Northern Illinois Huskies 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: There were Husky fans calling for the head of coach Rod Carey in 2016, which was simply idiotic. No coach in college football has had worse luck with QB injuries, and injuries in general, than Carey over the last 3 seasons. If they can stay healthy this fall, NIU should find themselves in the running for a MAC West title, and an overall conference title, which could be their first MAC title since 2014. 13 total starters return in 2018, headlined by breakout QB Marcus Childers and the insanely beastly DE Sutton Smith. This could be a huge season in DeKalb.
Breakdown Offense: There is no doubt that Rod Carey has had some bad luck with his QBs being able to stay upright. Marcus Childers, a sophomore, helped stabilize that situation as a freshman last fall, playing in 12 games, and passing for 1674 yards and 16 scores to just 5 INTs, and he added 473 yards rushing with another 5 scores on 11.92 carries per game. He has room to grow this fall, as he did only manage to complete 57.4% of his passes last season, and he managed to pass for just 139.5 yards per game, but he is building into the prototype NIU dual threat QB that we are used to seeing. RS sophomore Anthony Thompson is the primary backup this fall, but Ryan Graham could have something to say about that.
With leading rusher Jordan Huff moving on, the Huskies need to find a step up RB that can get the job done. Marcus Jones, a junior, has been penciled in as being that guy heading into fall camp. He rushed for just 350 yards off the bench last fall, and averaged just 4.22 yards per carry. Tre Harbison, a Virginia transfer, appears to be the primary backup heading into camp. He averaged 5.27 yards per carry in limited duty last fall. Depth is not great. Jaden Huff, a transfer from St. Cloud State, will try to add some.
Spencer Tears and DJ Brown are both back to start at WR. Tears led the team with 43 receptions last fall for 528 yards and 4 scores, and averaged 12.28 yards per catch. Brown caught 42 passes, mostly of the shorter variety. Jauan Wesley is slated in as the 3rd receiver, and caught just 10 passes last fall. Christian Blake and Chad Beebe, who combined for 68 catches, are both gone, and depth has taken a hit.
The line is in solid shape after returning 4 starters, including All-MAC candidate Max Scharping (LT), Luke Shively (C), Nathan Veloz (RG), and Jordan Steckler (RT). Benn Olson, a sophomore, is penciled in at RG heading into camp. RS junior Ryan Roberts gives the Huskies a reserve who could start at Tackle. Dale Brown and Isaac Hawn provide depth at Guard and Tackle, giving the Huskies one of the deepest lines in the Group of 5 conferences.
Breakdown Defense: The Huskies were, quietly, one of the best defensive football teams in the nation last season. They ranked 32nd in scoring defense, 16th against the run, and 26th in total defense. If there was one area that fell off, it was against the pass, as they ranked 57th in that area.
The Huskies bring back a DE who is simply one of the best defenders in the nation in DE Sutton Smith. Smith totaled a whopping 29.5 TFLs last fall, with 14 sacks, 63 tackles, 3 PBUs, 8 QB hurries, and 3 forced fumbles. He is incredibly undersized for his position, but you will find few better at edge defender anywhere. Josh Corcoran is the DE opposite Smith, and he recorded 8.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 34 tackles, one PBU, and 3 QB hurries. Matt Lorbeck will be the primary reserve at DE, and is a sophomore. Drequan Brown adds even more depth, as he totaled 3 TFLs off the bench last fall.
Ben LeRoy returns as the starter at DT this fall. He totaled 7.5 TFLs last season, and added 3 sacks. He is a prototype pocket collapser inside. Weston Kramer is penciled in as the lone new starter on the line at NT as a sophomore. Jack Heflin will compete for him for the job in camp. Marcus Kelly, Herlandez Corley, and Devin Webster add depth, again, giving the Huskies one of the deepest defensive lines in college football.
The Huskies must replace all 3 starters at LB that started in the Quick Lane Bowl loss to Duke. Antonio Jones-Davis, Kyle Pugh, and Lance Deveaux, Jr. are all projected to start as juniors. Jones-Davis is the most experienced of the group, as he totaled 45 tackles last season. Pugh recorded 35 tackles, while Deveaux finished with 8. There is not a ton of depth behind this group that has yet been developed.
The secondary gets one starter back at CB and Safety. Albert Smalls is back to start at CB. and recorded 6 PBUs last season. He did not record an INT, however. Mykelti Williams is back at Safety, and also recorded 6 PBUs. He finished with 73 tackles, good for 3rd on the team, and picked off a pass. Jalen Embry (CB) and Trayshon Foster (S) are projected as the new starters. Embry finished last fall with 3 PBUs, while Foster played in 13 games as a sophomore. Tifonte Hunt is the 3rd CB, while Adam Buirge is the reserve at Safety.
Breakdown Special Teams: Christian Hagan largely struggled at PK last fall, and is gone. He is being replace dby Cincinnati grad transfer Adrew Gantz, who is a 2 time Lou Groza finalist. That should be a huge upgrade, as the Huskies left 21 points on the field in missed field goals last fall.
Matt Ference, who averaged 41.2 yards per punt as a freshman last season, should see some growth this fall.
DJ Brown should step into the KR job, but really did not wow anyone last season in that role, and Chad Beebe is gone. The Huskies must replace Beebe as the punt return man as well.
Final Analysis: The Huskies simply have the best defense in the MAC, and the offensive line is one of the deeper lines to be found anywhere. If they can continue to find health and growth at QB, and find some big play targets downfield, the Huskies could really move the needle once again in 2018, especially if they can find a bull in the run game. The defense should be rock solid once again, as even the new starters at LB have solid experience. Look for the Huskies to make a major run in the conference race, and don't be fooled, as that non con schedule is not nearly as tough as people seem to think. If the Huskies can split games against Iowa, Utah, Florida State, and BYU, they could really push for a 10 win season. It's not impossible, and not one of those teams is indestructible.
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