Rockets Looking to Continue Orbit in Dekalb

What a difference a year and a new head coach makes. New head coach Jerry Kill has the Huskies mushing hard, injuries aside. Looking at the QB position makes the case. Kill has used four quarterbacks and is 3-3, 2-1 in the MAC.

What a difference a year and a new head coach makes.

In the run up to last year’s NIU – UT game, my column title last year was “Huskies Limp Into Rockets Sights.” New head coach Jerry Kill has the Huskies mushing hard, injuries aside. Looking at the QB position makes the case. Kill has used four quarterbacks and is 3-3, 2-1 in the MAC. Imagine being in the hunt for the MAC West while dealing with a string of ankle and shoulder injuries to your QBs. Coaching and inspiration matters.

Kill arrived last December and found a roster full of injuries. Twenty players missed spring drills and did not make the field until August. The Huskies may be dinged but they are certainly not limping. Coach Kill believes in hard work and its direct relationship to success. He has found success at every stop of his coaching career, most recently at Southern Illinois where he led the Salukis to five straight appearances in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, including a 12-2 mark and a semifinal berth in 2007.

Kill has his team on a higher plane winning more games both in conference and OOC play than last year. That with the Huskies playing four of their first five games on the road, traveling to Minnesota and Tennessee. The Huskies, thanks to improved play by the defense, have lost their three games by a combined 10 points.

Alaskan Huskies are not the pretty dog the Salukis breed is but they are bred to work and work as part of a team. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


On Offense

There is no one lead dog on O. How could there be with rotating QBs? Likewise, when the passing game isn’t working the running games steps up . . . and vice versa.

Speaking of the quarterback position, Chandler Harnish was named the starter against the Rockets. Harnish missed three games with a right mid-foot sprain before entering last week's game against the Miami Redhawks. Harnish. 6’2 210-# RFS, is very athletic with a strong arm completing nearly 55% of his passes (23-42 with 2 TDs and 0 INTs). He’s averaging nearly 19 yards per pass completion. His running has been limited to about a handful of rushes per game averaging a football’s length over 2 yards per rush.

If Coach Killer substitutes for Harnish it probably will not be QB Dan Nicholson. Dan is still nursing a sore shoulder. QB DeMarcus Grady (15-26-0) is a threat to run averaging 5.1 per rush. Grady, however, left the Miami game with an ankle injury.

Running the spread offense, NIU QBs use the scatter gun approach to passing involving 16 players as pass receivers putting them fourth in the NCAA stat of the number of players making a reception. This total includes nine different wide receivers, three tight ends, a fullback and three tailbacks. Talk about a sled team.

Leading this bunch are WRs Marcus Perez (6’0” 180#) with 15 grabs averaging 11.7 per catch and Nathan Palmer (5’11” 185#) averaging 23.2 yards per catch with 2 TD receptions. TE Reed Cunningham (6’4” 250#) has eight grabs and a TD averaging nearly 15 yards per catch. WR Landon Cox (6’3” 215#) also has eight receptions and a TD. WR Matt Simon (6’2” 210#) has seven catches and a TD with an average of 19.4 yards per catch. Three other Huskies have six receptions, two for TDs, averaging six to 10 yards per grab.

Huskies running backs are led by freshman Me’co Brown (5’7” 180#) averaging 5.4 ypc with two TDs and a season best 123 yard game against Miami. TB Justin Anderson (5’11” 222#) 3.6 ypc and two TDs, RBs Chad Spann (5’9” 195#) 8.9 ypc and two TDs, Montell Clanton (5’9” 185#) 6.2 ypc and one TD, and Ricky Crider (5’9” 190#) 6.2 ypc round out the NIU rushing attack. The Huskies have eight FBs on their roster. None have a single carry to date.

To their credit, the Junior-dominated OL has allowed just three QB sacks in six games. The O-line has been a key component in enabling NIU to continue their drives on third down 35 times in 79 tries so far this year (44.3%). That ranks third in the MAC and 38th in the nation. This is a HUGE improvement over last year’s third-down conversion stat of 32% (55 of 171).


On Defense

If the Huskies’ rushing stats aren’t overpowering, put them against their opponents’. NIU is averaging 170 yards per game on the ground against 114 for their opponents including limiting the Tennessee Volunteers to 69 yards on the ground. Compare that to NIU’s rushing defense last year: 210.08 ypg (111th nationally and 12th in the MAC). The Huskies tops the MAC in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense, and ranks second in pass efficiency defense. Nationally, they rank 15th in scoring defense and are 26th in total defense. An impressive statistics is that they’ve allowed only three rushing TDs. Around DeKalb they refer to these as some of their “Kill-er Stats!”

The undisputed leader of the D is All-MAC DE Larry English (6 TFL and 3.5 sacks) on his way to playing Sundays. Number 51 is on the field for nearly every defensive play. But don’t overlook DE Brandon Bice who has six TFL and three sacks. Sandwiched in between is NG D.J. Pirkle (6’0”, 295#) with three TFL and a sack.

The Huskies line backing corps has been a big factor in an improved team defense. Josh Allen, Tim McCarthy, and Cory Hanson are among the top seven tacklers combining for 76 tackles including 10 TFL and two forced fumbles.

Huskies secondary is led by versatile DB David Bryant (he was backup RB last year) who is the leading tackler (37), has two pass break-ups and two forced fumbles. SS Mike Sobol has 26 tackles, third high on team. CB Melvin Rice has three pass break-ups increasing his team leading career break-ups to 15. CB Bradley Pruitt, who has two INTs and two TFL, will not play against the Rockets due to an ankle injury. In terms of game experience, the cornerback position is the deepest for NIU.


On Special Teams

P Andy Dittbenner is averaging 40.9 ypp on 22 punts with half a dozen fair catches and seven pinning the opposition starting inside their own 20. PK Mike Salerno leads NIU in scoring with 18 PATs and 10 field goals on 14 attempts with a long of 49 yards. On kickoffs he is averaging 67.1 yards (inside the three yard line) on 34 kickoffs with 11 touchbacks.

Me’co Brown handles both kick-off and punt return duties averaging 19.5 and 10.7 with season long returns of 29 and 19 respectfully. Opponents are averaging 21.5 and 15.7 returning kick-offs and punts.


What to Look For:

• Rockets will mix in the run but look for Aaron Opelt to go after the Huskies safeties who have the combined least experience among all NIU defensive positions

• Opelt to roll out away from DE Larry English

• Huskies will come out trying to establish a balanced offense of running and passing

• Continued excellent tackling displayed in the Michigan game

• LS Colin McHugh not to snap a fake punt play

• Chandler Harnish to throw his first INT of the season

• Nick Moore to offer atonement and not let punts bounce in front of him for an extra 20 yards

• Sean Williamson to add to his team leading QB sacks stat

• Rockets offense to score in the first half on a running play

• At least one of the Huskies to come out of the game with an ankle injury


The Rocket offense will take major strides against NIU. The Rockets passing game is as least equal to that of Western Michigan which was the Broncos’ margin of victory against the Huskies.

The Rockets defense, improving every game, is playing with power, purpose and pride. Tim Rose’s defensive unit took the collective monkey off his back and ours with their sterling effort against Michigan. Tim’s wife Joyce was relieved of her tension, in part, by my cousin Jim providing her a shoulder and neck rub at the end of the game. Their daughter Kristine had tears of joy in her eyes. Forget plop, plop, fizz, fizz, we know real relief!

Here’s to adding the “hair of the dog” to the Rockets’ trajectory.