Football | August 4

DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University football team practiced for over two hours Sunday night in full pads for the first time in training camp at Huskie Stadium, wrapping up the first week of fall practice.
 
"It was a very physical day on both sides of the ball," said head coach Thomas Hammock. "Guys were competing and taking advantage of their reps. The defense had a lot of energy. They're working well together as one unit and the offense is trying to respond play in and play out. It was a back-and-forth heavyweight fight."
 
The defense was a disruptive force in Sunday night's practice, getting into the backfield and putting pressure on the NIU offense. As Coach Hammock said the offense did have some responses. The offense was able to move the chains in some third down situations late in practice, a new wrinkle to practices to close the week.
 
"We're starting to add more, piece by piece, as the days start accumulating," Hammock said. "We want to see how they respond to that, as well as to being in some uncomfortable situations. Tomorrow we have a day off so we have a chance to evaluate the first week, assess the personnel in-depth and try to tailor schemes to those individuals."
 
The off-day Monday allows the Huskies' time for rest and recovery after five consecutive days on the practice field. With the season opener 27 days away, the opportunity to maximize that recovery time is crucial in training camp.
 
"The way be built the schedule is to maximize rest and recovery for the guys. As we get closer to having a day off, we're going to practice at night so they have over a full day in between their last practice to recover and maintain weights. We're constantly evaluating the roster from a health and recovery standpoint. We have a great nutritionist and sports performance staff that have put a great plan together to maximize guys and keep them fresh and healthy."
 
NIU is back on the practice field Tuesday.
 
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--