NIU hoping offense can put on a better show for historic home game
Throughout August practice, defense outplaying the offense was a common theme at Northern Illinois.
Head coach Rod Carey said he thought the offense caught up as camp progressed, but the results on the field spoke otherwise last Saturday in Iowa City.
The NIU offense sputtered all game until finally producing a consolation touchdown with 2:12 left in a 33-7 loss to Iowa. At the midway point of the third quarter, the Huskies trailed just 3-0, but the defense eventually was trampled by the Hawkeyes' running game.
Next up is a historic home game at Huskie Stadium, as Utah becomes the first Pac-12 football team to visit DeKalb (6:30 p.m., ESPNEWS). The Utes opened their season by rolling over nearby FCS rival Weber State 41-10.
"I think that's a statement in and of itself that we have Utah coming in," Carey said this week. "They're fast, they're physical. They have an outstanding punter, probably the best I've seen on film."
When reviewing the offensive effort against Iowa, Carey felt good about the running backs, wants more consistency from the veteran offensive line and hasn't lost faith in sophomore quarterback Marcus Childers.
"We have good football players on that offense. We have dynamic football players," Carey said. "I think we played a really good defense. I think we played a whale of a half with some critical errors. We just need to finish. What I saw on Saturday, there's a lot of room for improvement, and that's a 3-0 game for 2½ quarters.
"I think that alone leaves you pretty darn optimistic."
Redshirt freshman Jordan Nettles from Romeoville led NIU's ground game with 74 yards on 13 carries last week. Virginia transfer Tre Harbison, a bigger back at 227 pounds, averaged 6.8 yards on 6 carries.
Northern Illinois got off to a great start, blocking an Iowa punt after a three-and-out on the game's first possession. But 2 missed field goals and a red-zone interception stymied the offense.
Childers couldn't get the ball downfield, completing 14 of 25 passes for just 105 yards. Last year's top receiver, Spencer Tears, will finish a two-game suspension Saturday for violation of team rules.
"Marcus didn't play well," Carey said. "I've told that to him, we've talked about it and he agrees. Marcus is our guy; all things easily correctable. Not even a question (whether he remains the starter)."
The Huskies' offense appears headed for another challenge. Utah held Weber State to 59 yards of total offense and 3 first downs. The Utes also have a powerful running game, led by junior Zack Moss. He rushed for 1,000 yards last season and had an 86-yard touchdown run last week.
Utah's kicking game couldn't be any better. Kicker Matt Gay won the Lou Groza Award last season, while punter Mitch Wishnowsky, a native of Australia, won the Ray Guy Award in 2016.
Carey talked about wanting to make the most of this unique home game by getting a full house at Huskie Stadium.
"When this place is packed, it's as good a homefield advantage as I've been around in the country," Carey said. "I know it's only 23(000), 24,000 at max capacity. But we're loud, it's on top of you. We have a really, really good atmosphere when that thing's packed.
"I'm not lessening anybody else or comparing it to a 100,000-seat stadium. I'm just saying ours is pretty dang good. So for it to be packed on Saturday would be a pretty big deal for us."