NIU eager to avenge 2013 Orange Bowl against struggling Florida State
By playing at Florida State on Saturday, Northern Illinois will get to relive one of the great moments in school history, when the Huskies faced the Seminoles in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
They were the first Mid-American Conference school to play in a BCS bowl game and were competitive for three quarters before losing 31-10.
Sadly, though, this matchup is a direct result of the state of Illinois' budget crisis. NIU jumped at the chance to accept a reported $1.6 million guarantee from Florida State and canceled a home game against Idaho. When the game became official in April 2017, athletic director Sean Frazier was upfront about the financial reasons for adding another tough nonconference game.
Huskies head coach Rod Carey preferred to reflect this week on the Orange Bowl, which was his first game on the job. Following an undefeated regular season, NIU coach Dave Doeren left for North Carolina State.
“That was a special time for all of us. Going to the Orange Bowl, this program, this university, this city,” Carey said. “Then obviously me, personally, I got named (head coach) 15 minutes before we saw on TV we were going to the Orange Bowl. So a pat on the back and kick in the butt all at once, right? So a special time, but it was such a blur.”
The timing for a trip to Tallahassee might be pretty good, since the Seminoles are having a rough transition with new coach Willie Taggart. Florida State is 1-2, suffering lopsided losses to Virginia Tech and Syracuse. The lone victory was a comeback against FCS foe Stamford, which saw FSU taking the lead with 4:03 remaining.
Turnovers, penalties and a porous offensive line seem to be the Seminoles biggest issues. On this week's depth chart, Florida State listed two new possible starters at the tackle spots.
Pass rush might be NIU's greatest strength. The Huskies are tied for sixth in the country with 11 sacks through three games. NIU had three last week, led by Ben Leroy with 1.5.
“(The Seminoles) have some really nice players on their offensive line,” Carey said. “I think at times as you look at it on film, they've struggled working as a unit. They have some young guys in there, they've tried a lot of combinations.
“Our job is going to be destructive and that's our job every week. And win our one-on-ones, and I think we have a good opportunity for that, but I think we have a good opportunity for that every week.”
Northern Illinois picked up its first win last weekend against Central Michigan. The Huskies jumped to a 21-3 lead, but didn't clinch the 24-16 victory until an interception deep in their own territory in the final minute.
Running back Tre Harbison was the offensive star, rushing for 124 yards on 13 carries. Receiver Spencer Tears returned from a two-game suspension, but it was senior D.J. Brown leading the way with 4 catches for 69 yards. Quarterback Marcus Childers threw for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions, but just 109 total yards.
After winning at Nebraska last season, the Huskies feel they are ready for the challenge of playing one of the traditional college football powers.
“Of course it's Florida State, but we've played a lot of big-name schools,” Tears said. “It's just a name, but at the same time they strap up just like we do, so we're going to come and play football just like they are.”