Football | August 12

DeKALB, Ill.  – The Northern Illinois University Huskies spent almost all of Saturday's two-hour practice at Huskie Stadium in scrimmage situations with both the offense and defense excelling at times, which is just the way NIU head coach Thomas Hammock likes it.
 
"To me the ebbs and flows of practice are what make the competition better and what makes your team better," Hammock said. "It's been a tough camp offensively going up against our defense every day, but I liked the way they came out, the energy, the execution, the physicality. I thought those guys really responded and then there was a response by the defense."
 
Quarterback Rocky Lombardi, who has returned to full practice status this preseason after playing in just four games a year ago and not taking part in live drills during spring practices, connected with multiple receivers throughout the workout, hitting Trayvon Rudolph for a touchdown during red zone periods, Kacper Rutkiewicz over the middle for a first down conversion during "move the ball" situations and Keyshaun Pipkin who showcased his ability to pick up yards after the catch. Lombardi led the offense on a touchdown drive late in the scrimmage, connecting with transfer tight end Chris Carter on a short touchdown pass.
 
The Iowa native, now in his third season at NIU and seventh collegiate season overall, liked what he saw from the offense Saturday.
 
"I saw the ability to make the big play, to make explosive plays and still be dominant in the run game," Lombardi said. "I think we're off to a good balanced start. It's been good to get out there and re-find myself again and get comfortable. I 've been in college a long time, I feel like the game is really slowing down for me. I've been able to make some plays that I maybe wasn't quite ready to make before this year."
   
Hammock saw highlights on both sides of the ball, starting with Lombardi's play.
 
"I thought Rocky executed at a high level," Hammock said. "He's out here running around, moving around doing things at the quarterback position and he feels very comfortable. I thought some guys made plays on the on the perimeter. You know, they got to the right spots, even in the tough third and long situations. Then I liked the backs, I thought some guys ran physical and they ran downhill."
 
Defensively, the line continues to be a bright spot, while the coaches were hesitant to "give" sacks with the quarterbacks untouchable, Hammock admitted that some sacks that weren't called will be apparent when they watch the video of the scrimmage.
 
"I thought the d-line play was really good," Hammock said.  "We had some sacks that you don't want to give in practice, but when we watch the film, we'll say hey, that was a sack. So, we are generating a lot more pressure. We're doing a great job mixing and matching our personnel in different situations to give us the best advantage to get pressure on the quarterback."
 
The scrimmage provided another opportunity for players to make their case for spots on the depth chart and in the starting line-up. Hammock said two positions where the competition has been heating up are linebacker and cornerback.
 
"Our linebacker corps is really competing at a high level," Hammock said. "We've got five guys fighting for two spots. I think our corners are really competing. We've got four guys fighting for one spot. So those two areas have drastically improved the dynamic of our team. Guys are responding to the competition which is what you want to see as a coach."
 
Competition included a pair of kickers as returnee Kanon Woodill and transfer Jake Seibert took turns hitting kicks from PAT length to 50-yard field goals with Seibert, especially, showing off his range and accuracy.
 
Follow all the action from NIU Football preseason practices, including position previews, videos and more, go to 2023 Preseason Football 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 --
 
Twitter: @NIUAthletics
Facebook: NIU Huskies
Instagram: niuhuskies
YouTube: NIU Athletics