NIU looking for QB battle to strengthen position

DETROIT - While it won't be the only position battle for the Northern Illinois football team this year, the quarterback competition between Marcus Childers and Ross Bowers certainly is the most high-profile one.

Whoever ends up winning the job - the incumbent, Childers, or the transfer from Cal, Bowers - the competition will strengthen the winner.

"Great guys bring out the best in people," running back Tre Harbison said Tuesday at Mid-American Conference media day. "The competition between Ross and Marcus makes Marcus play better. We see a lot of growth in Marcus, and we feel like he'll have an exciting year."

New coach Thomas Hammock said he was focused on building the offense around the skills of the playmakers.

"I think they both have their own strengths and weaknesses," Hammock said. "The great thing about it is when you're building an offense, you want to build it around their strengths. I think both of them have great leadership qualities. I think Marcus has really stepped up this summer in his development, which is good to see. But it also helps if the wide receivers play better."

Hammock said he was looking for five to six wide receivers to take the primary roles in the offense, and that it's a group effort among a variety of players to seek the desired gains NIU is hoping for in the passing game.

"The offensive line has to block. The tight ends have got to run their routes. The receivers have got to run their routes at the proper depths, and the quarterbacks have to get the ball to them," Hammock said. "They've had a really, really good summer of player workouts, and I think the quarterbacks have been a really big driving force in that."

Harbison is hoping the weight he's cut - from 230 pounds down to about 215 - allows him to be more multidimensional in NIU's new offense.

As much as the NIU offense relied on the running game last season, Harbison doesn't want to be a one-trick pony, only bruising his way over defenders between the tacklers. He said he sees the offense, under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Eric Eidsness, as geared toward getting the ball in the hands of those who can make plays.

"It gives the ballplayers, the good playmakers, opportunities to make plays," Harbison said. "Getting the good players out in space, everything like that. It works to all of our strengths; instead of being one-dimensional, we're working to everybody's strengths. It makes us pretty excited."

Hammock said he has heard the frenzy of fans asking about the new offense but is trusting that the focus on the details, rather than the plays themselves, will be what allows NIU's offense to thrive.

"We're not going to fit a square peg in a round hole. We're going to identify who can do what," Hammock said. "Plays are plays. People get so involved into 'what type of offense are they running?' … Inside zone is inside zone. It doesn't change, whether you're under center or in the gun. Throwing the ball down the field doesn't change, but we're going to tailor things to be specific to get the ball in players' hands."

Harbison, who said he once struggled getting all the way through workouts without fatigue, has found himself breezing through summer workouts with energy to spare.

"I feel good being more in open space instead of being more one-dimensional, being a power back and doing power-back duties," Harbison said. "Now I'm more of an all-purpose back."

Hammock, showing himself privy to holding players accountable vocally throughout spring practices, rode Harbison hard and tried to draw more out of the redshirt junior running back.

"He had 1,000 yards last year and five touchdowns last year. No. 1, you need to have more touchdown production. No. 2, a thousand yards at five yards a carry, either he's got to get the ball more, or he's got to make that six-yard carry," Hammock said. "One way or the other, we're going to fight for production. We want to be more explosive on offense. We want to be more dynamic, and he's got to be one of the guys that helps that process."

Harbison said he doesn't mind hounding from his coaches, knowing they're trying to the most out of him.

"Getting every good thing out of me … that's what a great coach does. I take everything. I don't take nothing personal," Harbison said. "I feel like he's going to get the best out of me and get the best out of everyone on the team. All we want to do at the end of the day is win and be great. I feel like he'll take us there."

The leadership-by-committee approach has been necessary after the graduation of all-conference offensive linemen Max Scharping, now with the Houston Texans, and Luke Shively.

"Our three older guys, Jordan Steckler, CJ Perez and Nate Veloz, they're bringing the younger guys along," Harbison said. "Marques Cox and Brayden Patton, so those older guys are bringing the young guys along and we're looking just as good."