Huskies are eager to contend for a title
For more than half a decade, Northern Illinois was the gold standard in the Mid-American Conference.
The Huskies went to six consecutive conferencechampionship games from 2010-2015, capturing three titles during that stretch. The program suffered a major setback thanks to injuries in 2016 but managed to bounce back in 2017.
Armed with experience and talent, Northern Illinois is No. 60 in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel’s preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team.
Illinois
8 Northern
Rod Carey (44-24, entering seventh season; 44-24 overall)
8-5, 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference; tied for second in West Division
It didn’t take long for Northern Illinois fans to see that the 2017 campaign was going to be different than the previous season. A 21-17 road win at Nebraska in the third week was enough to catch everyone’s attention.
The Huskies would go on to win six of their next eight games and while a conference championship wasn’t in the cards, it was certainly a nice bounceback season. 5
RB Jordan Huff, WR Christian Blake, WR Chad Beebe, TE Shane Wimann, LB Jawuan Johnson, LB Bobby Jones IV, DB Shawun Lurry
QB Marcus Childers, WR Spencer Tears, WR D.J. Brown, OL Max Sharping, OL Luke Shively, OL Nathan Veloz, OL Jordan Steckler, DE Sutton Smith
The Huskies featured the best defense in the conference last season led by a handful of all-conference selections and defensive end Sutton Smith, who earned MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league in sacks (14.0).
Smith’s return bolsters a group that must make up for losing nearly a third of its production from last season.
The offensive line returns virtually intact, including a pair of all-conference performers in tackles Max Sharping and Jordan Steckler.
Quarterback hasn’t necessarily been a strength for the Huskies program during the past few seasons.
Injuries forced five different players into the starting job during the past two seasons, leaving the position one of the most inconsistent on the team.
Marcus Childers earned Freshman of the Year honors after taking over the job five games into last season and leading the team to a 5-3 record.
Childers’ ability to make plays on the ground as well through the air makes him a valuable commodity heading into 2018.
The 178 yards per game the Huskies averaged on the ground last season was the worst production from a Huskies team since 2008.
With 14 returning starters and a plethora of experience up and down the roster, there’s no reason NIU couldn’t contend for another division title.