HUSKIE BITES  

• Having earned its first "Boneyard Win" since 2017 with a season-opening victory at Georgia Tech, NIU looks to collect two dog bones in a season for the first time since 2013 in Saturday's game at Michigan. (see chart p. 2) 
• The Huskies' first two games have each been decided in the final minutes.  
  •  -- In the season opener at Georgia Tech, Tyrice Richie made a diving catch of Rocky Lombardi's two-point conversion pass in the back of the end zone with 38 seconds to play, giving the Huskies a 22-21 win.
  • -- Versus Wyoming, NIU came back from 26 points down in the final 20 minutes of the game to take a 43-42 lead before Wyoming scored with 1:35 to play to earn the victory. 
• NIU freshman Harrison Waylee ranks third in the country in rushing yards per game (161.5) after running for 144 and 179 yards, respectively in the Huskies' first two outings, including touchdown runs of 35 and 75 yards. Waylee has four consecutive 100-yard rushing games dating back to last season and has already won the first two MAC West Offensive Player of the Week awards.  
• NIU head coach Thomas Hammock has a strong connection to the Harbaugh family and several coaches on the current Michigan staff as he spent five years as the Baltimore Ravens' running backs coach under head coach John Harbaugh prior to taking over at his alma mater in 2019.  
• NIU and Michigan meet for the second time with the fourth-ranked Wolverines notching a 33-17 win over the Huskies in the 2005 season opener in the only previous meeting. 
• Huskie quarterback Rocky Lombardi is no stranger to Michigan Stadium as the Michigan State transfer led the Spartans to a 27-23 win over Michigan last year, and made his debut there as a redshirt freshman in 2018. 
• The Huskie offense has already proven to be more potent than the 2020 version; NIU's six rushing TDs this year are one less than the seven totaled in six games in 2020; the Huskies had just one game with more than 156 yards rushing last year, and have surpassed that in each of its first two games of.  
• With players retaining their eligibility from a year ago, NIU's 2021 roster features 87 players classified as "freshmen." That group includes 44 newcomers, 33 "COVID" (second year) freshmen and 10 redshirt freshmen.

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  NIU FOOTBALL FACTS  

Head Coach: Thomas Hammock (NIU '02)
Record at NIU/Years: 6-14/1
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: 593-508-51
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)
 

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  MICHIGAN FACTS  

Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Jim Harbaugh (Michigan/1982)
Record at Michigan/Years: 51-22/7
Career Record/Years: 108-49/14
2020 Record: 2-4
Big Ten Conference Record/Finish: 2-4/Sixth
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Enrollment: 46,710
Conference: Big Ten, East 
Colors: Maize and Blue 
Stadium: Michigan Stadium
Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /107,601
President: Mark Schlissel
Athletic Director: Warde Manuel
Athletics Website: mgoblue.com
Twitter: @umichfootball
Ticket Information: 866-296-6849

Michigan Schedule & Results
 

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  NIU-MICHIGAN SERIES  

Overall: Michigan leads 1-0
In Ann Arbor: Michigan leads 1-0
In DeKalb: 0-0
Streak: Michigan, 1
Last Game: 2005 - UM 33, NIU 17 (A)


 

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  FOLLOW THE HUSKIES  

TV: NIU-MICHIGAN ON BTN

• The NIU-Michigan game will be available on Big Ten Network as NIU makes its 10th appearance on the network all-time and first since 2018. 
• To find the channel in your area, go to the channel finder at BTN.com or watch on the Fox Sports app if BTN is part of your cable package.
• Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and James Laurinaitis (analyst) will be on the call along with sideline reporter Rick Pizzo on Saturday.

RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK

• The Huskie Sports Radio Network broadcast for the 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 completes his 36th consecutive season, 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 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.  

NEW! 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.

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  NOTING NIU  

SETTING THE STAGE: NIU (1-1) makes its final non-conference road trip of 2021 Saturday as the Huskies take on No. 25 Michigan (2-0)  in Michigan Stadium for the second time in school history. The Huskies' first two games of 2021 have both been decided on the final drive with NIU winning at Georgia Tech on a two-point conversion catch by Tyrice Richie with 38 seconds remaining, while Wyoming scored with 1:35 to play to hand the Huskies a 50-43 home loss last week. 

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 return to a full 12-game slate in 2021. The Huskies faced their five MAC West foes and played one crossover game versus the East Division in 2020. While teams across the country saw games cancelled due to COVID-19, NIU went through the entire season without one player contracting the coronavirus.  

LAST WEEK: NIU staged an epic, 27-point comeback in its home opener versus Wyoming, only to see the Cowboys score the go-ahead touchdown with 1:35 to play to claim a 50-43 win at Huskie Stadium. NIU trailed 42-16 with 6:03 to play in the third quarter before putting together four straight touchdown drives, including TD runs of 75 and 14 yards by Harrison Waylee in the space of 13 seconds - thanks to a Ray Thomas fumble recovery. After Clint Ratkovich scored his third touchdown of the game on a three-yard rush with 4:56 to play, John Richardson's PAT gave NIU its first lead of the day at 43-42. Wyoming responded with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and NIU was unable to get closer than the Cowboys' 46 in the final 1:27.    

ADDING TO THE BONEYARD:  With its 22-21 win over Georgia Tech in the 2021 season opener, NIU claimed its 17th "Boneyard Win," which are ?wins over prominent opponents and teams from leagues now designated as "Power 5." The Boneyard tradition began in 1983 with a win over Kansas and NIU has collected nine Boneyard Wins in the last 12 years. NIU has seven Boneyard Wins over Big Ten teams all-time, most recently with a 21-17 win over Nebraska on Sept. 16, 2017 when the Huskies became the first Mid-American Conference team to win in Lincoln. 
 
BIG RUN AT THE BIG HOUSE: In NIU's only previous game at Michigan, NIU Hall of Famer Garrett Wolfe provided a memorable moment for the Huskies in a 33-17 loss with a 76-yard touchdown run to highlight a 148-yard rushing day for the NIU tailback. Wolfe, who went on to rank second in the country in rushing yards per game that season, totaled 179 all-purpose yards and quarterback Phil Horvath completed 17-of-25 passes for 200 yards to lead NIU, while Dustin Utschig made a game-high 13 tackles. NIU was done in by five turnovers, including four fumbles, as Michigan took a 27-10 halftime lead. The Huskies held up in the second half as the Wolverines did not reach the end zone, scoring six points on a pair of field goals while A.J. Harris scored on a three-yard run.     

RANKED FOE: With Michigan entering the national rankings at No. 25 this week, the Huskies will take on a ranked opponent for the 39th time in school history (FBS) and for the first time since Sept. 7, 2019 when NIU dropped a 35-17 decision to No. 14 Utah. NIU's last win versus a ranked team was a 32-27 win over No. 20 Toledo on Nov. 3, 2015. The Huskies' last win over a ranked non-conference foe was a 19-16 win over No. 21 Alabama on Sept. 20, 2003. Among the Huskies' 32 losses versus ranked teams was the 33-17 loss to No. 4 Michigan the last time these teams met.   

LAND OF LINCOLN LEADERS: Since 2010, NIU is the winningest of the three FBS program in Illinois with a .639 winning percentage and a 92-52 record. Northwestern comes in with a 80-59 record for a .575 win percentage over the last 11 seasons, while Illinois is 48-86 (.358). The Huskies defeated Northwestern in the teams' 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.

NIU VS. THE B1G: Although NIU has just eight wins all-time versus teams from the Big Ten Conference, six of those wins have come in the Huskies' last 12 games versus Big Ten teams, dating back to a 28-21 win at Purdue on Sept. 19, 2009.  Since a 21-17 win at Nebraska on Sept. 16, 2017 - its last Big Ten win - NIU has lost to Big Ten foes Iowa (2018) and Nebraska (2019). NIU is 8-38-1 all-time versus teams that currently make up the Big Ten Conference and has faced at least one Big Ten opponent in 11 of the last 13 seasons (with no non-conference games played in 2020).  

HAMMOCK AND THE HARBAUGHS: NIU head coach Thomas Hammock has a close connection to the Harbaugh family after spending five seasons (2014-18) as running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens under head coach John Harbaugh where he helped them to a pair of playoff berths and coached running backs like Pro Bowler Justin Forsett and Kyle Juszczyk . Hammock counts John Harbaugh among his coaching mentors.    

A FLOCK OF RAVENS: The NIU-Michigan game reunites five former members of John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens staff.  NIU head coach Thomas Hammock (Ravens RBs, 2014-18) and NIU Director of Sports Performance for Football Juney Barnett (Asst. S&C, 2012-19) worked with current Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald (DBs/LBs 2014-20), Wolverines quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss (2009-20) and UM tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh (Off. Quality Control, 2012-14) in Baltimore. Weiss took over as running backs coach in Baltimore after Hammock took the job as NIU's head coach.

NO STRANGER: Quarterback Rocky Lombardi is no stranger to Michigan Stadium as the Iowa native will make his third appearance in Ann Arbor Saturday, his first in a Huskie uniform after transferring to NIU from Michigan State in January 2021. Lombardi has a rare chance to record back-to-back wins over Michigan at the Big House after leading the Spartans to a 27-23 win there on October 31, 2020. Lombardi was 17-of-32 for a career high 323 yards in that game with three passing TDs, while rushing for 19 yards on five carries to earn Manning Award National QB of the Week honors. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, Lombardi's first pass attempt and completion came versus Michigan as he quarterbacked MSU on its final drive.      

HE'S NO ROOKIE: Quarterback Rocky Lombardi came to NIU as a well-seasoned veteran with nine starts in 22 games over the last 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.

MICHIGAN MEN: NIU's 2021 roster includes 10 players from Michigan with eight of the 10 recruited by the current coaching staff. Redshirt junior tight end Liam Soraghan (Dearborn/Divine Child HS) is the veteran, followed by junior cornerback Zhamaine March (Detroit/East English Village Prep). Defensive tackle James Ester (Detroit/Cass Tech), one of the first players to commit to the Huskies and Hammock, is a third year redshirt freshman, while QB Dustin Fletcher (Flint/Carman-Ainsworth HS), safety C.J. Brown (Canton/Walled Lake Western HS) and defensive end Ivan Davis (Canton/Plymouth HS) were part of the 2020 class now in their second years at NIU. Of the 2021 newcomers from Michigan - WR Alex Crawford (Macomb/Dakota HS), TE Blake Kosin (Davisburg, Mich./Clarkston HS), DE Jaden Wilson (Detroit/Renaissance HS) and S Muhammad Jammeh (Detroit/Renaissance HS) - Jammeh is the first to see action, as a member of the Huskies' special teams.
 
PREP CROSSOVER: Eight Huskies, including six of NIU's Michigan natives, share high school alma maters with players on the opposite sideline this weekend. The high schools with players on both rosters (NIU name in parens) include Michigan's Divine Child (Liam Soraghan), Cass Tech (James Ester), Walled Lake Western (C.J. Brown), Detroit Renaissance (Muhammad Jammeh/Jaden Wilson), Clarkston (Blake Kosin), Lincoln Way East (Mason Pierre-Antoine) in Illinois and St. Thomas Aquinas (Lance Deveaux Jr.).  

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 under Hammock that NIU has selected captains prior to the season.   

GO YOUR OWN WAY(LEE): Second year freshman Harrison Waylee earned his second consecutive MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honor after rushing for 179 yards on 26 carries versus Wyoming to power the Huskies' comeback. After carrying the ball eight times for minus three yards in the first half, Waylee averaged more than 10 yards per carry in the second half with two touchdowns. His 75-yard touchdown run was the longest by a Huskie since Oct. 1, 2016. He scored again just 13 seconds later on a 14-yard run after the NIU defense forced a turnover. 

WAY(LEE) TO GO: Tailback Harrison Waylee has recorded four consecutive 100-yard rushing games, setting career highs in each subsequent game. The streak began with a 114-yard game versus Toledo on Dec. 5, 2020. He gained 122 yards at Eastern Michigan on Dec. 12, then picked up 144 yards in the 2021 season opener at Georgia Tech. The last Huskie with at least four consecutive 100-yard rushing games was Joel Bouagnon, who recorded four straight 100-yard days from Oct. 3-24, 2015.  

JACK OF ALL TRADES: Senior running back Clint Ratkovich scored three rushing touchdowns versus Wyoming, the most in a single game by a Huskie since Jordan Huff versus Eastern Michigan in 2016.  Ratkovich, a senior grad transfer from Western Illinois, leads NIU with four TDs on the year. The strongest player on the Huskie team with a 607-pound squad and a 409 bench press, Ratkovich was a two-time first team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference player for WIU who compiled 1,204 receiving yards on 128 catches and rushed for 429 yards on 97 carries in three seasons. 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: After recording just seven rushing scores in six games a year ago, Waylee and Ratkovich have combined for six rushing touchdowns in NIU's first two games of 2021. The Huskies' five rushing TDs versus Wyoming were the most by NIU in a game since Nov. 1, 2016 versus Bowling Green.

BIG PLAY HUSKIES: With four rushing plays of 25 yards or longer already in 2021 - including touchdown runs of 75 and 35 yards by Harrison Waylee and a 52-yard run by Clint Ratkovich - NIU has more long runs than in the entire 2020 season. The Huskies' longest rush a year ago went just 28 yards. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi has four passing plays of longer than 25 yards, including completions of 39 (to Tyrice Richie) and 40 (to Trayvon Rudolph) yards. In two games, NIU already has 10 long plays, nearly halfway to last year's season total of 22. 

TWO DO: Thomas Hammock's decision to go for two to win the Georgia Tech game after scoring with 38 seconds to play should not have been a surprise. Under Hammock, NIU has attempted 10 two-point PATs and converted four, including a 50 percent mark (2-4) in 2020. The popularity of two-point tries is a fairly new phenomenon. Prior to 2018 (when NIU went 1-for-5 on two point conversion tries), the Huskies' last successful two-point PAT was in 2011. 

MAC SWEEP: NIU made a clean sweep of the MAC West Division Player of the Week honors after the win over Georgia Tech as freshman tailback Harrison Waylee earned the Offensive Player of the Week honor, senior linebacker Lance Deveaux Jr. named the Defensive Player of the Week and senior punter Matt Ference the Special Teams POTW. It was the first "sweep" of the MAC Weekly awards for NIU since Sept. 24, 2004 when Garrett Wolfe (offense), Javan Lee (defense) and Chris Nendick (special teams) were winners after NIU's 34-17 victory over Bowling Green. NIU did not have a player win a MAC Weekly award in 2020. 

ALL THE RECORDS: Fifth-year punter Matt Ference already holds nearly every NIU season and career punting record. His 274 career punts have traveled just under 6.5 miles (that's 11,377 yards). Nearly a third of his punts (88) have forced opponents to start inside their own 20 yard line and he picked up his fifth MAC Player of the Week honor this season after twice pinning Georgia Tech inside its 10-yard line. The only single season record left standing is Andy Dittbenner's 2007 mark for single season average (43.5). 

'BACKER IS BACK!: In just the second game he has played since 2018, linebacker Lance Deveaux Jr. made a career high 13 tackles to lead a strong defensive effort versus the Yellow Jackets and earn his first MAC Player of the Week honor. After suffering a season ending injury prior to the 2019 season, Deveaux went down again in practices between the first and second games last year. Now he is back as the "elder statesman" and team captain for the NIU defense. He made a career high 67 stops in 2018.
 
SACK STORY: NIU's four sacks at Georgia Tech were the most by the Huskie defense since the 2018 MAC Championship game win over Buffalo - a span of 18 games. Five different Huskies were in on the sacks, including solo efforts by Daveren Rayner, Pierce Oppong and Dillon Thomas. On the other side of the line, NIU did not give up a sack to the Jackets, the first time since the 2019 Toledo game (Nov. 13) that the Huskies did not surrender a sack. 

SUPER SENIOR: Wide receiver Tyrice Richie returns for his third year at NIU after a breakout season in 2020 led to first team All-MAC honors. Richie totaled nearly 600 receiving yards in NIU's six games last year and led the MAC in catches per game with 8.8. With 100-yard games versus Ball State, Western Michigan and Toledo, Richie was the first NIU player since 2001 to post three consecutive 100-yard receiving games and was the first player since current New York Giants receiver Kenny Golladay with four 100-yard games in a season. He leads NIU with eight catches for 110 yards in the Huskies' first two games of 2021. 

SUCCESS STORY: Tyrice Richie achieved another milestone as he is NIU's 2021 nominee 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. 

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 who already has two degrees. The list is topped by punter Matt Ference, who is currently pursuing his third degree from NIU. 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.

NEW TO NIU: All told, NIU brought in eight transfers for 2021. In addition to QB Rocky Lombardi and running back Clint Ratkovich, Braxton Chapman (Youngstown State), Nate Valcarcel (South Dakota) and Dayven Shinhoster (Nebraska-Kearney), have seen action on special teams for NIU, while tight end Miles Joiner caught a touchdown pass at Georgia Tech. 

FIRST-TIMERS: Seven players made their first career starts for NIU at Georgia Tech. On offense, transfers Rocky Lombardi (QB) and Miles Joiner (TE) were joined by third-year redshirt freshmen Messiah Travis (WR) and J.J. Lippe (OG). On defense, second-year freshmen Devonte O'Malley (DT) and Eric Rogers (CB) were first-time starters along with redshirt junior DE Michael Kennedy. Last week at Wyoming, tight end Tristen Tewes joined the first-time starters club.

DEBUT-DOGS: A year ago, 10 true freshmen started at least two games for the Huskies and 21 saw action during the COVID-19 shortened season. Through two games this season, just three true freshmen - JaVaughn Byrd, Cade Haberman and George Gumbs - have played with both Byrd and Gumbs making their impact on special teams.   

FR.-C: NIU's roster includes 33 "COVID" or second year freshmen, designated as Fr.-C on NIU printed materials. The team's 87 total "freshmen" includes 2020 and 2021 high school grads, as well as redshirt freshmen who played in four or less games in 2019. Eighteen COVID-19 freshmen saw action during NIU's six-game 2020 season, and six started four or more of the Huskies' games. 

WALK-ON U: Thomas Hammock has made a habit of rewarding players who walk-on to the Huskie program with scholarships. The list of former walk-ons includes senior punter Matt Ference, holder of nearly every NIU punting record, and current starters Nick Rattin, Devonte O'Malley, 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.