Northern Illinois Huskies
2015 Results: 8-6 (6-2, T1st in MAC West)
Lost to Boise State in Poinsettia Bowl
Returning Starters: 8 OFF, 6 DEF, 2 SP
2016 Schedule:
September:
3rd at Wyoming
10th at South Florida
17th SAN DIEGO STATE
24th WESTERN ILLINOIS
October:
1st at Ball State
8th at Western Michigan
15th CENTRAL MICHIGAN
22nd BUFFALO
November:
1st BOWLING GREEN
9th TOLEDO
16th at Eastern Michigan
25th at Kent State
Have you heard about Northern Illinois? They're a decent team. They've only won or tied for 1st in their division for the past six seasons. That's not too bad, but they're still hungry for more. Head coach Rod Carey is ready for battle and has a looooooooooot of offense coming back with him. A friendly schedule (playing 4 of the top 5 MAC teams at home) could be a sign of fun times ahead for the boys.
Their offense will be the straw that stirs the pot. They were sort of middle of the pack offensively last season, but all the boys are back to party and you can add in Tommy Mister the Indiana transfer. This turns an already strong rushing attack (41st nationally in 2015) into an even more beastly being. Quarterback Drew Hare is back from an achilles injury and is ready to continue the winning legacy that he has known since graduating from high school.
Defensively, they have some work to do. They are losing their top performers on the d-line, linebacker, and secondary. That's a good amount to replace on a unit that was less than stellar the season before. This means the returning players Sean Folliard and Shawun Lurry are going to have to repeat their 2015 efforts and even expand upon them. Luckily for the defense, they have a few friendly games to get the season started and give them the reps they need to get in the rhythm.
Player to watch: Shawun Lurry
#DefensiveLivesMatter. I've been too biased toward offensive players in my MAC previews, so the defense needs some more love. Lurry had 9 interceptions in 2015. If that seems like a lot, that's because that was the most in the NCAA. Yea, Lurry is that dude. He knew what to do with the ball when he got it too, leading the nation with 273 interception return yards. Keep rolling Shawun.
If you only watch them once, watch: 10/8 at Western Michigan
This is the MAC West championship. The top two teams from the previous year will meet with championship aspirations and see who is the better man. Last year, NIU took care of business, but this year they head into Kalamazoo to do battle. Will the result be the same? Time will tell.
Prediction: 11-1 (7-1, MAC)
All my love,
@corbeech
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