Football | August 24

DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University football team took the field for practice Saturday at 2:30 p.m., exactly seven days before the Huskies open the 2024 season at Huskie Stadium against Western Illinois. What better way to get ready for game time than actually practicing at the game time.
 
"We wanted to practice during the game time," said head coach Thomas Hammock. "We got done around 4:15 and we would still have another 90 minutes or so to play the second half. These guys have to understand what it takes to hydrate and get the proper food in them and be prepared for what it's going to take to play next week at 2:30."
 
Saturday marked the 20^th practice of preseason fall camp for the Huskies. Coach Hammock said following training that he likes the progress of his team and where they're at heading into the season opener.
 
"I like where this team is at. They've put the work in collectively, checked every box, and done all that we asked of them. Now its about ramping yourself up and getting into the mindset of playing the game. That's what this week is for, trying to get yourself in game mode to be successful. We had two really good practices Friday and today. We'll do some polishing up tomorrow and we'll officially start game week Tuesday."
 
For 32 seniors on the roster, it's their last fall camp. Twenty-one of them, including offensive lineman Logan Zschernitz (Spencer, Wis.), have spent their entire collegiate career at NIU. That's the third-most non-transfer seniors in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind only Stanford and Navy. Zschernitz finds himself in a new role in 2024, moving from guard to center, a change that started with last season's Camellia Bowl.
 
"I went through all of fall camp my freshman year at center, but we had some injuries in 2019 so I was sprung into a guard spot as a true freshman," Zschernitz said. "I was taking center reps before the bowl game because I was finally getting healthy. I just feel a lot more comfortable with each practice. You've got to be smart at center. You're marking the IDs and trying to see the defensive structure and process that on the fly."
 
With all the experience on this year's team, Coach Hammock and his staff built in time into Saturday's practice for the freshmen to still get some reps as the Huskies prepare for the Leathernecks.
 
"We were working with the freshmen at the end of practice today, and we'll continue to get them developed and get them closer to being able to help us," Hammock said. "We're a developmental program and part of that development means retaining the guys in our program. We work extremely hard to make sure we can keep the guys in our program, give them a great experience and make sure they can be great players for us."
 
Now all that's left is to get the season underway with next week's opener against Western Illinois, something Hammock, his staff, and his team is ready for.
 
"At this time of year, you're ready to play. You're tired of practicing and you want to play the game. This is the only time where you have 25 practices before the first game. They have to understand that you still have to commit to the process daily so you can be peaking at the right moment. These guys are ready to play and challenge another opponent, but there are still some steps to take to make sure we can play our best next Saturday."
 
NIU season, single game and mini-plan tickets are on sale now. Check out all of the ticket options and buy tickets anytime online at NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies. To request more information and connect with a member of the NIU ticket staff, click here or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Calls received outside of business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm CT) will be returned the next business day. 
 
-- NIU --