets, as well as mini-plans and Family Packs, are on sale for the six 2021 NIU Football home games with season ticket prices as low as $85. Purchase a minimum of four tickets for all six games via the Family Pack for just $90 per ticket (in sections B and F) or $66 per ticket (in sections A and G). Three-game or four-game mini-plans are also available with Mission's 3-Game Mini-Plan priced at $79 (including processing), while Victor E.'s 4-Game Mini-Plan is $107. Single game ticket prices vary depending on location and game (Saturday or MACtion). In 2021, the cost of parking in the NIU Convocation Center is included in the price of tickets, making Huskie Football tickets an even greater value than ever before.
 
To see all the ticket options and prices, and for more information on premium seating, see the Football Ticket Page at NIUHuskies.com. To purchase tickets, call 815-753-PACK (7225) or go to NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies.
 
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