Football | August 10

DeKALB, IL - With almost 200 games of combined experience, the Northern Illinois University football team's offensive line is one of the most experienced in the country. With four players returning from last season that made at least 10 starts and two more with at least seven, that continuity and skill could go a long way for the Huskies in 2023.
 
"The way our offensive line is building chemistry and coming together permeates through the whole offense," said head coach Thomas Hammock. "The depth and experience at that position is critical if you want to play good football. They have a tremendous challenge every day with our defensive line. Those two groups are making each other better as we prepare for our first game."
 
The NIU offensive line has ranked in the top-10 nationally in each of the last two seasons in fewest sacks allowed, leading the MAC in both years. In 2021 the Huskies were second in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 10 sacks allowed in 14 games. Last season NIU was second in the MAC in rushing offense averaging 190.4 yards per game.
 
"We've been fortunate to also have a good offense around us," said offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa. "We want to be the initiators on the line of scrimmage, especially in the run game. Our guys do a great job in film study in understanding our opponent's tendencies, reading and reacting to what they do. We want to make sure we do a good job owning the line of scrimmage and winning the line on every play."
 
The most senior member of the offensive line is redshirt-senior tackle Nolan Potter (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington). Potter has started 30 of NIU's last 32 games at tackle and has played in 41 games in his career. He was a first team All-MAC selection in 2022 by both the head coaches and Phil Steele and a second-team All-MAC pick in 2021. Potter was named to the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy on August 1, which is presented at the end of the season to the nation's best interior lineman.
 
"What's exciting about Nolan is, for how much he has played and the games he's started, he's still looking for ways to improve and get better," Agpalsa said. "I love how he's paying it forward to his younger teammates and the guys behind him so they can improve. It's exciting to see his growth and continued development."
 
"A big thing in our room is 'five-is-one'," said Potter. "We all need to be on the same page and playing at 100 percent with everyone knowing their assignment and doing it well. For myself, I've worked on my technique the most since I've gotten on campus and my football IQ has improved a lot as well."
 
NIU boasts one of the most experienced offensive lines in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Along with Potter, the Huskies have four other linemen that have appeared in at least 25 career games. Redshirt-Junior Logan Zschernitz (Spencer, Wis./Spencer) has played in 34 games and made 10 starts at right guard in 2022. Junior John Champe (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield) started 11 of 12 games at left guard last season and has appeared in 32 games in his career. He was named to Pro Football Focus' Preseason All-MAC first team this preseason. Junior Evan Buss (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) started each of the last eight games in 2022 at left tackle and has played in 31 games in his NIU career.
 
Redshirt-Junior J.J. Lippe (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay) has played in 27 career games. He showed his versatility last season with seven starts at four different positions in his nine games played. The Huskies also look for center Pete Nygra (North Indianapolis, Ind./Brownsburg) to build upon a first year that saw him start 11 games in the middle of the line.
 
"J.J. played every spot on the line, which was first for me since I've been coaching for over 20 years," said Agpalsa. "It's a testament to his versatility as well as his football intelligence. After the first eight practices, you can see the next steps Pete has taken from reading and recognition of defenses to his technique at the position."
 
Thursday's practice saw the Huskies in helmets and Spiders for two hours in the morning. A majority of the younger players saw reps in team periods across the line, including redshirt-freshmen Abiathar Curry (Janesville, Wis./Parker) and Evan Malcore (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) and freshman Thomas Paasch (Green Bay, Wis./Green Bay Southwest).
 
"Coach Hammock always says the strength of our team is our depth," said Agpalsa. "Today was a great opportunity for some of our young guys out there. Malcore is working at tackle and he's doing a fantastic job and we've been getting Curry to take a step in the right direction. We also have some seasoned veterans in Matthew Schooley, Seth Thompson and Luke Pinnick that have been with us for a long time and doing a good job. We're really excited about our offensive line group and the depth we have."
 
"We're in a stage right now where we're building the depth of our team," Hammock added. "We've had some great practices and put a lot of work in. Today was an opportunity to get some guys some more work in a controlled environment. We wanted to get them as many reps as possible so they can feel comfortable and confident to execute their techniques and play fast."
 
The Huskies open the 2023 season on Saturday, September 2 at Boston College with the first of six home games on September 9 versus Southern Illinois.
 
Check out the daily preseason camp schedule, catch up on the position previews and hear from different Huskie players by clicking on 2023 Preseason Camp Central on NIUHuskies.com.  
 
Season, single game and mini-plan tickets for the 2023 Huskie home games are all on sale now 24 hours a day, seven days a week online at NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Season tickets provide the best overall value at as little as $17 per game for general admission seating on the West Side of Huskie Stadium ($102 total). Sit in the same reserved seat for all six games for just $144 (sections A, B, F) or $162 (sections C, D, E). With the addition of the new Homecoming + One option, there are three "Pick Your Pack" mini-plans available, including Saturday Only and MACtion+Saturday four-game plans. See all the ticket prices and options, including premium experiences, here.
 
--NIU--