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Devonte O'Malley
Scott Walstrom, NIU

Huskies Take on Tulsa in First Road Test of 2022

Kickoff Set for 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+ from Chapman Stadium

September 6

 
FB22 - Tulsa game header
 
 

  HUSKIE BITES  

  • The NIU Huskies play the first road game of the season at Tulsa as NIU plays in Oklahoma - and takes on the Golden Hurricane - for the first time. 
  • NIU opened the season with a 34-27 win over Eastern Illinois in Huskie Stadium. The Huskies opened a 28-6 lead through the first 39 minutes of the game before EIU battled back in the final quarter.
  • The Huskies are the defending Mid-American Conference Champions and are one of just five teams from a non-autonomous (Group of 5) league with 100 or more wins since 2010. and enter the Tulsa game with 101.  NIU was selected by the league media and coaches to claim the MAC West title (see polls page 2). 
  • Already an experienced team with 22 players who have started a majority of NIU's games over the last two seasons, three key returnees made an impact last week. Running back Harrison Waylee and cornerback Eric Rogers both returned after missing the last nine games of 2021, while linebacker Kyle Pugh was in the line-up after sitting out the entire 2021 campaign due to injury.
  • Eric Rogers celebrated his return with a pair of interceptions versus Eastern Illinois to earn MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors. Rogers became the first Huskie in 38 games - since Jalen McKie versus Akron in 2018 - to intercept two passes in a game.  
  • NIU head coach Thomas Hammock, a two-time first team CoSIDA Academic All-American who rushed for over 1,000 yards to lead the Huskies in both 2000 and 2001, begins his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater. Hammock, a finalist for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honors a year ago, will be inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame on October 8.        
  • Linebacker Kyle Pugh has made NCAA FBS history as he is back for his eighth season at  NIU. Pugh saw his 2017 and 2019 seasons cut short, missed 2021 with a knee injury sustained in the spring, and earned the COVID-19 "re-do" for 2020. He earned All-MAC honors in 2018 and 2020 and returned to the starting line-up versus Eastern Illinois, and made eight tackles.    
  • After earning the 600th win in school history a year ago, NIU will reach another milestone in 2022 when it plays the 300th game at Huskie Stadium on Nov. 2 versus Central Michigan. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of NIU's 2012 season which ended with a historic appearance in the Orange Bowl.  

  NIU FOOTBALL FACTS  

Head Coach:Thomas Hammock (NIU '02)
Record at NIU/Years: 15-18/3
Career Record/Years: Same
Basic Offense/Defense: Multiple/4-2-5
First Year of Football: 1899
2021 Record/MAC Record/Finish: 9-5/6-2/1st
All-Time Record: 602-512-51
Last Bowl Game: 2021 Tailgreeter Cure Bowl (Coastal Carolina 47, NIU 41)
Bowl Appearances (FBS): 14
MAC Championship Appearances, Last: 9, 2021
MAC Championships, Last: 6, 2021
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 52/15
Starters Returning: 22 (8 offense, 13 defense, 1 specialist)
Starters Lost: 7 (3 offense, 2 defense, 2 specialists)
 

  TULSA FACTS  

Head Coach (Alma Mater/Year): Philip Montgomery (Tarleton/1995)
Record at Tulsa/Years: 38-47/8 Years
Career Record/Years: Same
2021 Record: 7-6
AAC Record/Finish: 5-3/T-3rd
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Enrollment: 3,705
Conference: American Athletic
Colors: Old Gold, Royal Blue, Crimson 
Stadium: Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium
    Surface/Capacity: FieldTurf /30,000
President: Brad Carson, J.D.
Athletic Director: Rick Dickson
Athletics Website: TulsaHurricane.com
Twitter: @TulsaFootball

Golden Hurricane Schedule & Results
 
 

  NIU-TULSA SERIES  

First Meeting
 
 

  FOLLOW THE HUSKIES  

TV: NIU-TULSA ON ESPN+
  • The NIU-Tulsa game will be streamed on ESPN+, accessible via the ESPN App available on both iOS and Android devices, desktop and TV-connected devices (e.g. Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV).
  • Subscriptions to ESPN+ are available on both a monthly and annual basis and can be used on up to five streaming devices simultaneously.
  • James Westling (play-by-play) and LaDarrin McClane (color analyst) will be on the call for ESPN+ Saturday.
RADIO: HUSKIE SPORTS NETWORK
  • The Huskie Sports Radio Network coverage for the Tulsa game begins 90 minutes before kickoff, at 4:30 p.m. (CT), on 94-9 WDKB with the Toyota Pre-Game Party.
  • Coverage on WDKB, as well as NIU network affiliates AM 560 The Answer (Chicago) and SportsFan AM 1330 begins 30 minutes before the game, at 5:30 pm (CT).
  • 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 begins his 43rd season as the radio play-by-play "Voice of the Huskies." Color analyst Mark Lindo is alongside for the the 37th consecutive season, while Andy Garcia begins his 10th year on the NIU sidelines. 
INSIDE HUSKIE FOOTBALL RADIO SHOW
  • Fans are invited to attend the one-hour weekly show every week at 1 p.m. in the Novak Room at Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb (1312 W. Lincoln Hwy).
  • Shows will take place on Thursdays in September and October. 
  • Listen live on the NIU Huskies or The Varsity Network mobile app and hear the show on the same day at 6 pm on SportsFan AM 1330 in Rockford.
  • Host Andy Garcia 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 NIU football personnel, including head coach Thomas Hammock, assistant coaches and players, as well as NIU administrators, coaches and student-athletes from other sports programs. 
  • Watch new episodes on the NIU Athletics YouTube Channel on Thursdays. 
  • The show is hosted by Andy Garcia.
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 or go to YouTube.com/NIUAthleticsOfficial. 
  • 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  

OFF TO OKLAHOMA: The Northern Illinois University Huskies play the first of six road games in 2022 when they travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a Saturday night match-up with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. NIU was 4-2 on the road in 2021 and 5-3 (including a 1-1 record in neutral site games) away from Huskie Stadium. The defending Mid-American Conference Champions are coming off a 9-5 season a year ago and went 2-2 in non-conference play.

LAST TIME OUT: The Huskies opened the 2022 season with a 34-27 win over Eastern Illinois on Thursday, September 1 at Huskie Stadium. NIU led 28-6 with six minutes to play in the third quarter on the strength of three rushing touchdowns by three different NIU running backs and a Rocky Lombardi to Liam Soraghan 13-yard pass. EIU scored three touchdowns, the last with two minutes left, while NIU added two John Richardson field goals. The Panthers' final drive ended at the NIU 44-yard line as time expired. 

ONE SCORE WIN, AGAIN: A year ago, the Huskies played in 10 games decided by eight points or less, and won seven of those, including four wins by two points or less. The trend continued in the season opener as NIU earned a seven-point win over Eastern Illinois, stopping the Panthers at the NIU 36-yard line as time expired.  

TULSA TIME: NIU and Tulsa play for the first time Saturday as the game at Chapman Stadium is the first of a home-and-home series between the teams. The series was part of the last group announced as part of the 2014 "SchedulePalooza" during which athletic director Sean Frazier announced home-and-home match-ups with seven different teams. SchedulePalooza series already completed include BYU, Utah, Boston College, South Florida and San Diego State. The Golden Hurricane are scheduled to play at Huskie Stadium in 2023. 

OKIE-DOKIE: NIU plays in Oklahoma for the first time in school history when the Huskies travel to Tulsa for Saturday's game. NIU has only played one game against a team from Oklahoma in its history, falling to Oklahoma State 31-14, in the 1994 season opener. That game was played on a Thursday night in DeKalb. The Huskies have never faced Oklahoma and play Tulsa for the first time this week. 

TULSA TIES: Trey and Quinn Urwiler will see a familiar face across the sidelines in former Batavia teammate Nick Rempert, a junior wide receiver for the Hurricane, while NIU Senior Associate Athletic Director TJ Feuerbach will be reunited with several former coworkers as he served as Associate AD for Development at Tulsa prior to his arrival at NIU in 2017. While not specifically tied to Tulsa, the game provides an opportunity for Huskie great and Oklahoma native LeShon Johnson, who led the nation in rushing and was a unanimous All-American in 1993, to make the in-state trip to see the Huskies.   

AGAINST THE AMERICAN: NIU Is 7-9 all-time against teams from the American Athletic Conference. The Huskies have played four games all-time versus both Temple, a former Mid-American Conference foe, and USF and has won three of four versus the Owls, while going 1-3 against USF. The Huskies are 2-1 against UCF, another former MAC team. NIU has dropped both of its games with Navy, is 0-1 versus East Carolina and 1-1 against Cincinnati. The Huskies last faced an AAC team in 2016, a 48-17 loss at USF. 

LAND OF LINCOLN LEADERS: Since 2010, NIU is the winningest football program among the state of Illinois' seven Division I football programs. During that time, the Huskies are 1-1 versus their fellow in-state FBS programs with a 2014 win over Northwestern and a 2010 loss at Illinois. NIU is 4-1 versus in-state FCS opponents over the last 12 seasons, including last week's win over Eastern Illinois. With nine bowl games and eight MAC Championship game appearances in the last 12 years, NIU has played more games, 156, than any other school in the state.

Illinois' Division I Schools Since 2010
Team W L Pct.
NIU 101 55 .647
Illinois State 83 56 .597
Northwestern* 83 67 .553
Southern Illinois 62 75 .452
Eastern Illinois 53 81 .395
Western Illinois 52 84 .382
Illinois         54 92 .370

AMONG THE BEST: NIU is one of just 19 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams and one of five teams from a non-autonomous (Group of 5) league to enter the 2022 season with 100 or more wins since 2010. The Huskies are now 101-55 over the last 12 years for a .647 winning percentage. NIU's 156 games played during that time ranks tied for seventh in the nation and are the most by any Group of 5 team.

HISTORY-MAKING: In 2021, NIU became the first team in FBS history to win its conference championship game one season after going winless. The Huskies went 0-6 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, with three of the losses by one score. NIU's nine-win improvement was the largest one-year jump in school history. 

CHAMPS, AGAIN: With its 41-23 win over Kent State in the 2021 Rocket Mortgage MAC Championship game, NIU's five MAC Championship game victories are more than any other current league member. NIU has made a record nine appearances in the game, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021. NIU has won six Mid-American Conference titles all-time, as the Huskies' first MAC crown came in 1983 under head coach Bill Mallory before the days of conference championship games.

ONE OF A KIND: Northern Illinois University linebacker Kyle Pugh holds the unique distinction as the first player in FBS history to play eight years of college football - although due to a series of different injuries, he has not actually played in all eight seasons. Pugh, who is earning his second master's degree, signed with the Huskies in February 2015 and redshirted as a freshman. Pugh was an all-conference player in 2018 and 2020. Pugh has been at NIU through three presidential administrations, four bowl games and three MAC Championship games. His freshmen teammates were in sixth grade when he arrived at NIU.  

FINE FORM: In his first game since 2020 and in his eighth season as a Huskie, linebacker Kyle Pugh made eight tackles in the season opener versus Eastern Illinois to up his career total to 194 career tackles. He has 12.5 career tackles for loss and three sacks in 35 games with 24 starts. Pugh's most successful season came in 2018 when he made 106 tackles, 63 solo with five tackles for loss in 13 games. 

THE POWER OF 3: NIU's three-man rotation was on display in the Huskies' season opener as sophomore running backs Antario Brown, Mason Blakemore and Harrison Waylee all scored first half rushing touchdowns and showed their big-play ability. Waylee set up his own two-yard rushing touchdown with a 54-yard pick-up to the Eastern Illinois two-yard line. Blakemore eluded multiple tacklers with some nifty moves en route to the end zone on a 19-yard run, and Brown broke free for a 35-yard score. On the night, the three totaled 188 rushing yards on 32 carries for an average 5.9 yards per rush. NIU did not have three running backs score in any game last year. 

WELCOME BACK: Harrison Waylee, a third-year sophomore, made his return to the Huskie backfield after missing the last nine games of 2021 due to an injury suffered in the Eastern Michigan game on Oct. 2. Waylee ran for 574 yards on 101 carries while starting the first five games last season and came into the 2022 season with 1,030 career yards on 208 carries in 11 games. He opened last season with 144 yards on 27 carries in NIU's season-opening win over Georgia Tech and followed that with 179 yards versus Wyoming. 

MR. ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD: After missing the last nine games of last season due to injury, sophomore cornerback Eric Rogers enjoyed a successful return to action as he picked off Eastern Illinois quarterback Jonah O'Brien twice in the Huskies' 34-27 win. Rogers INTs were the first of his NIU career. The first gave NIU possession in Panthers' territory and preceded Antario Brown's 35-yard touchdown run, while the second came inside the Huskies' five-yard line to stop an EIU drive. Rogers' performance earned MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors.  

RAYNER SHINES: Sophomore linebacker Daveren Rayner made a team-best 14 tackles Thursday night to establish a new career high in his 15th career game.  NIU linebackers went over the 10-tackle mark five times a year ago. In his 10th career start, Rayner doubled his previous career high number of seven stops. 

SHEMAR-VELOUS DEBUT: Senior wide receiver Shemar Thornton, a transfer from Florida International University, had an impressive Huskie debut with six catches for 81 yards versus Eastern Illinois to lead NIU. Thornton caught a 38-yard pass to convert a third-and-10 play in the fourth quarter to keep a NIU drive alive and also recorded catches of 19 and 14 yards as he averaged 13.5 yards per catch in the game. 

LONG DISTANCE BACK: NIU running back Antario Brown scored his sixth career touchdown versus Eastern Illinois with a 35-yard run, hitting almost exactly the 35.2 average length of his six touchdown runs. Five of Brown's six TDs have come on runs of at least 35 yards with the lone exception a seven-yard touchdown run in the Cure Bowl game versus Coastal Carolina. Last year, he scored from 37 yards out at Toledo, on a 47-yard run at Buffalo and had TD runs of 44 and 41 yards versus Western Illinois in addition to the Cure Bowl score. 

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: Quarterback Rocky Lombardi completed 63 percent (14-of-22) of his passes versus Eastern Illinois and hit 8-of-12 passes through the first three quarters. Lombardi's percentage was well ahead of his 2021 season mark of 58.3. He completed more than 60 percent of his passes in six games last year. 

WORTH THE WAIT: Sixth-year senior tight end Liam Soraghan scored his first career touchdown last week when he caught a pass over the middle at the seven-yard line from his roommate, quarterback Rocky Lombardi, and rumbled into the end zone for a 13-yard score. The Michigan native, whose four career catches all came last season, was playing in his 34th career game for the Huskies versus EIU. His TD set off a jubilant celebration among his NIU teammates. 

RETRO REFIT UNIS: The "Retro-Refit" jersey NIU wore versus Eastern Illinois featured both the script "Huskies" and the "Fighting Huskie" logo used from 1967-87. The Huskies' helmets also had the Fighting Huskie logo as a decal. The "retro" Fighting Huskie has made a return to NIU over the last several years. NIU is auctioning off the Retro Refit jerseys to benefit the Huskie Athletic Fund. The auction will run through Friday night, September 9 at 5 pm (CT). To place your bid, go to 2022NIUJerseys.givesmart.com. 

NEW TO NIU: Five players who transferred to NIU this year made their Huskie debuts versus Eastern Illinois with two – wide receiver Shemar Thornton (FIU) and defensive end Izayah Green-May (Wisconsin) – in the starting line-up. Thornton led the Huskies in receiving with six catches for 81 yards. Green-May was in on a tackle for loss, while Quinn Urwiler (North Dakota) made two stops on special teams. Joey Rattin (Upper Iowa) saw action on special teams and Kacper Rutkiewicz (Illinois State) was in on both special teams and on offense. Punter Tom Foley, who transferred to NIU from Minnesota in 2021, saw his first playing time as the Huskies' starting punter and holder. In all, eight players who started their collegiate careers elsewhere are listed on the two-deep. 

TRUE FROSH IN ACTION: NIU 22 players - eight on offense, 14 on defense and one specialist - who started at least seven games in 2021 on the 2022 roster, just two true freshmen saw action versus Eastern Illinois. Both safety Trey Porter and linebacker Rashon Myles Jr. got into the opening game on special teams.

KICKING IT: NIU kicker John Richardson added 10 points with two field goals and four PATs in the season opener to put his career total at 225 points, 45 field goals and 90 PATs. He ranks sixth in most points scored kicking, 28 points away from fifth on the all-time list, is fifth in field goals made and seventh in PATs made. He entered the season first or tied for first on the Huskies' career lists for field goal percentage (.796) and PAT percentage (1.000)

LEAD DOGS: Six players were elected team captains for 2022 by their teammates. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi, linebacker Nick Rattin and defensive tackle James Ester (DT) were named captains for the second straight season. Also selected were linebacker and eighth-year senior Kyle Pugh, offensive tackle Nolan Potter and sophomore defensive back Jashon Prophete, named special teams captain. 

NEW FACES: The Huskie coaching staff features two new faces in 2022. Co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Nick Benedetto arrived in March 2022 from Samford, where he was defensive coordinator for the past two seasons. Wide receivers coach Joseph Hawkins was an analyst at Duke after previously serving as wide receivers coach as Bryant University.  

STAFF DIVERSITY: One of 14 African-American men to lead a FBS program, Thomas Hammock's staff also reflects the university's and NIU Athletics', commitment to diversity. Of the 10 full-time assistant coaches on staff, seven are minorities which ranks tied for second among all FBS schools. NIU's staff includes six African-American coaches and one Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The six African-American coaches are tied for second-most in FBS. Last year, NIU won the NCAA/MOAA Diversity and Inclusion Award for the second time. The top four (credit: the University of Colorado):
 
Team Minority Asst. Coaches Breakdown
Hawai'i 8 4 P, 2 Asian/P, 1 AA, 1 Asian
Miami (Fla.) 8 5 AA, 2 H, 1 P
NIU 7 6 AA, 1 H/P
Virginia 7 7 AA

(AA—African American, include bi-racial; H—Hispanic; ME—Middle Eastern; P—Polynesian, includes Pacific Islanders and native Hawaiians).
 
HALL OF FAMER: NIU head coach Thomas Hammock is one of three former Huskie football players who will be inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 8. Hammock gained more than 2,400 rushing yards and was a two-time first team CoSIDA Academic All-American during his NIU playing career (1999-2002). He will be joined by fellow running back Chad Spann (2007-10) and quarterback Chandler Harnish (2008-11) in the 2022 Hall of Fame Class. 

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE: Senior defensive end Michael Kennedy is NIU's 2022 nominee for the William Campbell Trophy, presented by the National Football Foundation to the top football Scholar-Athlete in the country. Kennedy earned his undergraduate degree in management with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and social responsibility and is currently pursuing his MBA.  

GRADS: NIU 2022 roster includes 13 players who have already earned their undergraduate degrees - either at NIU or from another institution, and one who already has two degrees. Huskie eighth-year senior Kyle Pugh has both an undergraduate and a graduate degree. Transfers Miles Joiner, Rocky Lombardi, Izayah Green-May, Kaymar Mimes and Shemar Thornton all came to NIU with degrees from their previous institutions. In addition to Pugh, Brett Bostad, Marques Cox, Jeffrey Griffin Jr., Michael Kennedy, Nolan Potter, Liam Soraghan and Cole Tucker are Huskie alumni.

WELCOME BACK: NIU returns 22 players - eight on offense, 14 on defense and one specialist - who started at least seven games in 2021 OR at least four games in the six-game 2020 season. Four of five starters return on the offensive line, along with quarterback Rocky Lombardi, while the return of linebacker Kyle Pugh, who missed the entire 2021 season due to injury, makes up for the loss of senior linebacker Lance Deveaux Jr. NIU returns six defensive linemen who have made at least seven starts, led by James Ester and Ray Thomas with 17 starts each. 

LINE IT UP: The NIU offensive line has already received accolades as the top unit in the MAC with all four returnees receiving preseason accolades. Left tackle Marques Cox leads all Huskies with 31 career starts, followed by right guard Logan Zschernitz' 23 starts and right tackle Nolan Potter with 21. Left guard J.J. Lippe has started 15 games. The quartet has a total of 90 career starts in 109 games played. They are joined by redshirt freshman center Pete Nygra, who made his starting debut versus Eastern Illinois.  
  
YOUNGSTERS: A year ago, the Huskies won the MAC with the second-youngest roster in the country, including 71 players who graduated from high school in 2020 or 2021. Of the 120 players on the 2022 roster, 59 are freshmen, including 28 who redshirted in 2021. Add the 14 "true" (second-year sophomores) and 73 players, or 60.8% of the roster, graduated high school in the past two years.  

WALK-ON U: Thomas Hammock has made a habit of rewarding players who walk-on to the Huskie program with scholarships. A short list of former walk-ons includes Huskie regulars Nick Rattin, Devonte O'Malley and Jordan Gandy. Most recently, tight end Izzy Ozoh was put on scholarship during 2022 preseason camp. The group joins a long and distinguished list of NIU players from the past that arrived as walk-ons including 2010 MAC MVP  Chad Spann, who will be inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, and recently-retired NFL defensive back Rashaan Melvin. 

NEXT UP: The Huskies play the first of two consecutive games versus Southeastern Conference opponents when the Vanderbilt Commodores come to DeKalb for a 2:30 p.m. game on September 17. 


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