|
WR/KR
Dan Sheldon |
|
2002
Statistics
|
Coach:
Joe Novak
28-50,
7 years |
2002
Record: 8-4
|
|
WAKE
FOREST |
WON
42-41 (OT) |
at
South Florida |
LOST
6-37 |
at
Wisconsin |
LOST
21-24 |
WESTERN
ILLINOIS |
LOST
26-29 |
KENT
STATE |
WON
13-6 |
at
Ball State |
WON
41-29 |
at
Miami OH |
WON
48-41 |
CENTRAL
MICHIGAN |
WON
49-0 |
at
Western Michigan |
WON
24-20 |
BOWLING
GREEN |
WON
26-17 |
at
Eastern Michigan |
WON
49-21 |
TOLEDO |
LOST
30-33 |
|
2002 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2003
Outlook
|
Every
season there is a team from the mid-majors
that makes some noise. Tulane, Toledo, Fresno
State and Marshall have all recently worn
the glass slipper. This year could easily
be Northern Illinois. Looking up and down
the depth charts, it is amazing how many
young players are in key roles.
The schedule will be challenging but allows
the Huskies to bark early. The non-conference
slate of Maryland, (at) Alabama, and Iowa
State proves that Novak is serious about
taking this program to the next level. With
players like Sheldon, Duffy and Michael
Turner, the Huskies will be in every game.
That being said, we feel this is a case
of a solid team biting off a bit more than
they can chew. Once the MAC games come,
the Husky secondary will cost them against
Miami (Ohio), Western Michigan and/or Marshall.
This squad will win a few they shouldn't
to make heads turn, but, simultaneously,
lose to a few they should (eventually with
hindsight) beat. Overall, NIU will have
a tremendous year and the offense will lead
this team to a bowl game and probable Top
25 finish. Bigger dreams may have to wait,
for now.
Projected
2003 record: 9-3
|
|
|
OFFENSIVE
MVP
WR Sam Hurd
|
DEFENSIVE
MVP
LB Nick Duffy
|
TOP
NEWCOMER
OG Jacob Ebenhoch
|
|
|
|
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB
- 3.5 |
DL
- 3.5 |
RB
- 4 |
LB
- 3.5 |
WR
- 3.5 |
DB
- 2.5 |
OL
- 4 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS
|
Passing:
Josh Haldi, 254-130-6, 2027 yds., 15 TD's
Rushing: Michael Turner, 338 att.,
1915 yds., 19 TD's
Receiving: Dan Sheldon, 40 rec.,
783 yds., 5 TD's
Scoring: Michael Turner, 20 TD's,
120 pts.
Punting: Steve Azar, 1 punt, 24.0
avg.
Kicking: Steve Azar, 18-25 FG, 41-43
PAT, 95 pts.
Tackles: Akil Grant, 138 tot., 92
solo
Sacks: Travis Moore, 7 sacks; Vinson
Reynolds, 7 sacks
Interceptions: Randee Drew, 7 for
103 yds.
Kickoff returns: Randee Drew, 15
ret., 26.1 avg.
Punt returns: Dan Sheldon, 21 ret.,
22.7 avg.
|
|
|
DE
Travis Moore |
|
|
|
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS |
|
|
OFFENSE
- 7
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 6
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Matt Dunker-TE, Tim Vincent-OT, Thomas Hammock-TB,
Graham Sleight-OG, Matt McGhghy-OG, Shea Fitzgerald-OT |
DEFENSE:
Anthony
Falbo-DT, Eric Didesch-NT, Larry Williams-WLB,
Vince Thompson-CB, Justin Dole-SS, Jimmy Erwin-P |
|
|
|
2003
OFFENSE
|
written
by Dave Bagchi
All-American
RB Michael Turner will carry the load for the
Husky offense. Running primarily out of the I-formation,
Turner had 18 rushing TDs to go along with his
1,702 yards. He packs speed and power into his
6'0, 223-pound frame. The cry has already begun
for Turner as a dark-horse Heisman candidate.
Sophomore A.J. Harris will provide some depth.
The fullback role is clear as a blocker - NIU
handed the ball to their fullbacks an amazing
zero times.
Behind
(and by that, of course, we mean 'in front of')
every great running game is a tremendous offensive
line. Turner should continue to see holes. The
big question, maybe the biggest question, is how
good is the OL? Can it be better or as good as
last year? Three starters are gone and the Huskies
are thin up front. But there are some new people
with potential. Some youngsters may have to grow
some hair on their chests real fast. Sophomore
Shea Fitzgerald will replace the departed Tim
Vincent and join the experienced group of senior
Todd Ghilani and junior Jake VerStraete. Junior
OG Mark Orszula (6-7, 323) comes back after missing
last season due to a leg injury in a fork lift
incident and started eight times in 2001. The
average size of the NIU front is about 6'5, 300
pounds.
All-MAC
Junior SE Dan Sheldon is mister do-it-all for
the Huskies. In his addition to his 35 receptions
for 729 yards, the 5'9 speedster gained 129 yards
rushing and was outstanding on special teams.
Sheldon makes sure that defenses do not focus
only on the running game. Three players will battle
over the starting flanker spot: 6'2 senior Keith
Perry and highly touted sophomores Shatone Powers
and Sam Hurd. Hurd should win the starting job,
with the competition boding well for receiver
and return depth. The best news of all is the
return of senior P.J. Fleck, the inspirational
team co-captain and the author of a team-leading
59 catches for 732 yards in 2001. Fleck struggled
through the first three games last fall due to
serious hamstring problems and gained a medical
redshirt year.
Although
first year starting QB Josh Haldi passed for 1,885
yards with 15 touchdowns, there is room to improve.
Haldi completed just 51% of his passes, and the
Huskies converted a putrid 35% of third-downs.
Look for Haldi to open it up in 2003. The 2002
Huskies ran on almost two-thirds of their downs.
MAC coach of the year Joe Novak would prefer closer
to a 60/40 split. To do this, Haldi will need
to spread the ball around more. Of the 120 receptions,
73 went to three players. Northern Illinois used
to throw to Hammock out of the backfield (in 2001).
Look for them to return to some of this with Haldi-to-Turner
this season.
Junior
TE Brad Cieslak will replace departed senior Matt
Dunker. Dunker was a favorite target of Haldi's
in 2002 with six touchdowns. Cieslak has excellent
hands but is a bit slower. Look for some early
growing pains as Cieslak gets accustomed to the
starting role.
|
|
TB
Michael Turner
|
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS 2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
OFFENSE
|
QB |
Josh
Haldi-Jr (6-2, 194) |
Ryan
Gilbert-Sr (6-3, 195) |
TB |
Michael
Turner-Sr (6-0, 223) |
A.J.
Harris-So (6-0, 210) |
WR |
Dan
Sheldon-Jr (5-11, 175) |
Sam
Hurd-So (6-1, 175) |
WR |
P.J.
Fleck-Sr (5-10, 177) |
Keith
Perry-Sr (6-3, 221) |
Q |
Aaron
Anderson-Jr (6-3, 227) |
Brad
Benson-Fr (6-0, 240) |
TE |
Brad
Cieslak-Jr (6-4, 250) |
Pat
Raleigh-So (6-4, 231) |
OT |
Doug
Free-Fr (6-5, 250) |
Mychael
McKay-Fr (6-3, 275) |
OG |
Mark
Orszula-Jr (6-7, 323) |
Shaun
Schroeder-Sr (6-2, 309) |
C |
Todd
Ghilani-Sr (6-4, 295) |
Matt
Rogers-Fr (6-3, 250) |
OG |
Jacob
Ebenhoch-Fr (6-4, 278) |
Brian
Van Acker-So (6-3, 266) |
OT |
Jake
Ver Straete-Jr (6-7, 289) |
Efrain
Cerventes-Fr (6-3, 268) |
K |
Steve
Azar-Sr (5-7, 192) |
Aaron
Reese-Fr (5-10, 170) |
|
|
2003
DEFENSE
|
written
by Dave Bagchi
The
sack attack is back. Young defensive coordinator
Scott Shafer loves to take risks, blitzing his
safeties and linebackers out of the Attack 4-3.
Of the team's 46 sacks, 30 came from the back
seven. With this pass defense it is often all
or nothing.
The
LB unit anchors the NIU defense, stuffing the
run as offensive coordinators scheme against the
secondary stunts. Northern Illinois was strong
against the run, allowing only 3.5 yards per rush,
and 132 rushing yards per game. Senior leader
MLB Nick Duffy is the leader. Shafer asks for
much from the middle in coverage and run support.
Duffy's 113 tackles only hint at his overall ability.
Shafer likes to creep his outside backers up to
the line and bring a 5-2 look at times to opposing
quarterbacks. Look for sophomore Javan Lee to
put on 20 pounds to his light frame and fill the
role left by departed OLB Larry Williams. Returning
junior starter Brian Atkinson will fill the other
outside position. Together in 2002, Atkinson,
Williams and Duffy combined for nearly 300 tackles,
16 sacks and 23 tackles-for-loss. The X-factor
is DE/OLB senior Vinson Reynolds. He had seven
sacks and 12 quarterback hurries a year ago in
a back-up role. With Atkinson and Lee being under-sized,
look for Reynolds to get more time at linebacker.
The
Huskies return three of four starters along the
defensive line. Seniors Jason Frank, Leonard Cooksey,
junior Travis Moore, and the newcomer, sophomore
Charles Johnson, should get the nod. This unit
will again succeed in stopping the run. The ends,
Frank and Moore are the stars of the group. They
are both basically linebackers stringing out each
play, often keeping opposing TEs out of their
routes. Forget about running outside on the Huskies
as their ends and linebackers will laterally dominate
you. If you are going to beat them, run up the
middle. Cooksey is under-sized for a tackle, though
Johnson is over 300-pounds. Coaches are expecting
the run defense to only get better with Johnson
plugging the inside. So much for having a plan.
In
a conference with pass-happy teams, the Huskies
sorely need to improve their 103rd ranked pass
defense. The combination of an under-sized secondary
and lack of overall team-speed allows opponents
to produce big plays against risky schemes. The
corners will be senior returning starter Randee
Drew and newcomer senior Gerard Taylor. Drew led
the team with seven interceptions and 14 passes
defended, but his 5'8 frame allows him to be picked
on. Randee is a risk-taker, and with all the risks
being taken up front by this defense, the Huskies
need him and Taylor to play sound football and
keep the play in front of them. Taylor is only
5'7 and backup sophomore Deon Smith 5'9. This
will be a problem when the Huskies line up against
teams like Western Michigan and Marshall that
have big, physical receivers. Shafer tries to
compensate for the lack of size and speed by keeping
his guys aggressive. Give opponents some time
and they will pick this secondary apart as they
over-pursue.
Senior
FS Akil Grant led the team last season with 124
tackles. Grant is a little thin, but has more
size at 5'11 than his peers and hits with memorable
authority. Smaller junior SS Devron Francis will
replace departed senior Justin Dole. Francis has
seen plenty of playing time, but his strength
is in coverage, not up in the box. It will be
interesting to see what approach the coaches take
with Francis, perhaps let him play more conservatively
to ground the secondary's wild-side. If not, look
for junior Toran Ballard to make a push. Ballard
is more physical and fits better into Shafer's
schemes.
|
|
CB
Randee Drew
|
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS 2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
DEFENSE
|
DE |
Jason
Frank-Sr (6-5, 243) |
Vinson
Reynolds-Sr (6-1, 237) |
NT |
Leonard
Cooksey-Sr (6-0, 273) |
Justin
McIntyre-So (6-0, 297) |
DT |
Martin
Wilson-Jr (6-0, 273) |
Charles
Johnson-So (6-1, 313) |
DE |
Travis
Moore-Jr (6-0, 231) |
Ken
West-Fr (6-0, 226) |
SLB |
Brian
Atkinson-Jr (6-1, 210) |
Jason
Hutton-So (5-10, 229) |
MLB |
Nick
Duffy-Sr (6-2, 232) |
Jason
Hawkins-Jr (6-2, 226) |
WLB |
Kursten
Strothman-Jr (6-1, 239) |
Javan
Lee-So (6-1, 192) |
CB |
Randee
Drew-Sr (5-8, 185) |
Rob
Lee-Jr (6-1, 192) |
CB |
Gerard
Taylor-Sr (5-7, 184) |
Deon
Smith-So (5-9, 183) |
SS |
Akil
Grant-Sr (5-11, 186) |
Ray
Smith-So (6-1, 182) |
FS |
Lionel
Hickenbottom-Jr (5-10, 192) |
Devron
Francis-Jr (5-9, 179) |
P |
Anthony
Gallagher-Sr (5-11, 199) |
Dennis
Tovar-Jr (6-0, 200) |
|
|
|
2003
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
WR
Dan Sheldon doubles as the nation's leading punt-returner
with a 22.7 yard punt return average. DB Randee Drew
was 15th in the nation in kick return average at 26.1
yards. Drew is lightning in a bottle and a natural playmaker.
Senior
punter Anthony Gallagher will start after no 2002 boots.
Punt coverage could cost them field-position, and possibly
games, if they again allow over 15 yards per return.
This area is critical with a likely under-achieving
secondary.
Place-kicker
Steve Azar made 15-21 FGAs. Azar was 12-for-13 inside
the 40, but struggled beyond that. Coach Novak has the
option of giving Azar dual duties as a punter if needed.
|
|
Note:
Sophomore offensive tackle Shea Fitzgerald
was tragically killed in a porch-collapsing
incident in late June. Shea was a peer-described
"nice guy", who was "very easy
to talk to". His loss is a sincere misfortune
to the college football community. We at NationalChamps.net
send our hearts out to the loved ones in Shea's
life. |
"I can't wait". These words from
coach Joe Novak seem to sum up the feelings
of all those who follow Northern Illinois
football. Michael Turner even said, "anything
but winning a MAC Championship would be
a failure to me". Hmmm, big expectations?
You bet. They better balance this weight
evenly or it may come down to crush them!
Sophomore TB Adrian Davis had a marvelous
spring game, carrying for 116 yards and
2 TDs on 20 carries. Garrett Wolfe added
71 yards on 11 carries. It seems the Huskies
can run the football no matter who's back
there- that's good!
WR Sam Hurd left
his prints on the offense, nabbing 4 passes
for 120 yards. At 30 yards a catch, Hurd
proved himself to be a serious offensive
catalyst. Soph WR Shatone Powers has also
made progress
Jacob Ebenhoch (rsf)
and Matt Rogers (rsf) have consummately
impressed Novak, making us believe they
could be starting on the same line together
very soon.
If you find yourself doing a double take
next season, it's for good reason. RSF CBs
Adriel and Alvah Hansbro (otherwise known
as the "Doublemint Twins") have
progressed nicely in the Huskie secondary
this spring and will see a good share of
game action in 2003
Watch for incoming
frosh LB Bob McLearen. He is a rocket with
a knack for making tackles (especially for
loss)
The Huskies return the services
of FS Lionel Hickenbottom, who sat out the
majority of last year due to a leg injury.
His return makes this group a good one.
|
|
|
|
|
|