At least someone here posted a positive thread. This board is super annoying when it comes to the gamethreads. Everyone just wants to rip on the team, the coaching, etc.

We went 3-1 with three out of the four games on the road. This team continually wins despite getting stuck with more road games than home games, all the coaching turnovers, the players graduating, etc.

Yes, i thought we would be more competitive against Arkansas and we probably should have been from reading on here it still seems like we are missing some of our key players.

It looks like Hare had a decent game against a tough opponent, especially considering the run game was not there from a look at the game stats. Jordan Lynch did not do as well passing against an Iowa team in 2012 that was not anywhere near as good as this Arkansas team. Hell, i think this Arkansas team already has more wins than that Iowa team did.

Hare looks like he will do a fine job at QB and looking around at the way the MAC has played so far, the only team we could possibly lose to is Toledo. So at worst we are 10-2 and most likely 11-1. There are few programs out there that are consistently winning like we are. What we do with so few resources ($$$) is impressive. I'm pretty sure Arkansas gets more money from their SEC TV contract than our entire athletic department spends on all sports.

Anyone who has been a fan of NIU in the past knows that we have it good now. Its difficult to go undefeated no matter who you are.

As a current NIU student who's been here since 2010, this hurt but honestly this was the one game I had us losing. Will i say im fine with the score, of course not, but our guys didn't give up. Are we still up there in home victories yes, we'll just start over with the road victories. NIU will win the rest of this season because all this was was a reality check. We aren't there yet, and it'll probably be a while before we can compete on that level (I never thought I'd say this, but the SEC is just too dominant, and it's going to be that way, sadly, for a while to come). The Big Ten is garbage, idek what's going on in the Big 12, ECU is killing the ACC, and the Pac 12 seems like the only other conference that's moving along fine. We need to get on ECU's level, because honestly, they are truly the next team on the rise. I'd rather be the next ECU then be the next Boise St. because slowly Boise is falling off. NIU will rebound from this, go 11-1, win the MACC and play whatever bowl we play in. Maybe we'll get an invite to join another conference (something i've always dreamed) but we probably wont.... final comment, this is the 2nd time that it shows that size and speed are truly a majorrr factor (better conference > faster/stronger/bigger guys > being able to compete with the SEC's of the world)

(09-20-2014 09:28 PM)17Huskies Wrote:  

(09-20-2014 09:25 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  Right now I am thankful that my 7-5 to 8-4 prediction seems way off.

Also seems like we got out of this game without anyone hurt.

Hard to tell...I don't get why we never saw TLL...Daniels I can see.

As for the rest of the MAC...hard to tell what Toledo and CMU bring to the table right now...figure they will be tough games though.

But have to believe there's at least 8 total wins...even that would be disappointing.

We play CMU & Toledo at home...that helps us.
If we made it out of Arkansas with everyone intact & unhurt that's good. A bye week...get the guys rested up healthy again & I think we continue with our home stadium streak. We do still have the nation's longest home stadium winning streak, don't we?

I think this team will be a good one. Drew Hare is going to get better & better & I'm excited to have a passing QB again.
I am looking forward to being HOME again in Huskie Stadium.

I like our D. A lot. They looked respectable in hard circumstances. After the Offense an ST gave them a two TD hole they did all they could. . I hate our predictable offense. (Did we throw more than once down field). The play calling confused me. (Stingily outside against SEC defense) Seemed uninspired. I do not have a lot if confidence in those in charge of it. Sorry. Just my take. Hare might be good someday but he is not as of today. Along with the throwing motion which 7 covered, his insistance on totally locking in on a receiver almost tipping his hand before getting the snap will hurt us down the road. I didn't see one play that made me go wow today. It's as if the coaching staff wrote this game off and decided not to show Mac teams anything to prepare for.

I know I am in the minority here but I am so totally sick of seeing the all white unis. I hated it the first time. I hate it more now. Give me my regular helmets with my standard colors. As someone in another thread mentioned. "I feel like I am routing for a team that's not niu"


Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

(09-20-2014 09:11 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  There weren't too many of us predicting a 3-1 start at the beginning of the season.

Doesn't matter, expectations change from week-to-week in CFB.

This was ugly. WAY uglier than it should have been regardless of preseason expectations. We should have had a better showing than this tonight.

No excuse for what happened in the 1st quarter. Downhill from there.

(09-20-2014 11:16 PM)houstonhuskie Wrote:  I know I am in the minority here but I am so totally sick of seeing the all white unis.

You may be in minority "here", but I think you have the common belief among the general public. Most people I heard from tonight were "eh" at best about these unis.

NIU has spent YEARS building the black/red thing. Keep going. The all white is not good, and we aren't a school that can sell the week-to-week sudden change in schemes.

3-1 and an easy MAC schedule!

No reason why we can't go 11-1 and go back to Detroit if we stay focused. This game, as bad as it sounds was a reality check for us. We aren't the same team.

(09-21-2014 12:38 AM)Michael James Wrote:  No reason why we can't go 11-1 and go back to Detroit if we stay focused. This game, as bad as it sounds was a reality check for us. We aren't the same team.

11-1 is actually better than any teams before!

Please explain

As usual it is going to come down to the Toledo game.

(09-21-2014 12:43 AM)yesman815 Wrote:  

(09-21-2014 12:38 AM)Michael James Wrote:  No reason why we can't go 11-1 and go back to Detroit if we stay focused. This game, as bad as it sounds was a reality check for us. We aren't the same team.

11-1 is actually better than any teams before!

Please explain

12-0 last year.

(09-20-2014 10:58 PM)4PhaseDelta Wrote:  We need to get on ECU's level, because honestly, they are truly the next team on the rise. I'd rather be the next ECU then be the next Boise St. because slowly Boise is falling off.

If you are saying we need to be on ECU's level when it comes to attendance then i agree, but when it comes to who has been the better program then its NIU hands down.

ECU had a 10-win season last year, not that is bad but we've had four straight 11+ win seasons and likely about to be five.

(09-21-2014 12:03 AM)spanky Wrote:  

(09-20-2014 09:11 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  There weren't too many of us predicting a 3-1 start at the beginning of the season.

Doesn't matter, expectations change from week-to-week in CFB.

This was ugly. WAY uglier than it should have been regardless of preseason expectations. We should have had a better showing than this tonight.

No excuse for what happened in the 1st quarter. Downhill from there.

My expectations for the rest of the year... Win out. I'm dissapointed in the whopping we just received but it doesn't change my thoughts on the rest of the season

What's the word on TLL and Daniels?


Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

(09-21-2014 07:15 PM)niu_1087 Wrote:  What's the word on TLL and Daniels?


Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

Day-to-Day for the next 9 weeks, or they're close to returning is probably the best we'll ever get from Coach.

Coach Carey is not a good in-game coach. Glad we have a easy schedule

(09-21-2014 07:26 PM)yesman815 Wrote:  Coach Carey is not a good in-game coach. Glad we have a easy schedule

Doeren was better. Kill made a lot of mistakes.

I just want to go to Detroit and celebrate a victory. Need Hare to step up, maybe McIntosh will come back hungry for his #1 spot on the depth chart and light a fire under both hare and his butts. Stingily will be tough to stop running downhill against Mac defenses. I have plenty of faith in our receiving core even without tll. But I definitely can't wait to see him back in action!

(09-21-2014 07:31 PM)NIU17 Wrote:  

(09-21-2014 07:26 PM)yesman815 Wrote:  Coach Carey is not a good in-game coach. Glad we have a easy schedule

Doeren was better. Kill made a lot of mistakes.

What mistakes did kill make?

Kill took millions

I think NIU will go 10-2, barring no injuries and they improve as the season goes on. Saying they'll go undefeated the rest of the regular season is possible of course, but too much to be presumptive about, given that they are adjusting, etc. They're lucky that Toledo's D is #125 in ESPN's defense efficiency (but #23 in offense efficiency, where NIU is #36). Those efficiencies take the schedule & margins in account, etc.

The MAC this year is down with many of it's teams to varying degrees, so I think you'll see a greater share of upsets or close games that you'd expect NOT to be close.

Chances of NIU victory:
Toledo: 57% - Toledo is DANGEROUS. And they've been battle tested with a tough schedule.
CMU: 60-80% - Depends on if they have their stah players healthy that they rely on and how well they're gelling; they can play great or real bad
@WMU: 62% - Last game of the reg season, so this could be bigger, or shrink a bit by season's end; WMU is young, sloppy, but dangerous this year
@BSU: 65% - Not a good O, not stifiling D. Not dangerous if you play a solid game.
@Ohio: 70% - Just a blah team again.

IMO, they'll have a MAC loss. Wouldn't be completely shocked at 2, but surprised. Of course, this "don't expect pure/raw winning consistency" doesn't just hold for NIU, but also BGSU & Toledo, too of course.

NIU is the favorite to win the West, and "should", with Toledo & CMU at home, while BSU not being great this year, and WMU being dangerous but not a huge threat if you're rolling the way you're supposed to and don't overlook them for the MACC.

Access Bowl?
Cinci had to BATTLE to beat Miami, even though they whipped Toledo (even though yards were almost equal). Cinci's OOC schedule is too tough outside of that, so they won't be an Access Bowl entry. If NIU goes 11-2 (with MACC win) -- they'll be above Cinci in any committee's eyes.

Marshall will have to lose the CUSAC. They're good this year. Easy schedule. Easier than NIU's. If they lose a game, which they could -- if NIU goes 12-1, NIU will be the better-to-pick team.

ECU would have to have 2 more losses for NIU to be above them. Which could happen, but don't count on it. AAC would have to beat each other up, making ECU go 9-3 with their losses at the latter part of the season. NIU going 12-1, NIU would be chosen above them.

NIU could win out -- including the MACC. Certainly wouldn't be a shocker. A bit surprising, for the sake of winning ALL non-gimmie games with that consistency... and winning the MACC game which they haven't been consistent on in the past either. It'd be about as surprising as Marshall going undefeated -- or ECU going undefeated the rest of the way.

If they do go 12-1, I would say there's a chance they COULD go to Access bowl -- but they'll need luck on their side. Hey, stranger things have happened... like NIU going to the Orange Bowl with 1 loss, being the first mid-major to do so. :)