Regress report: QBs take a tumble
DeKALB — All spring, Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey has mentioned the improvement of his three quarterbacks.
But Carey said Drew Hare, Matt McIntosh and Anthony Maddie regressed Saturday in the Huskie Bowl.
“Really happy defensively, really upset offensively,” Carey said. “I thought the quarterbacks took a major step back today. And that’s the first time that’s happened all spring. They have been unbelievable as a group. They’ve gotten so much better, but today they regressed.”
During the scrimmage portion of the final spring workout, none of the quarterbacks was able to move the ball consistently. McIntosh threw a long touchdown pass to Juwan Brescacin but also had a pass picked off by Ladell Fleming that was returned for a score.
“Obviously, I threw an interception — that’s unacceptable,” McIntosh said. “As a quarterback, you can’t turn the ball over. Juwan got a good ball, roommate-to-roommate kind of deal, so that was nice. I think the whole offense was just a little sluggish today. We just need to get better.”
The Huskie Bowl’s format was tweaked earlier in the week because of the amount of injuries the team suffered.
Originally, the plan was for drafted Cardinal and Black teams to play against each other. Instead, the offense (Black) went against the defense (Cardinal) in a number of drills and the scrimmage, during which each side was able to earn points. The Cardinal team won the Huskie Bowl 72-37.
The scrimmage portion of the day was shortened, and there was no tackling, but Carey gave the offense a few extra series to get the unit going.
Carey just didn’t feel the tempo was there with the quarterbacks, calling it terrible.
“I’m not talking about snapping the ball every four seconds; that’s overrated,” Carey said. “I’m talking about their tempo, how they get the play going. That wasn’t good.”
NIU’s quarterback battle will continue throughout fall camp, and it’s possible Carey won’t name a starter until the Huskies’ season opener Aug. 28 against Presbyterian, an FCS school.
Each quarterback took time taking reps with the first team this spring. Each is further along than he was when spring practice began March 18, but they didn’t close out the spring like they wanted.
“Offense, I think we could have obviously played better,” Hare said. “We’re going to have our days. Defense, you’ve got to give them credit. They did well, and we’ve got to pick it up. It was nice. I feel like we’ve done really well all spring, except for today.”