NIU tries to get back on track
Of the 119 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision, only one has posted an 0-2 start in each of the last two seasons and finished with a winning record.
Northern Illinois, take a bow.
While that's a comforting fact now that the Huskies have stumbled to another 0-2 start, everyone knows past performance does not guarantee future results.
For Northern Illinois to repeat its annual market correction, it needs to find some healthy difference-makers in time for Saturday's Mid-American Conference opener against Eastern Michigan (11 a.m., Ch. 50).
Running back Montell Clanton (torn ACL) and middle linebacker Tim McCarthy (partially torn MCL and PCL) are out and some other key players are questionable.
At tight end, for example, NIU hopes it won't have to ask its fifth- and sixth-string guys to help out for the second consecutive week.
Not that Huskies coach Joe Novak has tried to use his team's extra-long injury list as a crutch while preparing for the winless Eagles.
"You don't linger on it," Novak said. "You don't dwell on it."
Instead, Novak wants his guys to fix things they can control - such as turnover margin.
In the Huskies' losses to Iowa and Southern Illinois, they committed 8 turnovers while forcing just 1. Only North Carolina State and Houston are suffering through a worse turnover margin, but NIU's margin feels worse.
Not only did Southern Illinois return 2 interceptions for touchdowns last week, but NIU running backs Justin Anderson and Chad Spann each coughed up a fourth-quarter fumble in SIU territory to aid the Salukis' stunning comeback.
Since Anderson and Spann are taking over Clanton's share of the carries - perhaps with help from redshirt freshman Ricky Crider and converted linebacker David Bryant - the Huskies need them to treat the ball as carefully as Michael Turner and Garrett Wolfe did in previous years.
"We've been real good on that in the past," Novak said. "We're doing the same drills now."
The running backs also need to take some heat off quarterback Dan Nicholson. The streaky junior reeled off 15 straight completions against SIU, but those were negated by his pair of "Pick 6s."
Novak didn't hate the first one, which came on a tipped screen pass, but wasn't sure Nicholson made the correct decision on the second one.
"He's learning," Novak said.
E. Michigan (0-2, 0-1) at N. Illinois (0-2, 0-0)
When: 11 a.m. at Huskie Stadium
TV: WPWR Ch. 50 Radio: WSCR 670-AM Series: NIU 22-13-2.
Coaches: Jeff Genyk (9-27, 4th year at EMU); Joe Novak (61-68, 12th year at NIU).
Players to watch: EMU has just 11 seniors on its roster, which might explain why the Eagles own just 1 offensive touchdown, 1 kick-return touchdown and 2 field goals this year. QB Andy Schmitt has hit 32 of 51 passes for 261 yards and 1 TD. Senior RB Pierre Walker has carried 26 times for 95 yards. Watch out for 6-foot-5, 270-pound senior defensive lineman Jason Jones.
NIU will ask sophomore Justin Anderson and true freshman Chad Spann to fill Montell Clanton's cleats, now that the starting running back is out with a torn knee ligament. Watch for former LB David Bryant, who has a brawn/speed combo that Novak likes, to get some carries. Weak-side LB John Tranchitella moves into the middle for injured Tim McCarthy. That gives eager junior LB Phil Brown the chance for more snaps.
The skinny: While NIU hasn't endured a losing season since 1999, EMU hasn't enjoyed a winning season since 1995. Though the Eagles wrapped up their 1-11 season in 2006 with a 27-0 loss to Northern Illinois on their home turf, NIU coach Joe Novak chalked up his team's sixth consecutive win over EMU as a fluke. "We were lucky last year," he said. "They were really beat up at the end of last year. I was impressed with the film I saw. They've got one of the best front fours I've seen. Ball State just beat them on two or three big plays."
- Lindsey Willhite