They have two offensive coordinators in title because of contracts, but Peterson is the OC and Sanders coaches WR’s.

I would assume Harley had some say over the defensive transfers that were brought in. Someone can correct me if that is not the case. The two losses were Hensley at DT and the safety to U of I once Hammock left. How they rolled into the season with what they have defensively (and no real depth) is beyond me on that side of the ball.

(10-24-2026 08:45 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  

(10-24-2026 08:19 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Here's the tale of tape (I also posted elsewhere where appropriate).

Attendance (=local draw=$$)

Official tabs:
--- Illinois State 17582 ... 28-24 loss
--- Air Force (Homecoming) 15292 ... 28-7 loss
--- Hawai'i (Hall of Fame weekend) 7560 ... 56-21 loss

A 10,000 drop in just three games, all with good weather and on Saturdays.

As I’ve said previously, the MW wasn’t going to be the magic bullet for fixing our attendance woes the athletics department probably thought it’d be.

0-7 doesn’t help, but the athletic department is inept at everything - marketing, game day experience, sales, etc.

Game day was fabulous.

(10-24-2026 09:10 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  Nah. $40 for a ticket and $30 for parking is absurd.

I heard there was some huge cheer competition in the Convo today and the lot was full? What if we would have had a big crowd? Who’s the genius that scheduled that?

Pricing is where it needs to be.

I feel bad for Harley, seems like a great guy.

Please lord though let the turn-around start now. Whatever that looks like.

(10-25-2026 09:42 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  I feel bad for Harley, seems like a great guy.

Please lord though let the turn-around start now. Whatever that looks like.

Awful coach tho.

Have you seen the defense. That’s his job, and they are terrible. Every time I see Lindo get cooked or do something dumb I am reminded this staff isn’t playing their best players. They play leaders (Macon, Lindo) far too long.

I applaud the safety switch. That seemed better on the first half. Then it went to **** once you realized we are weak at corner and our linebackers are undisciplined. They have run themselves out of tackles more than one might like.

The good news is you can attack us up the middle AND on the edge.

Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

Ain't that crazy. When you have a standard, you immediately pull the plug on guys who don't meet that standard in the immediate moment. You don't hang on to the idea that you were ranked top 10 five seasons ago, or that you made a bowl game and won it a year ago.

I wish we had the pride and ability to hold ourselves to higher standards. So visiting fans aren't laughing at your melted HVAC systems, and you had enough money for new toilets in your stadium.

I hope we hire leadership at all levels, who take pride in their work, and make no excuses but try all sorts of new solutions to get us out of this mess.

New president, new conferences, new football coach, new basketball coach, new era damnit.

(10-26-2026 08:06 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

Ain't that crazy. When you have a standard, you immediately pull the plug on guys who don't meet that standard in the immediate moment. You don't hang on to the idea that you were ranked top 10 five seasons ago, or that you made a bowl game and won it a year ago.



New president, new conferences, new football coach, new basketball coach, new era damnit.

You have standards when you have millions in your back pocket. We are running on pocket change. Everyone wants Harley fired, he never should have been hired. We could have found a coach last year, but we went cheap.

Also, the talent level in the trenches is DEPLORABLE. The OLine as a group just sucks, The center and # 53 have to lose 20-25 pounds, damn get in shape. Either we have poor athletes up front or a crappy S&C coach. Our DTs are in similar shape. we have no D1 starting LBs, NONE. I had high hopes for Nelson, but they do not play him. DBs? at this point I don't care who plays back there, because when you are so ***** up front it doesn't matter.

(10-26-2026 10:29 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 08:06 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

Ain't that crazy. When you have a standard, you immediately pull the plug on guys who don't meet that standard in the immediate moment. You don't hang on to the idea that you were ranked top 10 five seasons ago, or that you made a bowl game and won it a year ago.



New president, new conferences, new football coach, new basketball coach, new era damnit.

You have standards when you have millions in your back pocket. We are running on pocket change. Everyone wants Harley fired, he never should have been hired. We could have found a coach last year, but we went cheap.

Also, the talent level in the trenches is DEPLORABLE. The OLine as a group just sucks, The center and # 53 have to lose 20-25 pounds, damn get in shape. Either we have poor athletes up front or a crappy S&C coach. Our DTs are in similar shape. we have no D1 starting LBs, NONE. I had high hopes for Nelson, but they do not play him. DBs? at this point I don't care who plays back there, because when you are so ***** up front it doesn't matter.

^ the voice of reason.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It all starts at the line of scrimmage, and if you're not strong there nothing else is going to work. Both lines need a major overhaul. The O line gets no push and the D line gets blown off the ball. Improving those units has to be job 1 next offseason.

Hawaii's first drive says it all:
6 yard run
4 yard run
8 yard pass
4 yard run
Incomplete pass
7 yard pass
2 yard pass
16 yard run
Incomplete pass
5 yard run
Defensive pass interference
6 yard run
2 yard run, touchdown

12 plays, 75 yards, no problem

(10-26-2026 10:29 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 08:06 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

Ain't that crazy. When you have a standard, you immediately pull the plug on guys who don't meet that standard in the immediate moment. You don't hang on to the idea that you were ranked top 10 five seasons ago, or that you made a bowl game and won it a year ago.



New president, new conferences, new football coach, new basketball coach, new era damnit.

You have standards when you have millions in your back pocket. We are running on pocket change. Everyone wants Harley fired, he never should have been hired. We could have found a coach last year, but we went cheap.

Also, the talent level in the trenches is DEPLORABLE. The OLine as a group just sucks, The center and # 53 have to lose 20-25 pounds, damn get in shape. Either we have poor athletes up front or a crappy S&C coach. Our DTs are in similar shape. we have no D1 starting LBs, NONE. I had high hopes for Nelson, but they do not play him. DBs? at this point I don't care who plays back there, because when you are so ***** up front it doesn't matter.

At this point, anything is an option. We can keep saying we don't have money, or we can sell bricks on the way into the stadium. Heck, buy every player a case of chocolate bars and sell them door to door like this were elementary school circa 1996. Start washing cars.

Point I'm making is, it takes a standard to be a high level organization. And it's not easy to achieve those standards or change culture. You can complain about all the things you don't have and why you can't get there, but that does nothing but keep you down.

DTs I have sympathy for. Aren't those guys freshmen? On offense we are playing two sophomores and a freshman.

Coaching sucks absolutely, but this is not a D1 roster.

https://www.ourlads.com/ncaa-football-de...nois/91441

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

I read that after the loss Friday a donor/booster called up the AD and said they would cover the buyout or majority of it for NC State. If we could only dream we had a donor that would pony up millions to FIRE someone.

(10-26-2026 08:06 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

Ain't that crazy. When you have a standard, you immediately pull the plug on guys who don't meet that standard in the immediate moment. You don't hang on to the idea that you were ranked top 10 five seasons ago, or that you made a bowl game and won it a year ago.

I wish we had the pride and ability to hold ourselves to higher standards. So visiting fans aren't laughing at your melted HVAC systems, and you had enough money for new toilets in your stadium.

I hope we hire leadership at all levels, who take pride in their work, and make no excuses but try all sorts of new solutions to get us out of this mess.

New president, new conferences, new football coach, new basketball coach, new era damnit.

I agree with you 100%. I will say Baylor owes him $12 million and NC State owes 10 million. NIU has to keep buyouts incredibly small and have a fund for that. We can't do millions

(10-26-2026 11:24 AM)mustangfootball2004 Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 08:06 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

Ain't that crazy. When you have a standard, you immediately pull the plug on guys who don't meet that standard in the immediate moment. You don't hang on to the idea that you were ranked top 10 five seasons ago, or that you made a bowl game and won it a year ago.

I wish we had the pride and ability to hold ourselves to higher standards. So visiting fans aren't laughing at your melted HVAC systems, and you had enough money for new toilets in your stadium.

I hope we hire leadership at all levels, who take pride in their work, and make no excuses but try all sorts of new solutions to get us out of this mess.

New president, new conferences, new football coach, new basketball coach, new era damnit.

I agree with you 100%. I will say Baylor owes him $12 million and NC State owes 10 million. NIU has to keep buyouts incredibly small and have a fund for that. We can't do millions

Well, that and not writing awkward contracts with automatic renewals for mediocre accomplishments like a change in AD or if the McRib comes back.

(10-26-2026 11:18 AM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

I read that after the loss Friday a donor/booster called up the AD and said they would cover the buyout or majority of it for NC State. If we could only dream we had a donor that would pony up millions to FIRE someone.

We need a whale or two.

Looks like Frazier is ready to do the unthinkable.
From Huskie Wire:

Quote:NIU athletic director Sean Frazier's message to NIU fans after an 0-7 start: "don't flinch."

He said interim coach Rob Harley will stay at least through the season, and pointed to 2020, when the Huskies went 0-6 and won the MAC title the next year.

(10-26-2026 09:08 PM)HuskieBowWow Wrote:  Looks like Frazier is ready to do the unthinkable.
From Huskie Wire:

Quote:NIU athletic director Sean Frazier's message to NIU fans after an 0-7 start: "don't flinch."

He said interim coach Rob Harley will stay at least through the season, and pointed to 2020, when the Huskies went 0-6 and won the MAC title the next year.

This follows exactly what I said earlier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He made it clear multiple times in the press conference he was the interim coach. If you think he should be fired in season, yes be upset. There is a 0% chance he stays the coach after the UTEP game though.

No reason to fire in season.

(10-26-2026 01:27 PM)Klake1987 Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 11:18 AM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(10-26-2026 07:56 AM)RitzHuskie Wrote:  Kudos to NC State and Baylor for firing their coaches now. All that needs to be said.

I read that after the loss Friday a donor/booster called up the AD and said they would cover the buyout or majority of it for NC State. If we could only dream we had a donor that would pony up millions to FIRE someone.

We need a whale or two.

STF is a whale. He and Hammock could really threaten the buffets.