NIU looking to wrap up 2nd-straight MAC West title
Northern Illinois is on a pretty good roll right now.
Coming off 3 straight road wins, the Huskies are in position to win their second consecutive MAC West division title in football. And by beating Ball State on Tuesday night, NIU would equal a school record with its 14th-straight home win.
“I think any coach will tell you he feels great after a win,” first-year NIU coach Dave Doeren said at his weekly news conference. “After 5 (wins), you feel really good. Even though I have a cold, I don't feel sick.
“I also know, that you're one game away from not feeling good again. We know what's at stake. If we lose a game, it's out of our control, and that's not what we want.”
With two games remaining, Northern Illinois is tied for first in the MAC West with Toledo. But since the Huskies pulled out that zany 63-60 victory at Toledo on Nov. 1, they hold the tiebreaker.
Home wins against Ball State and Eastern Michigan on Nov. 25 would send NIU to its second straight MAC title game Dec. 2 at Ford Field in Detroit.
Then again, a loss by the Huskies could leave Toledo alone in first place. Ball State isn't out of it, either. The Cardinals finish against NIU and Toledo, so 2 victories would make them the MAC West champs.
On paper, this looks like a great matchup for Northern Illinois. Ball State's defense is giving up 490 yards per game and the Huskies' offense has been tough to stop, averaging 45.2 points in conference play.
Quarterback Chandler Harnish continued to be a versatile performer in last week's 45-14 win at Bowling Green. He ran for 151 yards and threw for 294.
“I think there are still times when we can be better,” Doeren said. “I guess I'm greedy — I want to score every time we have the ball.
“But they've been very efficient. The thing I love about them the most is that they take care of the football. Even when we're not getting points … there's nothing wrong with a punt, you just don't want to turn it over.”
During the three-game road trip, Northern Illinois had just 1 turnover, a fumble at Toledo.
Another source of pride is the Huskies' offensive line, which features four fifth-year seniors in Trevor Olson, Joe Pawlak (Grayslake), Scott Wedige and Keith Otis.
“They're playing at a high level,” Doeren said. “When you go five games in a row without giving up a sack, that says something about not only your offensive line, but your system.
“We're not just dinking and dunking it, but we're throwing the ball downfield. We're running for over 200 yards a game.”