Hello NIU fans! I come in peace. I also come seeking knowledge...I've looked at stats, gathered a few details about injuries, but otherwise don't know much about the 2015 Northern Illinois Huskies.

I'm sure you're curious about Boise State as well...he is my attempt to encapsulate what has happened this season...

[BEWARE...long post lol]

Boise State entered 2015 with a lot of hype. Winning a major bowl game in year #1 of the Harsin era was a pleasant surprise considering our talent level had dipped in the final Petersen years. With this unexpected development came sky high expectations. We returned a TON of experience, but graduated starting QB Grant Hedrick and RB Jay Ajayi. All 5 returning starters on the OL, a defense loaded with playmakers...it appeared we were set for another NY6 run.

Early in the season it was clear starting QB Ryan Finley was a downgrade from Grant Hedrick. So-so arm strength is a kind assessment, and he often looked confused out there. We beat Washington despite him, and lost to BYU in Provo by 11 in the harshest box score ever. Broncos led 24-21 with less than a minute left, had BYU down to 4th and 7 at midfield. Then Mangum threw a hail mary to the end zone....uggghhh our safety fell. Yes, fell. TD BYU...then Finley threw a pick-six trying to move the ball down the field the next drive. 35-24 BYU wins, and all of Bronco Nation wants Finley to sit.

In a cynical twist, fans got their wish in a fashion nobody wanted: Finley broke his ankle on a scramble vs. Idaho State. At halftime the staff decided to pull the redshirt off of 4-Star QB Brett Rypien, the true freshman. Rypien went on to eviscerate Virginia on the road, go up 49-0 at home vs. Hawaii by halftime, and hammer MW contender Colorado State on the road. All is well, right?

Then Utah State happened. I think we had something like 8-9 turnovers...I'd rather not look it up. Rypien fumbled like crazy, but nearly all of his INTs were off of WRs deflecting the ball into the air. We all knew Rypien would eventually have a freshman performance, even the best of them did...but this was brutal. It wasn't his fault, but nonetheless nobody expected that valley to be so low.

Things didn't get better from there. Star CB Donte Deayon sat out 1.5 months after knee surgery. S Darian Thompson (3rd-team All-American) sat out several games with a concussion. Former 4-Star safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner broke his ankle too. But the big one was losing LT Rees Odhiambo to a broken ankle as well...my goodness, the OL went to crap the moment he got hurt. All of a sudden they couldn't protect Rypien to save their lives. We also lost Shane Williams-Rhodes, the best hybrid WR/RB we've ever had.

Everything just kinda of snowballed from there. We lost to New Mexico AND Air Force at home. Vs. New Mexico we had over 650 total yards of offense but only 24 points. I'll refrain from picking on certain athletes, but in my years of watching tho Broncos play I've never seen a handful of WRs drop so many sure-to-be TDs.

The following week we lost to Air Force. Back-to-back weeks our DC Marcel Yates proved 2014 was not an aberration: he doesn't know how to stop the triple option. Like, at all. He just doesn't know. Every other offense? We'll at least look decent. Triple option? All hell breaks loose. This is an issue that must be addressed in the off-season. We can't have all this talent on defense, pay Yates $350K annually to be this poorly disciplined.

Anyways, we beat SJSU the following week on the road and concluded a very disappointing 2015 season. Our supposedly vaunted OL got worse. Our play-making defense gave out big plays like halloween candy. Oddly enough, it was the veteran leadership on the team that failed the younger players.

The good news for the bowl game is that for the first time since early October, we get Deayon and Thompson back.

Position by position..

QB - The sky is the limit for Rypien, our highest-rated offensive recruit ever. That said, with his youth comes inconsistency. You never know which Ryp will show.
RB - Jeremy McNichols led the nation in TDs for a RB. Not bad for replacing Ajayi, but McNichols is a boom or bust RB. All or nothing. He has struggled running between the tackles, and as a result our offense sputters at times.
WR - Thomas Sperbeck drives people insane. He looks more likely to run a local fraternity than play football, but he's a Fiesta Bowl MVP and has over 1300 receiving yards. The other WRs can't catch and struggle to get involved. We do get SWR back for this game, so hopefully that changes things.
TE - Holden Huff and Jake Roh are more involved than the non-Sperbeck WRs.
OL - I can't say nice things. This position is not good.

DL - Another position group that has disappointed. We returned everyone in the 3 deep, but apparently all that meant was we returned a lot of average-to-above average DL.
LB - Vallejo, Weaver, and Gray have played well, a strength for the team.
CB - Another boom or bust position. You won't see many batted passes. It's either INT or gave up a big pass, rarely in between.
S - Thompson gets the accolades, but this position has flat out sucked this season. We have lots of run stoppers and not nearly enough good pass defenders.

K - Believe it not, despite Boise State being the butt of all kicking jokes...we don't suck here. Tyler Rasua is good from 55.
P - Inconsistent. Sometimes great, other times I wonder if I could punt the ball farther.

Anyways, that is my way too long description of the 2015 Boise State Broncos. I'd love to hear more about NIU.

Happy Holidays!

(12-13-2015 11:08 PM)BSUAlum13 Wrote:  Hello NIU fans! I come in peace. I also come seeking knowledge...I've looked at stats, gathered a few details about injuries, but otherwise don't know much about the 2015 Northern Illinois Huskies.

I'm sure you're curious about Boise State as well...he is my attempt to encapsulate what has happened this season...

[BEWARE...long post lol]

Boise State entered 2015 with a lot of hype. Winning a major bowl game in year #1 of the Harsin era was a pleasant surprise considering our talent level had dipped in the final Petersen years. With this unexpected development came sky high expectations. We returned a TON of experience, but graduated starting QB Grant Hedrick and RB Jay Ajayi. All 5 returning starters on the OL, a defense loaded with playmakers...it appeared we were set for another NY6 run.

Early in the season it was clear starting QB Ryan Finley was a downgrade from Grant Hedrick. So-so arm strength is a kind assessment, and he often looked confused out there. We beat Washington despite him, and lost to BYU in Provo by 11 in the harshest box score ever. Broncos led 24-21 with less than a minute left, had BYU down to 4th and 7 at midfield. Then Mangum threw a hail mary to the end zone....uggghhh our safety fell. Yes, fell. TD BYU...then Finley threw a pick-six trying to move the ball down the field the next drive. 35-24 BYU wins, and all of Bronco Nation wants Finley to sit.

In a cynical twist, fans got their wish in a fashion nobody wanted: Finley broke his ankle on a scramble vs. Idaho State. At halftime the staff decided to pull the redshirt off of 4-Star QB Brett Rypien, the true freshman. Rypien went on to eviscerate Virginia on the road, go up 49-0 at home vs. Hawaii by halftime, and hammer MW contender Colorado State on the road. All is well, right?

Then Utah State happened. I think we had something like 8-9 turnovers...I'd rather not look it up. Rypien fumbled like crazy, but nearly all of his INTs were off of WRs deflecting the ball into the air. We all knew Rypien would eventually have a freshman performance, even the best of them did...but this was brutal. It wasn't his fault, but nonetheless nobody expected that valley to be so low.

Things didn't get better from there. Star CB Donte Deayon sat out 1.5 months after knee surgery. S Darian Thompson (3rd-team All-American) sat out several games with a concussion. Former 4-Star safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner broke his ankle too. But the big one was losing LT Rees Odhiambo to a broken ankle as well...my goodness, the OL went to crap the moment he got hurt. All of a sudden they couldn't protect Rypien to save their lives. We also lost Shane Williams-Rhodes, the best hybrid WR/RB we've ever had.

Everything just kinda of snowballed from there. We lost to New Mexico AND Air Force at home. Vs. New Mexico we had over 650 total yards of offense but only 24 points. I'll refrain from picking on certain athletes, but in my years of watching tho Broncos play I've never seen a handful of WRs drop so many sure-to-be TDs.

The following week we lost to Air Force. Back-to-back weeks our DC Marcel Yates proved 2014 was not an aberration: he doesn't know how to stop the triple option. Like, at all. He just doesn't know. Every other offense? We'll at least look decent. Triple option? All hell breaks loose. This is an issue that must be addressed in the off-season. We can't have all this talent on defense, pay Yates $350K annually to be this poorly disciplined.

Anyways, we beat SJSU the following week on the road and concluded a very disappointing 2015 season. Our supposedly vaunted OL got worse. Our play-making defense gave out big plays like halloween candy. Oddly enough, it was the veteran leadership on the team that failed the younger players.

The good news for the bowl game is that for the first time since early October, we get Deayon and Thompson back.

Position by position..

QB - The sky is the limit for Rypien, our highest-rated offensive recruit ever. That said, with his youth comes inconsistency. You never know which Ryp will show.
RB - Jeremy McNichols led the nation in TDs for a RB. Not bad for replacing Ajayi, but McNichols is a boom or bust RB. All or nothing. He has struggled running between the tackles, and as a result our offense sputters at times.
WR - Thomas Sperbeck drives people insane. He looks more likely to run a local fraternity than play football, but he's a Fiesta Bowl MVP and has over 1300 receiving yards. The other WRs can't catch and struggle to get involved. We do get SWR back for this game, so hopefully that changes things.
TE - Holden Huff and Jake Roh are more involved than the non-Sperbeck WRs.
OL - I can't say nice things. This position is not good.

DL - Another position group that has disappointed. We returned everyone in the 3 deep, but apparently all that meant was we returned a lot of average-to-above average DL.
LB - Vallejo, Weaver, and Gray have played well, a strength for the team.
CB - Another boom or bust position. You won't see many batted passes. It's either INT or gave up a big pass, rarely in between.
S - Thompson gets the accolades, but this position has flat out sucked this season. We have lots of run stoppers and not nearly enough good pass defenders.

K - Believe it not, despite Boise State being the butt of all kicking jokes...we don't suck here. Tyler Rasua is good from 55.
P - Inconsistent. Sometimes great, other times I wonder if I could punt the ball farther.

Anyways, that is my way too long description of the 2015 Boise State Broncos. I'd love to hear more about NIU.

Happy Holidays!

Excellent Summary!

(12-13-2015 11:08 PM)BSUAlum13 Wrote:  Hello NIU fans! I come in peace. I also come seeking knowledge...I've looked at stats, gathered a few details about injuries, but otherwise don't know much about the 2015 Northern Illinois Huskies.

I'm sure you're curious about Boise State as well...he is my attempt to encapsulate what has happened this season...

[BEWARE...long post lol]

Boise State entered 2015 with a lot of hype. Winning a major bowl game in year #1 of the Harsin era was a pleasant surprise considering our talent level had dipped in the final Petersen years. With this unexpected development came sky high expectations. We returned a TON of experience, but graduated starting QB Grant Hedrick and RB Jay Ajayi. All 5 returning starters on the OL, a defense loaded with playmakers...it appeared we were set for another NY6 run.

Early in the season it was clear starting QB Ryan Finley was a downgrade from Grant Hedrick. So-so arm strength is a kind assessment, and he often looked confused out there. We beat Washington despite him, and lost to BYU in Provo by 11 in the harshest box score ever. Broncos led 24-21 with less than a minute left, had BYU down to 4th and 7 at midfield. Then Mangum threw a hail mary to the end zone....uggghhh our safety fell. Yes, fell. TD BYU...then Finley threw a pick-six trying to move the ball down the field the next drive. 35-24 BYU wins, and all of Bronco Nation wants Finley to sit.

In a cynical twist, fans got their wish in a fashion nobody wanted: Finley broke his ankle on a scramble vs. Idaho State. At halftime the staff decided to pull the redshirt off of 4-Star QB Brett Rypien, the true freshman. Rypien went on to eviscerate Virginia on the road, go up 49-0 at home vs. Hawaii by halftime, and hammer MW contender Colorado State on the road. All is well, right?

Then Utah State happened. I think we had something like 8-9 turnovers...I'd rather not look it up. Rypien fumbled like crazy, but nearly all of his INTs were off of WRs deflecting the ball into the air. We all knew Rypien would eventually have a freshman performance, even the best of them did...but this was brutal. It wasn't his fault, but nonetheless nobody expected that valley to be so low.

Things didn't get better from there. Star CB Donte Deayon sat out 1.5 months after knee surgery. S Darian Thompson (3rd-team All-American) sat out several games with a concussion. Former 4-Star safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner broke his ankle too. But the big one was losing LT Rees Odhiambo to a broken ankle as well...my goodness, the OL went to crap the moment he got hurt. All of a sudden they couldn't protect Rypien to save their lives. We also lost Shane Williams-Rhodes, the best hybrid WR/RB we've ever had.

Everything just kinda of snowballed from there. We lost to New Mexico AND Air Force at home. Vs. New Mexico we had over 650 total yards of offense but only 24 points. I'll refrain from picking on certain athletes, but in my years of watching tho Broncos play I've never seen a handful of WRs drop so many sure-to-be TDs.

The following week we lost to Air Force. Back-to-back weeks our DC Marcel Yates proved 2014 was not an aberration: he doesn't know how to stop the triple option. Like, at all. He just doesn't know. Every other offense? We'll at least look decent. Triple option? All hell breaks loose. This is an issue that must be addressed in the off-season. We can't have all this talent on defense, pay Yates $350K annually to be this poorly disciplined.

Anyways, we beat SJSU the following week on the road and concluded a very disappointing 2015 season. Our supposedly vaunted OL got worse. Our play-making defense gave out big plays like halloween candy. Oddly enough, it was the veteran leadership on the team that failed the younger players.

The good news for the bowl game is that for the first time since early October, we get Deayon and Thompson back.

Position by position..

QB - The sky is the limit for Rypien, our highest-rated offensive recruit ever. That said, with his youth comes inconsistency. You never know which Ryp will show.
RB - Jeremy McNichols led the nation in TDs for a RB. Not bad for replacing Ajayi, but McNichols is a boom or bust RB. All or nothing. He has struggled running between the tackles, and as a result our offense sputters at times.
WR - Thomas Sperbeck drives people insane. He looks more likely to run a local fraternity than play football, but he's a Fiesta Bowl MVP and has over 1300 receiving yards. The other WRs can't catch and struggle to get involved. We do get SWR back for this game, so hopefully that changes things.
TE - Holden Huff and Jake Roh are more involved than the non-Sperbeck WRs.
OL - I can't say nice things. This position is not good.

DL - Another position group that has disappointed. We returned everyone in the 3 deep, but apparently all that meant was we returned a lot of average-to-above average DL.
LB - Vallejo, Weaver, and Gray have played well, a strength for the team.
CB - Another boom or bust position. You won't see many batted passes. It's either INT or gave up a big pass, rarely in between.
S - Thompson gets the accolades, but this position has flat out sucked this season. We have lots of run stoppers and not nearly enough good pass defenders.

K - Believe it not, despite Boise State being the butt of all kicking jokes...we don't suck here. Tyler Rasua is good from 55.
P - Inconsistent. Sometimes great, other times I wonder if I could punt the ball farther.

Anyways, that is my way too long description of the 2015 Boise State Broncos. I'd love to hear more about NIU.

Happy Holidays!

Welcome to the Dog Pound. You'll get different versions of this Huskie team depending which fan you speak to. I think all will agree, however, this team has been wildly inconsistent.

At times, the Huskies have played very well - capable of going on the road to Columbus and playing right down the wire with the number one team in the nation. They have also played very poorly - as evidenced by an anemic performance on the road against CMU and at home against Ohio.

The Huskie defense has, in general, been very stout this season. We definitely can give up yards in chunks at times, but we also create turnovers and tighten up when necessary to keep the team in games. We are also fortunate to have a young man with the name "Lurry" on his jersey that Boise fans should take note of. He's been outstanding.

Offensively, this may be the weakest Huskie team we've watched in recent memory. We weren't very potent or efficient even before we lost our QB, Drew Hare, and things have gone downhill from there. Our initial replacement, Ryan Graham, played surprisingly well before he too was hurt. Graham's replacement did not play well at all in his sole game.

Aside from our quarterback woes, many Huskie fans complain about the play calling and unimaginative nature of our offense. How does your team fare against the bubble screen? If you can stop it, you'll probably be okay.

Special teams have been up and down. We are average at kick coverage and our return game is nothing special. Neither are particular sore spots, however, just middle of the road. Our place kicking (a notorious problem the past few seasons) has been pretty good this season. Punting, though, is an adventure. Our kid can kick it seventy yards on one possession and shank it for twelve on the next. There is at least a 50/50 chance he is going to mishandle one or more snaps during the course of the game.

We may give you a battle - we may get blown out. Neither would surprise me. I do think most Huskie fans are excited for a shot at the Broncos. You're the team we have tried to emulate over the past decade. We like to think we're the Midwest version of Boise State - only without the postseason success. Hopefully this year we'll change that a little bit.

Happy holidays and see you in San Diego!

(12-13-2015 11:08 PM)BSUAlum13 Wrote:  Hello NIU fans! I come in peace. I also come seeking knowledge...I've looked at stats, gathered a few details about injuries, but otherwise don't know much about the 2015 Northern Illinois Huskies.

I'm sure you're curious about Boise State as well...he is my attempt to encapsulate what has happened this season...

[BEWARE...long post lol]

Boise State entered 2015 with a lot of hype. Winning a major bowl game in year #1 of the Harsin era was a pleasant surprise considering our talent level had dipped in the final Petersen years. With this unexpected development came sky high expectations. We returned a TON of experience, but graduated starting QB Grant Hedrick and RB Jay Ajayi. All 5 returning starters on the OL, a defense loaded with playmakers...it appeared we were set for another NY6 run.

Early in the season it was clear starting QB Ryan Finley was a downgrade from Grant Hedrick. So-so arm strength is a kind assessment, and he often looked confused out there. We beat Washington despite him, and lost to BYU in Provo by 11 in the harshest box score ever. Broncos led 24-21 with less than a minute left, had BYU down to 4th and 7 at midfield. Then Mangum threw a hail mary to the end zone....uggghhh our safety fell. Yes, fell. TD BYU...then Finley threw a pick-six trying to move the ball down the field the next drive. 35-24 BYU wins, and all of Bronco Nation wants Finley to sit.

In a cynical twist, fans got their wish in a fashion nobody wanted: Finley broke his ankle on a scramble vs. Idaho State. At halftime the staff decided to pull the redshirt off of 4-Star QB Brett Rypien, the true freshman. Rypien went on to eviscerate Virginia on the road, go up 49-0 at home vs. Hawaii by halftime, and hammer MW contender Colorado State on the road. All is well, right?

Then Utah State happened. I think we had something like 8-9 turnovers...I'd rather not look it up. Rypien fumbled like crazy, but nearly all of his INTs were off of WRs deflecting the ball into the air. We all knew Rypien would eventually have a freshman performance, even the best of them did...but this was brutal. It wasn't his fault, but nonetheless nobody expected that valley to be so low.

Things didn't get better from there. Star CB Donte Deayon sat out 1.5 months after knee surgery. S Darian Thompson (3rd-team All-American) sat out several games with a concussion. Former 4-Star safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner broke his ankle too. But the big one was losing LT Rees Odhiambo to a broken ankle as well...my goodness, the OL went to crap the moment he got hurt. All of a sudden they couldn't protect Rypien to save their lives. We also lost Shane Williams-Rhodes, the best hybrid WR/RB we've ever had.

Everything just kinda of snowballed from there. We lost to New Mexico AND Air Force at home. Vs. New Mexico we had over 650 total yards of offense but only 24 points. I'll refrain from picking on certain athletes, but in my years of watching tho Broncos play I've never seen a handful of WRs drop so many sure-to-be TDs.

The following week we lost to Air Force. Back-to-back weeks our DC Marcel Yates proved 2014 was not an aberration: he doesn't know how to stop the triple option. Like, at all. He just doesn't know. Every other offense? We'll at least look decent. Triple option? All hell breaks loose. This is an issue that must be addressed in the off-season. We can't have all this talent on defense, pay Yates $350K annually to be this poorly disciplined.

Anyways, we beat SJSU the following week on the road and concluded a very disappointing 2015 season. Our supposedly vaunted OL got worse. Our play-making defense gave out big plays like halloween candy. Oddly enough, it was the veteran leadership on the team that failed the younger players.

The good news for the bowl game is that for the first time since early October, we get Deayon and Thompson back.

Position by position..

QB - The sky is the limit for Rypien, our highest-rated offensive recruit ever. That said, with his youth comes inconsistency. You never know which Ryp will show.
RB - Jeremy McNichols led the nation in TDs for a RB. Not bad for replacing Ajayi, but McNichols is a boom or bust RB. All or nothing. He has struggled running between the tackles, and as a result our offense sputters at times.
WR - Thomas Sperbeck drives people insane. He looks more likely to run a local fraternity than play football, but he's a Fiesta Bowl MVP and has over 1300 receiving yards. The other WRs can't catch and struggle to get involved. We do get SWR back for this game, so hopefully that changes things.
TE - Holden Huff and Jake Roh are more involved than the non-Sperbeck WRs.
OL - I can't say nice things. This position is not good.

DL - Another position group that has disappointed. We returned everyone in the 3 deep, but apparently all that meant was we returned a lot of average-to-above average DL.
LB - Vallejo, Weaver, and Gray have played well, a strength for the team.
CB - Another boom or bust position. You won't see many batted passes. It's either INT or gave up a big pass, rarely in between.
S - Thompson gets the accolades, but this position has flat out sucked this season. We have lots of run stoppers and not nearly enough good pass defenders.

K - Believe it not, despite Boise State being the butt of all kicking jokes...we don't suck here. Tyler Rasua is good from 55.
P - Inconsistent. Sometimes great, other times I wonder if I could punt the ball farther.

Anyways, that is my way too long description of the 2015 Boise State Broncos. I'd love to hear more about NIU.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks for the great update and insight. I trust that this will remain a friendly chain. This is pretty much my dream match up albeit two or three years too late.

I will leave the NIU breakdown to others--we are weak at quarterback and really weak in our punting game.

Here's the NIU factoid for you to watch---I am willing the guess that we are the only team in the country where our biggest playmaker on offense AND defense wear the same number.

You really only have to watch for #19!!

On offense--#19 Kenny Golladay---a potential Sunday afternoon receiver.
On defense--#19 Shawun Lurry---an All American defensive back.

I dare you to find another team in the country with that quirk.

Good luck---and again, thanks for the insight. Quite scary you are getting two defensive players back.

Welcome to the board, Boise fans. I posted my very unqualified assessment on the Scout board, though there's not much discussion about the game, except when the game was first announced. I'm sure we're all pretty happy to get a chance to play Boise. Like others, I wish we could have played this game a couple years ago but oh well.

(12-13-2015 11:38 PM)VegasHuskie Wrote:  We are average at kick coverage and our return game is nothing special. Neither are particular sore spots, however, just middle of the road.

I'd disagree on this. Aregeros ranked 26th in the nation in KR average and easily has the explosiveness to take one back for a TD. He was MAC Special Teams player of the year.

Happy to hear your running back has trouble running between the tackles. Since we've lost our nose guard Cory Thomas every team has been gashing us up the middle. The best quarterback in our league handed off all day in our championship game. Player of the Game was their running back. Head scratcher when we were able to hold Ezekiel Elliott to 108 yrds. Losing Hare and downgrading to Graham was not as bad as losing Cory. Now, losing Hare and Graham? That make our offense and defense = in the amount of suckage. Fielder is not ready for college ball. If Graham can't go bowl game, we're toast. We have to have at least a threat of a passing game to get our running game on track and we have to run to keep our D fresh. The drop off up the middle without Cory sharing the load is not good. William Lee can not take that many snaps and be effective.

(12-14-2015 10:59 AM)shack66 Wrote:  Happy to hear your running back has trouble running between the tackles. Since we've lost our nose guard Cory Thomas every team has been gashing us up the middle. The best quarterback in our league handed off all day in our championship game. Player of the Game was their running back. Head scratcher when we were able to hold Ezekiel Elliott to 108 yrds. Losing Hare and downgrading to Graham was not as bad as losing Cory. Now, losing Hare and Graham? That make our offense and defense = in the amount of suckage. Fielder is not ready for college ball. If Graham can't go bowl game, we're toast. We have to have at least a threat of a passing game to get our running game on track and we have to run to keep our D fresh. The drop off up the middle without Cory sharing the load is not good. William Lee can not take that many snaps and be effective.

I'd love to disagree with the above but it's spot-on.

Even if Graham plays, he'll be rusty and probably not 100%.

And if we can't stop the run as we couldn't vs Ohio & BGSU...yikes.

If I'm a Boise fan in Vegas I grab the -8 before it gets to double digits.

My Thoughts...

On Defense:
- We have a decent secondary, Lurry is the star, but it's a decent group compared to most CFB secondaries. Paris Logan has been disappointing so far, but if he can get healthy for the bowl game, that group doesn't give up too many huge plays. It is a bend, don't break strategy though.

- The pass rush has been wildly inconsistent, Perez Ford is a stud, but there haven't been too many other consistent sources of pressure.

- As noted, our run D has taken a hit. We have a very good set of LB's (maybe the strongest position group on the team), especially against the run, they can run horizontally and have the power to hit. However, big difference between now and the beginning of the year. We had two Power-5 Big DT's at the beginning of the year, that clumped things up and gave Boomer and the other LB's clear lanes to make tackles against very good RB's. But once Thomas went down for the year, William Lee hasn't been able to do that on his own. We're still OK against the run, but not great. I don't know that NIU has faced a predominantly outside running attack, so I'm not sure how we'll handle it. Our safeties seem to be decent at tackling which would help.

On Offense:
- It seems generic to just talk about the QB, but it's a huge difference maker in the NIU offense that relies upon the QB to pass, run (10 - 15 times a game), and make the correct read on all of our options. Hare was good (not great) and was getting better, but out for the year, and then Graham (RS Fresh) went down as well...that left a true fresh, walk-on QB for the final 1.5 games. Safe to say, we saw a very dumbed down offense in the MAC champ game and a QB that was crapping his pants. If Graham can't play, the offense will be terrible, no doubts there.

If Graham does play...it's still probably not our full offense, it was dumbed down a bit when he started (I'd say 80% of the normal playbook), but it's workable.

- RB's are strong. We've got a nice 1-2 punch with the big bruiser in Bouganon, and the super-talented Huff, which causes many debates on this board. Both are good, Bouganon steady and unspectacular, Huff spectacular but misses the easy stuff (blocks, play-calls, etc.).

- O-line- probably the biggest disappointment on the team. A veteran group, but I'd say half of our games they've looked over-matched. And regardless of the QB, if NIU can't get 4 ypc on the ground, this offense is tough to watch.

WR's- Golladay is the star, but he was shut down against Ohio St. and BC, so I'm very interested to see how he plays against some tougher competition. RB/WR Turner is another with tons of talents, you'll see him on jet sweeps and kick-off returns. The rest of the group is steady, plenty of depth of guys that can catch the ball, just a matter of getting it there. Tommy Lee-Lewis has been "questionable" for the last month, I hope he gets a chance to play in list last game. If he does, he's a great slot WR that can really open the field up for every one else.

TE/FB- don't expect them to catch much, they're there to block.

Special Teams:
- FG kicking has been pretty darn good this year. Punting, oh god...some of the worst I've seen. The return game seems average.

Coaching:
Well, that can be debated on this boards for decades with no conclusion reached.

(12-13-2015 11:08 PM)BSUAlum13 Wrote:  Hello NIU fans! I come in peace. I also come seeking knowledge...I've looked at stats, gathered a few details about injuries, but otherwise don't know much about the 2015 Northern Illinois Huskies.

You guys have a good chance of winning.

Our coaching staff is 1-5 in postseason games.

Our true freshman QB is the 5th stringer and he was bad in his only start.

Our center can't snap and our punter is pretty terrible. This has been ongoing the entire season too.

As a Dolphin fan, I have enjoyed watching Jay Ajayi's progress throughout the season. I think they need to give it to him more. He has much inertia.

Is Brett Rypien related to former Redskin QB Mark Rypien?

The Huskie defense is good, but they can't do it all. When the offense starts going three-and-outs, its hard for any defense to stay energized. They tend to bend but not break. That was all BGSU needed. They bent the Huskie defense all game in the MAC Championship. Not too many big plays for BG, just a steady barrage of little 7-yard gains.

The offensive line is the weakest link. It's hard to run through holes that aren't there, or throw the deep ball before the pocket collapses. It is really frustrating when, between the week line and our green QB, they can't pick up the blitz.

I have always admired the Boise State program. I wish the Huskies could some day sneak into a New Years day bowl game and come out with a victory. As tough as this year has been, it would be really cool to see the Huskies finally bring home a Poinsettia Bowl trophy, after three tries. It would be a MAC first too.

Next man up does not apply to our 18th string QB. Tommy Fiedler...(I root for you) had a very, very good shot of never, ever taking a snap for NIU. Heck, prior to the season, I am quite certain that many or most would have doubted Graham would ever take a snap.

So, to have unbridled confidence...or, be a realist?

There will not be one prognosticator that will pick us. Not one.

If we are to go with Tommy or, even a bit banged up and limited, Graham. 8 point spread seems a gift.

It is what it is....That is why they play the game, but...Just a huge, but.

Boise fan: Wish we had Hare and a team with any momentum.

Please tell your Boise coaches...just to game-plan for deep balls all over the field and particularly on first down. And, second. Keep it loose in the middle and shadow Jake Nordin on the jet sweeps.

(12-14-2015 03:29 PM)blackhawk Wrote:  Next man up does not apply to our 18th string QB. Tommy Fiedler...(I root for you) had a very, very good shot of never, ever taking a snap for NIU. Heck, prior to the season, I am quite certain that many or most would have doubted Graham would ever take a snap.

So, to have unbridled confidence...or, be a realist?

There will not be one prognosticator that will pick us. Not one.

If we are to go with Tommy or, even a bit banged up and limited, Graham. 8 point spread seems a gift.

It is what it is....That is why they play the game, but...Just a huge, but.

Boise fan: Wish we had Hare and a team with any momentum.

Please tell your Boise coaches...just to game-plan for deep balls all over the field and particularly on first down. And, second. Keep it loose in the middle and shadow Jake Nordin on the jet sweeps.

In adversity there is opportunity. If Carey can find a way to win with Feidler, the big money schools will come calling a little earlier.

If Carey wins Fielder (and, do we really think Graham will not be ready?), I will be happy to escort him to whatever boring big program he is invited to be at as he will deserve his 7 figure K..

Thanks for the info, guys! From the sounds of it...BSU and NIU have had similar fortune this season. Everything seemed great early on in the season until the tarantula-sized injury bug bit us both. That said, being relegated to playing a 5th string freshman walk-on is another level of misfortune. Amazing that NIU still made the MAC title game despite that development.

Yes, Rypien is the nephew of Mark Rypien. He is the type of recruit we don't often get.

From the looks of it, we only have one opponent in common: UNLV. If you're curious, the below link has highlights of how that game went, good and bad.

Rypien: good
Defense without Deayon: make it stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm1qEoYKHHc

BSU is a lock. Jimmy the Greek says the spread will go up to double digits easy.

(12-14-2015 05:34 PM)BSUAlum13 Wrote:  Thanks for the info, guys! From the sounds of it...BSU and NIU have had similar fortune this season. Everything seemed great early on in the season until the tarantula-sized injury bug bit us both. That said, being relegated to playing a 5th string freshman walk-on is another level of misfortune. Amazing that NIU still made the MAC title game despite that development.

Yes, Rypien is the nephew of Mark Rypien. He is the type of recruit we don't often get.

From the looks of it, we only have one opponent in common: UNLV. If you're curious, the below link has highlights of how that game went, good and bad.

Rypien: good
Defense without Deayon: make it stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm1qEoYKHHc

If Graham is ready, he is the nephew of NFL QB Kent Graham. Would be a fun story line.

(12-14-2015 08:35 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 05:34 PM)BSUAlum13 Wrote:  Thanks for the info, guys! From the sounds of it...BSU and NIU have had similar fortune this season. Everything seemed great early on in the season until the tarantula-sized injury bug bit us both. That said, being relegated to playing a 5th string freshman walk-on is another level of misfortune. Amazing that NIU still made the MAC title game despite that development.

Yes, Rypien is the nephew of Mark Rypien. He is the type of recruit we don't often get.

From the looks of it, we only have one opponent in common: UNLV. If you're curious, the below link has highlights of how that game went, good and bad.

Rypien: good
Defense without Deayon: make it stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm1qEoYKHHc

If Graham is ready, he is the nephew of NFL QB Kent Graham. Would be a fun story line.

Tommy Fiedler is also the nephew of former Dolphin QB Jay.

HuskieWire tweeting that Graham was at practice but did not participate in drills. Fiedler worked with the "1's".

(12-14-2015 10:36 PM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  HuskieWire tweeting that Graham was at practice but did not participate in drills. Fiedler worked with the "1's".