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Cinderella in the making: #14 Ohio upsets #3 Georgetown
And they were seeded 9th in the MAC tourney...
Consider this your March Madness Open Thread!!!!
NIU Spring Memes: Reopening of the Running Back Factory
by Mike Breese on Mar 17, 2010 10:04 AM CDT
in Football
6 comments
Part II of an oh-so-early look at the themes that will mesmerize us when Northern Illinois Spring Practice starts March 23rd.
Running Back never used to be an issue at Northern Illinois. When Thomas Hammock developed his heart condition in 2002, that just gave way to Michael Turner. If not Turner, then there were a lot of capable backups to plug in there like Adrian Davis or A.J. Harris. Then Turner handed his torch on to Garrett Wolfe in 2004, who at one time was 5th or 6th string RB on the depth chart.
The fun and games stopped soon afterwards as the Huskies put together a 2-10 season in 2007. With the lack of any sort of balanced attack, Justin Anderson had a fine season with 1,245 yds on the ground and 45 catches for 263 yds through the air, 11 TDs total. Montell Clanton went down his 2nd straight season with an ACL injury. David Bryant was still in the backfield. Maybe it was the O-Line or the new coordinator, but there just wasn't a sizzle with anybody toting the rock.
2008 was a lot of the same sort of thing: Coaching changes and transition of the offense. QB Chandler Harnish was the leading rusher that season with 539 yds and 4 TDs. The leading RBs were Me'co Brown with 510 and 2 TDs and Chad Spann with 429 yds and 8 TDs.
Last year was back to a bit of normalcy for the Huskies running game. Chad Spann was the leading rusher for the Huskies toting the ball 179 times for 1,060 yds and 19 TDs. However Kill's obsession with giving Me'co Brown the ball constantly despite being a less effective RB proved costly. All you have to do is look at the stats: In a 31-34 loss to Idaho, Spann had only 4 carries. Against Toledo, we lose 19-20 and Spann only gets 6 carries?? We even put up a missing person report up around here!
This was best exemplified in the "Me'co up the middle on 2nd and 3rd down game" against Ohio. Huskies are in opponent territory looking to complete their comeback against the Bobcats down 28-31 and then this happens:
Seriously. What. The. Heck.
What completely tortured fans for an entire season won't even be an issue in 2010. I wish Me'co the best on his future ventures, but for the sake of this team his departure was probably a positive. No quibbling about whether he should get more carries should help some of the other unsung guys see extra time and prove their worth on the field.
Fortress of Solitude
Superman Spann (SR, 5'9" 198) is back with a vengeance. 19 touchdowns? Peanuts. Given the keys to the starting running back position, Spann will run wild in 2010. The former walk-on has a blend of pure power and desire to get into the endzone that defenders fear. He's not the fastest or most athletic person out there, but he sure gets the job done. We've only begun to see the surface of his potential in the backfield.
Spann was named Offensive & Team MVP and 1st Team All-MAC this past season.
Upperclassmen Infusion
Cameron Bell (JR, 6'2" 242) is a former Iowa State linebacker that had to sit out all of last year due to NCAA transfer rules. In high school at Stony Point in Round Rock, TX he rushed for 3,000 yds in his career and scored 11 TDs as a senior. He chose Iowa State over Michigan State, Central Michigan, New Mexico, New Mexico State & UTEP. Was only 6'1" 215 lbs coming out of high school and played as a true freshman for the Cyclones.
With his size, there should be no hesitation on who gets the ball up the middle on 3rd and short anymore.
Closest comparison: Think A.J. Harris on steroids. Or Brandon Jacobs (6'4" 260), who played under Coach Kill at SIU.
Jasmin Hopkins (JR, 5'9" 174, Youtube) led the JUCO ranks last year rushing for 1,931 yds and 16 TDs. Also won the NJCAA Player of the Year award, which is like a mini-Heisman. Hopkins is a tough, tough runner and will get the maximum yardage that he can get on every single play. He's also got tremendous agility and cutting abilities, but lacks that top-end speed that some scat backs possess. He's not going to be flashy, but he'll surprise a lot of opponents.
Closest comparison: Garrett Wolfe with a bigger frame and less quickness (nobody's as fast as Wolfe is).
Could Surprise
Antione Kirkland (rFR, 5'11" 198) is a guy that could come out of nowhere and get a decent amount of carries. The Florida native is the only underclassman RB that we really have on the roster, so it would be great to see him develop some skills for when he's ready to step into the spotlight. He surprised a lot of people last spring, now it's time to do it again with the 1st and 2nd team offense.
Sidenote: Learn how to spell his name right: the I goes before the O instead of the other way around.
Ricky Crider (SR, 5'9" 190) struggled with a hamstring injury for the former part of last year, but eventually got to see some time later on in the season. He is a special teams maven and will continue to be dominant in returning kickoffs.
Akeem Daniels (FR, 5'7" 180) is a speed demon and has enrolled early for spring ball. The younger brother of Kiaree rushed for 845 yds and 9 TDs his senior year. Also could see some time at the slot position. He'll find the field somehow this fall.
Alan Smith (JR, 5'10" 208) and Barrington Scott (rFR 5'11" 200) will look to help out on the scout team this year.
6 comments | 0 recs |
NIU Spring Memes: Quarterbackapalooza
by Mike Breese on Mar 15, 2010 12:31 AM CDT
in Football
5 comments
An oh-so-early look at the themes that will mesmerize us when Northern Illinois Spring Practice starts March 23rd. This is part I.
I know what you're all thinking Huskie fans. Another year, another team without a quarterback. Out of any position on the team, it truly has been the hardest to build depth at in recent years. Unlike 2007 when we had Dan Nicholson and a pile of bricks on the bench, 2010's group of signal-callers actually is pretty deep. I think we're back to the pre-2008 offseason where quarterback was anybody's position to take. Only this time, Harnish takes the Nicholson spot as the banged up "veteran".
See you in the summer
Incumbent starter Chandler Harnish (6'2" 219) will not be participating in Spring Practice, because of a lingering right knee injury that is going to require surgery. No word on whether the surgery already happened or not (I hope it has). My question is why the heck are they waiting so long to have the surgery if it is going to take several months of rehab before Harnish can see the field again?
Let's review this schedule
- 10/17 - Toledo Rockets make Chandler's knee asplode
- 10/20 - Harnish has minor surgery on his knee
- 11/12 - Harnish returns in the 2nd half vs. Ball State
- 1/2 - Huskies lose International Bowl
- 2/3 - Kill says Harnish's knee isn't healing properly
- 3/5 - Kill announces Harnish will miss Spring Practice & have surgery
Shouldn't he have had surgery on Jan. 3rd? What was the holdup here? Something is very, very fishy about this whole situation. Harnish has missed a significant amount of time in both 2008 and 2009 due to injuries. Will he ever be able to last a full season again with the amount of carries our quarterbacks get?
Due to the uncertainty that Harnish brings to the situation, the Huskies decided to go out and get Casey Weston (6'2" 215) out of Northwest Mississippi C.C. He was the leading passer in the junior college ranks this past year with 2,871 yds and a 27-12 TD to INT ratio. The reason he was available to the Huskies was because of the fact that he wouldn't be available for the Spring as so many JUCO kids are. Otherwise, I am confident he would have gone to a BCS school somewhere.
What about me coach?
Did you know that DeMarcus Grady (6'1" 203) is 5-1 as a starter? And that his first start was against Tennessee in Knoxville? And that he likes to spend time in South Beach hanging with Chad Ochocinco?
Well it's starting to sound like Kill is not endorsing Grady in any way as the starter.
"We recruited a junior college quarterback that’s very talented," Kill said. "Because if something happened with Chandler, I want to make sure we have a guy that’s been underneath center."
Oook. Kill could have used his words a little better, but I think he's trying to say that Weston has two full years experience as a starter slinging the ball around and Grady has just been used in mop-up duty. If Grady continues to develop at an accelerated rate this offseason, he could be a potential surprise. As the season went on, fans were witness to his progression as a passer. He has the arm strength, he just needs to work on his accuracy and decision making.
EVERY GANG NEEDS A WILDCARD
Grady was in at QB a lot last year as the backup. Thank goodness he (and Ryan Morris) stayed healthy, because otherwise we would have to had to pull a redshirt off of one of the freshman QBs.
Jordan Lynch (6'1" 212) was designated 4th string last year, making the trip to Miami after Harnish got hurt. He threw for 1,221 yds and 16 TDs for Joliet Catholic and added 848 yds and 15 TDs on the ground. If he doesn't fit into the QB situation, he could also play on the other side of the ball at the safety position (USA! USA!). Most of the schools recruiting him just wanted him to play defense, but NIU liked him in the pocket.
A.J. Hill (6'2" 206, Youtube) has the bloodlines as his older brother Nick Hill played for Coach Kill at Southern Illinois. Threw for 2,119 yds (31-4 TD to INT) and rushed for 751 yds and 18 TDs. May have played against softer competition against DuQuoin, but after redshirting should be ready for the big time. 3-star prospect and the #25 player in 2009's state of IL class.
Tommy Coughlin (6'2" 180) hopefully learned what a weight room was this past offseason. I wonder when the player weights are going to update? Apparently today. Way to gain 20 lbs in the offseason!! I'm rooting for Tommy, I really am. Maybe he can take up Ryan Morris' spot at the holder position.
5 comments | 0 recs |
A sneak preview of NIU's 2010 Non-Conference Schedule
by Mike Breese on Mar 12, 2010 12:57 PM CST
in Football
4 comments
OOC scheduling has been a topic of much debate these past few years. When is a BCS team going to visit DeKalb? Why are we playing these Soldier Field "home games"? Why are we scheduling these crapola I-AA opponents?
Well, Kansas will be coming to Dekalb in 2012. We play the Soldier Field games to generate $$$$ which is so valuable in these times especially with a school like ours. The next SF game will be against Wisconsin in 2011 and it's looking like Iowa in 2012, unless Notre Dame swoops in for the kill.
That's all fine and dandy, but what about NOW? Spring Practice is going to start up March 23rd and the Kill-isms will be out in full-force. "One game at a time" will start ringing through our ears ad nauseum.
To break down the schedule, we are going to take the Sagarin ranking of these teams from 2009 and also insert info about how many starters will be returning in 2010 provided by Phil Steele. I'm not counting FCS/I-AA teams in the rankings, because our new philosophy is to schedule patsies and then steamroll them as a break in the non-conf (excl. SIU 2007, WIU 2002).
2010
66 Iowa State (7-6)
Returning Starters: O: 8 / D: 4 / ST: 2 / Total: 14
148 North Dakota (6-5)94 Illinois (3-9)
Returning Starters: O: 5 / D: 7 / ST: 1 / Total: 13
64 Minnesota (6-7)
Returning Starters: O: 9 / D: 2 / ST: 1 / Total: 12
Avg Sagarin: 75
Initial thoughts
Even though all 3 of these games will be on the road, it's not like we have to travel very far to get to any of these stadiums (5 hrs, 3 hrs, 6.5 hrs). It's not like we're facing any unbeatable force either. All of these teams will have trouble this year breaking the top-50, much less the top-60.
Iowa State's defense was REALLY BAD last year. We're talking 99th in ypg, 106th DFEI & 110th S&P. The fact that they lose so much from that horrible defense could be a good thing for them, but most likely it's a bad thing. If we develop even something resembling an offense this offseason, we should cut through them like butter.
Illinois loses whatever semblance of an offense (aka Rejus Benn) they had with only 5 starters returning. Their 91st ranked defense might be a little better, but this team is also coached by Ron Zook. Last-ditch efforts to bring in new coordinators on both sides of the ball is going to prove costly as systems take time to implement.
Minnesota's defense was actually their strength (compared to their offense) last year, but they will be returning only 2 (TWO!) starters on that side of the ball in 2010. On offense they were 109th in the nation in ypg, so they dumped their offensive coordinator. Their new hire? Jeff Horton, the same guy that was QB coach for Wisconsin when we sacked Brooks Bollinger 10 times as the refs stole the game away from us back in 2002. This is their 4th OC in 4 years, so yeah they may have some issues, especially with WR Eric Decker gone.
Comparison to previous years
After the jump, we'll compare 2010's non-conference schedule to those of the past and see how they stack up.
4 comments | 0 recs |
Quarterfinal quandaries and thoughts on the All-MAC Team
by Mike Breese on Mar 11, 2010 7:47 AM CST
in Basketball
1 comment
Today's Lineup:
- No. 2 Central Michigan vs. No. 7 Western Michigan at 11 a.m.
- No. 3 Akron vs. No. 6 Eastern Michigan at 1:30 p.m.
- No. 1 Kent State vs. No. 9 Ohio at 6 p.m.
- 4 Miami vs. No. 5 Buffalo at 8:30 p.m.
My predictions: CMU, Akron, Kent State & I'll have to go with Miami who plays a Buffalo team that is pretty much on the road.
All games will be broadcast on FS Ohio and ESPN360.
All-MAC First Team
Jimmy Conyers, Akron
Rodney Pierce, Buffalo
Kenny Hayes, Miami
David Kool, Western Michigan
Chris Singletary, Kent StateAll-MAC Second Team
Jordan Bitzer, Central Michigan
Robbie Harman, Central Michigan
Carlos Medlock, Eastern Michigan
Brandon Bowdry, Eastern Michigan (Junior)
Justin Greene, Kent State (Sophomore)
That is a LOT of seniors that will be graduating that have been playing forever for their respective teams. Kenny Hayes, Chris Singletary, Robbie Harman & Carlos Medlock all played point guard, which is essentially the quarterback for your offense. Kool was MAC player of the year, so that will kill WMU and CMU loses their wondertwins who shoot 3-pointers in Bitzer and Harman. With all these guards graduating, I'm assuming the big focus in the conference will be front-court play next year with guys like 6'6" Brandon Bowdry (16.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg) and 6'8" Justin Greene (13.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg) returning (hello Nate Rucker).
1 comment | 0 recs |
A Recent Timeline of NIU Basketball
by Mike Breese on Mar 9, 2010 2:12 AM CST
in Basketball
1 comment
6-22, 10-20, 10-20. Those are the records of Ricardo Patton's 1st three years as head of the Northern Illinois basketball program. That fact is that this team isn't any fun to watch at all. It's a different type of suffering than back in the Judson days. These Patton teams have a lot more talent and athleticism than a lot of the teams preceding them. The fact is that this team just does not play up to their potential that they're capable of. Now this can lay blame on the coaching staff or the players themselves, or both. I'm going to just put a slight weight on how the coaches didn't prepare this team for the 2009-10 season.
NIU lost one player (ONE) in Sean Smith this past off-season. This team was supposed to be leaps and bound better than last year. NIU basketball was supposed to be back! What happened??? I HAVE NO IDEA. That's the frustrating part. The defense was the same mediocre defense like last years, but the offense actually regressed from last year. I would have been fine with the Huskies shooting the lights out of the ball and winning a few offensive shootouts, but that never happened.
Regressing from a 223rd ranked Effective FG% to 310th? 3-pt shooting down from 34.4% to 30.0%?? Jake Anderson would disappear one game and Xavier Silas was never a savior like he was so hyped up to be. Mike DiNunno came out missing threes at the point and would never stop. Sean Kowal was a nice surprise in the middle, but what the heck happened to Michael Fakuade? Tyler Storm? Najul Ervin? I just don't get it and I don't think anybody watching does.
What were Judson's records like? 12-16, 17-14, 10-20, 11-17, 17-11, 7-23. The obscure fact that we won the MAC West in 2006 is completely irrelevant considering we went down in the 1st round of the tournament that year. NIU is now 0-11 in the MAC tourney since re-joining the MAC. The drought in the MAC tourney dates all the way back to 1982 when we won the whole darn thing.
How did this all come about? Let's take a look:
1 comment | 0 recs |
Breaking News: Me'co Brown withdraws from NIU
by Jerry Burnes on Mar 8, 2010 2:56 PM CST
13 comments
No speculation this time, Me'co Brown is no longer a Huskie, but left on his own accord.
NIU head coach Jerry Kill said in a press release today that Brown has withdrawn from school for personal reasons. The junior back was earlier speculated to have been kicked off the team by Kill, but those reports were unfounded.
Brown was on the team as of Jan. 12 despite missing the International Bowl for family reasons.
In two seasons, Brown gained 1,155 rushing yards on 258 carries , and started14 games for the Huskies. He was second on the 2009 team with 645 rushing yards on 148 carries and four touchdowns.
More to come on the impact of Brown's departure, filling the void, and any other information that comes available.
13 comments | 0 recs
MAC Tourney Rd. I Game Thread: NIU @ Eastern Michigan
by Mike Breese on Mar 7, 2010 3:37 AM CST
in Basketball
3 comments
Northern Illinois Huskies (10-19, 6-10) vs. the Eastern Michigan Eagles (16-14, 8-8)
Tipoff: 1 PM
The [Evil] Convocation Center, Ypsilanti, MI
TV: EMUEagles.com ($) Radio: WSCR (if they feel like it) / WEMU
It's win or go home for the Huskies. The defense has been there lately, it's only a matter of coming together as an offense and being efficient. A run in this tourney can make a huge footprint and spin a lot of momentum going into the offseason. A loss here would just be more of the same old Huskies that have burning our retinas for years now.
Take it away X:
OM NOM NOM NOM. GET HUNGRY HUSKIES!!!!!
3 comments | 0 recs
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Mid-American Conference Standings
(updated 3.19.2010 at 12:33 AM CDT)
| East | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
| Kent St. Golden Flashes | 13 | 3 | 24 | 9 |
| Akron Zips | 12 | 4 | 24 | 11 |
| Buffalo Bulls | 9 | 7 | 18 | 12 |
| Miami (Ohio) RedHawks | 9 | 7 | 14 | 18 |
| Ohio Bobcats | 7 | 9 | 22 | 14 |
| Bowling Green Falcons | 6 | 10 | 14 | 16 |
| West | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
| Central Michigan Chippewas | 9 | 7 | 15 | 15 |
| Western Michigan Broncos | 8 | 8 | 18 | 15 |
| Eastern Michigan Eagles | 8 | 8 | 17 | 15 |
| Ball St. Cardinals | 8 | 8 | 15 | 15 |
Northern Illinois Huskies
|
6 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| Toledo Rockets | 1 | 15 | 4 | 28 |
Weather in Dekalb
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