I know we have a newly added coach Nick Benedetto with the title "Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks" in the spring.

Any chance he took over play calling from Derrick Jackson?
NIU's Defense has gone downhill for 3 years and 3 games now (you do the math), and then all of the sudden against UK they can hold the LOS on defense, have some tackles behind the line of scrimmage, even a few sacks, and kept pressure on them all game.

IMO better play calling and situational coverage calls (yes I know they broke a few long gains, but they're a top 10 team with self admitted NFL WRs) and generally better game plan and seemed to have an actual effective scheme against a top team.

Defense held their own and just seemed different.

A big part of our success is that Kentucky has a pretty bad O-line. They’re 123rd in the nation in sacks allowed(4 per game). Miami(oh) had 4 sacks against them. I peeped their message board during the game and all they were talking about was how terrible their O-line has been all year.

But I still think we looked better. Definitely more aggressive.

I think we will see a completely different offensive and defensive game plan now that MAC play has started. Winning the MAC is Hammock’s goal. Something he said after the EIU game has stuck with me like glue. He intimated that he did not want to give out any secrets of how good we are. Thus, it seems like he was using the OOC games as a tune-up and practice for the MAC. I am totally against this if it is true. The goal should be to win EVERY game. Winning the MAC does not earn you a place on the national stage.

(09-27-2022 04:56 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I think we will see a completely different offensive and defensive game plan now that MAC play has started. Winning the MAC is Hammock’s goal. Something he said after the EIU game has stuck with me like glue. He intimated that he did not want to give out any secrets of how good we are. Thus, it seems like he was using the OOC games as a tune-up and practice for the MAC. I am totally against this if it is true. The goal should be to win EVERY game. Winning the MAC does not earn you a place on the national stage.

Absolutely agree.

Nobody but us in the MAC gives a damn about how we do within the conference. Winning the MAC West and MACC are good, but it's how NIU does in the o-o-c games and bowl game (any bowl) that get the Huskies up on that national stage.


(edited down from length. trying to post shorter. and if it could be cut, wasn't needed in the first place)

The change in Co-coordinators is definitely possible. There was a movie poster type ad on Hammocks twitter that had Hammock as HC Eidsness as OC and Benedetto as DC. More telling was that Jackson wasn't listed next in line of coaches. Also in listening to the games the announcers say they talked to DC Nick Benedetto. So it seems that at least outward facing Benedetto is the guy.

(09-27-2022 04:56 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I think we will see a completely different offensive and defensive game plan now that MAC play has started. Winning the MAC is Hammock’s goal. Something he said after the EIU game has stuck with me like glue. He intimated that he did not want to give out any secrets of how good we are. Thus, it seems like he was using the OOC games as a tune-up and practice for the MAC. I am totally against this if it is true. The goal should be to win EVERY game. Winning the MAC does not earn you a place on the national stage.

A lot of teams will hold something back if they are playing an FCS team first, but after that teams are full throttle. Hammock was trying to win the games and came up short. The next goal is a MAC title. Gotta move on.

(09-27-2022 07:19 PM)NIUSAE Wrote:  The change in Co-coordinators is definitely possible. There was a movie poster type ad on Hammocks twitter that had Hammock as HC Eidsness as OC and Benedetto as DC. More telling was that Jackson wasn't listed next in line of coaches. Also in listening to the games the announcers say they talked to DC Nick Benedetto. So it seems that at least outward facing Benedetto is the guy.

I did not see that, but it makes sense then. Just cannot see how Hammock can be happy with the constant decline of the defense while the offense has/d become very efficient and (at times) dominant. Really hope they can turn it around for MACtion.

Maybe get some more younger guys in there and see if they can step up and prove themselves. Seems that Hammock loves to that on offense, so why not on defense?

(09-27-2022 09:52 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  

(09-27-2022 04:56 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I think we will see a completely different offensive and defensive game plan now that MAC play has started. Winning the MAC is Hammock’s goal. Something he said after the EIU game has stuck with me like glue. He intimated that he did not want to give out any secrets of how good we are. Thus, it seems like he was using the OOC games as a tune-up and practice for the MAC. I am totally against this if it is true. The goal should be to win EVERY game. Winning the MAC does not earn you a place on the national stage.

A lot of teams will hold something back if they are playing an FCS team first, but after that teams are full throttle. Hammock was trying to win the games and came up short. The next goal is a MAC title. Gotta move on.

Yeah, I don’t know who Hammock thought would buy that load of BS. What he should have said is that we are better than how we’ve played, we just didn’t have the team prepared enough. Now we will.

I believe Benedetto is calling the plays and running the defense now. Of course there's going to be an adjustment phase and I think the Kentucky performance was a big step in the right direction. I suspect the defense will continue to improve and play well in MAC play. I already think the scheme and play calling is much better. Jackson was dead set on playing man to man every possession. now, we are seeing more diversity and opportunistic play calling.

Go Huskies, beat Ball State!!!

(09-28-2022 11:55 AM)Red Dog Wrote:  I believe Benedetto is calling the plays and running the defense now. Of course there's going to be an adjustment phase and I think the Kentucky performance was a big step in the right direction. I suspect the defense will continue to improve and play well in MAC play. I already think the scheme and play calling is much better. Jackson was dead set on playing man to man every possession. now, we are seeing more diversity and opportunistic play calling.

Go Huskies, beat Ball State!!!

Was it different to start the season?

I mean when we hired him he didn't seem to have really any prior history of great success as a DC especially Syracuse.

(09-28-2022 12:31 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(09-28-2022 11:55 AM)Red Dog Wrote:  I believe Benedetto is calling the plays and running the defense now. Of course there's going to be an adjustment phase and I think the Kentucky performance was a big step in the right direction. I suspect the defense will continue to improve and play well in MAC play. I already think the scheme and play calling is much better. Jackson was dead set on playing man to man every possession. now, we are seeing more diversity and opportunistic play calling.

Go Huskies, beat Ball State!!!

Was it different to start the season?

I mean when we hired him he didn't seem to have really any prior history of great success as a DC especially Syracuse.

I believe he was the DC at Samford, not Syracuse. And I'm not entirely sure how their D stacked up down there but from his bio it says they improved in 9 or 12 defensive categories and were very good at forcing turnovers, which was a huge weakness for our D last year. We have already forced a ton of TOs in 4 games so far so that's an improvement. I think he's just a young, up and coming defensive coach and is from Illinois so the fit makes sense. I truly believe there is a growing/learning phase with new coaches and I think, albeit slowly, our D is starting to show some improvements in certain areas.

Hopefully we can keep it up well into MAC play and beyond.

Go Huskies

If it was a change to Nick Benedetto calling the defensive plays against KY. then he should keep doing it. The D was much better against Ky. than the prior 3 games. While the D gave up several long passing TDs, we will not see another O with an NFL caliber QB and WRs for the rest of the season. Hopefully, the D against KY. was a sign of things to come (and improve) the rest of the season.

Hopefully, Nick Benedetto keep Hansen of the field or very limited playing time (especially with man-to-man coverage).

(09-28-2022 01:33 PM)NILAW Wrote:  If it was a change to Nick Benedetto calling the defensive plays against KY. then he should keep doing it. The D was much better against Ky. than the prior 3 games. While the D gave up several long passing TDs, we will not see another O with an NFL caliber QB and WRs for the rest of the season. Hopefully, the D against KY. was a sign of things to come (and improve) the rest of the season.

Hopefully, Nick Benedetto keep Hansen of the field or very limited playing time (especially with man-to-man coverage).

I don’t know…Byrd, brown…and all of the DBs were awful. Honestly - these guys are as poorly coached a group as I have ever seen. I am totally unsure HOW they **** up man so often.

The scheme however has improved, the guys just don’t execute. The cover zero got a lot of crap on the broadcast, but I counter Brock Osweiler’s opinion with this: we don’t have a safety on the team who wouldn’t screw up the single high anyway. So the joke was on him.

The guys ALL need to be coached better. They seem so confused.

(09-28-2022 01:14 PM)Red Dog Wrote:  

(09-28-2022 12:31 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(09-28-2022 11:55 AM)Red Dog Wrote:  I believe Benedetto is calling the plays and running the defense now. Of course there's going to be an adjustment phase and I think the Kentucky performance was a big step in the right direction. I suspect the defense will continue to improve and play well in MAC play. I already think the scheme and play calling is much better. Jackson was dead set on playing man to man every possession. now, we are seeing more diversity and opportunistic play calling.

Go Huskies, beat Ball State!!!

Was it different to start the season?

I mean when we hired him he didn't seem to have really any prior history of great success as a DC especially Syracuse.

I believe he was the DC at Samford, not Syracuse. And I'm not entirely sure how their D stacked up down there but from his bio it says they improved in 9 or 12 defensive categories and were very good at forcing turnovers, which was a huge weakness for our D last year. We have already forced a ton of TOs in 4 games so far so that's an improvement. I think he's just a young, up and coming defensive coach and is from Illinois so the fit makes sense. I truly believe there is a growing/learning phase with new coaches and I think, albeit slowly, our D is starting to show some improvements in certain areas.

Hopefully we can keep it up well into MAC play and beyond.

Go Huskies

I meant that Jackson was a DC at Syracuse