Boca Raton Bowl presser is today and one week out from the game.

Opponent Record: UAB 10 - 3
Best Wins: 9 - 3 North Texas, 8 - 5 Middle Tenn., 7 - 5 La. Tech, 6 - 6 Tulane
Total Offense Rank: UAB #66 NIU #122
Total Defense Rank: UAB #11 NIU #31

UAB coach has won a few national coaching awards and just signed a sizeable contract extension. Should be challenging game.

UAB is also a top 50 Massey composite team. As with all bowl games, it will come down mainly to high much value each team puts in the game. Past several years, NIU has not put any value on the game and it has shown on the field. What scares me about this game, is a program like UAB coming back from extinction, you kind of figure they might be more motivated to win this game.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018...ng-preview

This preview is a bit odd. They talk about how good UABs run game is but their main guy averages about 4.7 ypc where Harbison averages about 5.2. Also, they refer to the championship game against Middle Tennessee, but MT is ranked about #58 in run defense and NIU is at #14. I suspect all the sack yardage being removed from NIU's total makes it look like they can't run the ball well.

Here is the UAB preview. Some interesting quotes. Basically were just happy to make a bowl last season but this year looking to leave Boca with a win. UAB has never won a bowl game so very motivated to win this game.

https://uabsports.com/news/2018/12/10/fo...s-niu.aspx

The more I read and the more I think....believe NIU wins this. Childers is much better, and our D is going to open up a can. Also Harb's is running well as the other backs are too. Like our odds.

(12-11-2018 03:07 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  UAB is also a top 50 Massey composite team. As with all bowl games, it will come down mainly to high much value each team puts in the game. Past several years, NIU has not put any value on the game and it has shown on the field. What scares me about this game, is a program like UAB coming back from extinction, you kind of figure they might be more motivated to win this game.

When Tuke was our interim coach I remember him telling the NIU players and coaches that if they were not all-in they should not get on the plane for the bowl game. He had the entire team and the remaining coaching staff highly motivated for that game and it showed on the field. I always thought and I continue to feel that he did one heck of a job that year and NIU owes him a debt of gratitude.

It should be far easier for Coach Carey to motivate the team for our bowl appearances but to date that has not worked out so well.

(12-11-2018 04:24 PM)bikechuck Wrote:  

(12-11-2018 03:07 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  UAB is also a top 50 Massey composite team. As with all bowl games, it will come down mainly to high much value each team puts in the game. Past several years, NIU has not put any value on the game and it has shown on the field. What scares me about this game, is a program like UAB coming back from extinction, you kind of figure they might be more motivated to win this game.

When Tuke was our interim coach I remember him telling the NIU players and coaches that if they were not all-in they should not get on the plane for the bowl game. He had the entire team and the remaining coaching staff highly motivated for that game and it showed on the field. I always thought and I continue to feel that he did one heck of a job that year and NIU owes him a debt of gratitude.

It should be far easier for Coach Carey to motivate the team for our bowl appearances but to date that has not worked out so well.

Yep. Hopefully they can at least match UABs motivation.

With how often NIU has been in bowls lately, you thing this would be a benefit. They know what to expect. All the pregame ceremonies, Q&A etc. This should make the game more of just another game against a good team.

(12-11-2018 04:24 PM)bikechuck Wrote:  

(12-11-2018 03:07 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  UAB is also a top 50 Massey composite team. As with all bowl games, it will come down mainly to high much value each team puts in the game. Past several years, NIU has not put any value on the game and it has shown on the field. What scares me about this game, is a program like UAB coming back from extinction, you kind of figure they might be more motivated to win this game.

When Tuke was our interim coach I remember him telling the NIU players and coaches that if they were not all-in they should not get on the plane for the bowl game. He had the entire team and the remaining coaching staff highly motivated for that game and it showed on the field. I always thought and I continue to feel that he did one heck of a job that year and NIU owes him a debt of gratitude.

It should be far easier for Coach Carey to motivate the team for our bowl appearances but to date that has not worked out so well.

We also drew a 4th place WAC team in Fresno State that wouldn’t have made a bowl game with the number of bowls just a couple years prior. They are probably by far the weakest bowl opponent we have been paire with.

(12-11-2018 04:24 PM)bikechuck Wrote:  

(12-11-2018 03:07 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  UAB is also a top 50 Massey composite team. As with all bowl games, it will come down mainly to high much value each team puts in the game. Past several years, NIU has not put any value on the game and it has shown on the field. What scares me about this game, is a program like UAB coming back from extinction, you kind of figure they might be more motivated to win this game.

When Tuke was our interim coach I remember him telling the NIU players and coaches that if they were not all-in they should not get on the plane for the bowl game. He had the entire team and the remaining coaching staff highly motivated for that game and it showed on the field. I always thought and I continue to feel that he did one heck of a job that year and NIU owes him a debt of gratitude.

It should be far easier for Coach Carey to motivate the team for our bowl appearances but to date that has not worked out so well.

Bike Chuck I was thereat in Boise. Huskies took the feild ready to fight.....litterally. Some of the Huskies went to mid-field yelling at Fresno State. Later Tuke told us he did not know what to tell them before taking the feild and that he heard Fresno State was embarrassed to play us and had ugly things to say about NIU (in short). It worked, Huskies fired up. Great game/trip, snow at the end.

Bowl games have just haunted the Huskies. While I am trying to be positive, the comment that Carey has lost most of his bowl games by more than 21 drives me crazy. Let's hope for no distractions like Lurry not playing and hope they are hungry.

(12-11-2018 03:14 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  https://www.si.com/college-football/2018...ng-preview

This preview is a bit odd. They talk about how good UABs run game is but their main guy averages about 4.7 ypc where Harbison averages about 5.2. Also, they refer to the championship game against Middle Tennessee, but MT is ranked about #58 in run defense and NIU is at #14. I suspect all the sack yardage being removed from NIU's total makes it look like they can't run the ball well.

Edit: if you look at everyone that ran the ball at least 10 times, and take out the losses from sacks, UAB is averaging 4.81 ypc and NIU is averaging 4.85 ypc. Of course the sacks could be a separate issue, but for running the ball, I don't think they have any advantage. With the tougher OOC schedule, NIU's running game might have the advantage.

I think bowl games are strange animals but I have a few theories for why we are where we are.

I think clinching the day before Miami (via Ball State beating WMU) was the worst thing that could have happened. You can't tell me there wasn't a hangover there figuratively if not literally. And then a short week to Kalamazoo to play another team fighting for their bowl lives again with nothing to play for except pride. It created 2 trap games and killed all momentum. The second half of the MACC they had everything to play for and Corcoran to light a spark. Passes weren't dropped, both ends pinned their ears back, the focus was 100%. Thank god for that, but if Ball State didn't "help" we could have 10 wins.

Second, I've never heard that one of the team's goals is to win a bowl game. I've heard winning the MAC is a goal, boneyard victories. I think Carey sells recruits and motivates his own players on being an NFL pipeline ("NIU2NFL"), and on vacation-style bowl games (2012-15 were Miami-San Diego-Boca-San Diego). Now that's good motivation and can win recruiting battles (why go to EMU and pray for the Camellia Bowl?), but when you treat bowl games as a vacation-reward, and then you actually get there (or last year, end up going to Detroit instead), what's the motivation at that point?

And then I look at UAB and see a program hungry for its first bowl win in school history. Often the team with more motivation win the bowl (think 2010 when NIU spurned by Coach Kill dominated Fresno). I hope I'm wrong and NIU dominates.

(12-12-2018 11:52 AM)Max Power Wrote:  I think bowl games are strange animals but I have a few theories for why we are where we are.

I think clinching the day before Miami (via Ball State beating WMU) was the worst thing that could have happened. You can't tell me there wasn't a hangover there figuratively if not literally. And then a short week to Kalamazoo to play another team fighting for their bowl lives again with nothing to play for except pride. It created 2 trap games and killed all momentum. The second half of the MACC they had everything to play for and Corcoran to light a spark. Passes weren't dropped, both ends pinned their ears back, the focus was 100%. Thank god for that, but if Ball State didn't "help" we could have 10 wins.

Second, I've never heard that one of the team's goals is to win a bowl game. I've heard winning the MAC is a goal, boneyard victories. I think Carey sells recruits and motivates his own players on being an NFL pipeline ("NIU2NFL"), and on vacation-style bowl games (2012-15 were Miami-San Diego-Boca-San Diego). Now that's good motivation and can win recruiting battles (why go to EMU and pray for the Camellia Bowl?), but when you treat bowl games as a vacation-reward, and then you actually get there (or last year, end up going to Detroit instead), what's the motivation at that point?

And then I look at UAB and see a program hungry for its first bowl win in school history. Often the team with more motivation win the bowl (think 2010 when NIU spurned by Coach Kill dominated Fresno). I hope I'm wrong and NIU dominates.

Can't argue with any of that. Hopefully they're motivated to finally win a bowl game this year.

(12-12-2018 11:54 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(12-12-2018 11:52 AM)Max Power Wrote:  I think bowl games are strange animals but I have a few theories for why we are where we are.

I think clinching the day before Miami (via Ball State beating WMU) was the worst thing that could have happened. You can't tell me there wasn't a hangover there figuratively if not literally. And then a short week to Kalamazoo to play another team fighting for their bowl lives again with nothing to play for except pride. It created 2 trap games and killed all momentum. The second half of the MACC they had everything to play for and Corcoran to light a spark. Passes weren't dropped, both ends pinned their ears back, the focus was 100%. Thank god for that, but if Ball State didn't "help" we could have 10 wins.

Second, I've never heard that one of the team's goals is to win a bowl game. I've heard winning the MAC is a goal, boneyard victories. I think Carey sells recruits and motivates his own players on being an NFL pipeline ("NIU2NFL"), and on vacation-style bowl games (2012-15 were Miami-San Diego-Boca-San Diego). Now that's good motivation and can win recruiting battles (why go to EMU and pray for the Camellia Bowl?), but when you treat bowl games as a vacation-reward, and then you actually get there (or last year, end up going to Detroit instead), what's the motivation at that point?

And then I look at UAB and see a program hungry for its first bowl win in school history. Often the team with more motivation win the bowl (think 2010 when NIU spurned by Coach Kill dominated Fresno). I hope I'm wrong and NIU dominates.

Can't argue with any of that. Hopefully they're motivated to finally win a bowl game this year.

I would agree it’s a combination of that and the fact in a lot of these bowls (Florida State, Boise State and to a lesser extent Marshall and Duke) NIU just wasn’t as good as the opponent they drew.

This game would fall into the same category as Utah State as a game NIU can/should win.

Any word on if we're going to have special jerseys for the game?

(12-12-2018 11:52 AM)Max Power Wrote:  I think bowl games are strange animals but I have a few theories for why we are where we are.

I think clinching the day before Miami (via Ball State beating WMU) was the worst thing that could have happened. You can't tell me there wasn't a hangover there figuratively if not literally. And then a short week to Kalamazoo to play another team fighting for their bowl lives again with nothing to play for except pride. It created 2 trap games and killed all momentum. The second half of the MACC they had everything to play for and Corcoran to light a spark. Passes weren't dropped, both ends pinned their ears back, the focus was 100%. Thank god for that, but if Ball State didn't "help" we could have 10 wins.

Second, I've never heard that one of the team's goals is to win a bowl game. I've heard winning the MAC is a goal, boneyard victories. I think Carey sells recruits and motivates his own players on being an NFL pipeline ("NIU2NFL"), and on vacation-style bowl games (2012-15 were Miami-San Diego-Boca-San Diego). Now that's good motivation and can win recruiting battles (why go to EMU and pray for the Camellia Bowl?), but when you treat bowl games as a vacation-reward, and then you actually get there (or last year, end up going to Detroit instead), what's the motivation at that point?

And then I look at UAB and see a program hungry for its first bowl win in school history. Often the team with more motivation win the bowl (think 2010 when NIU spurned by Coach Kill dominated Fresno). I hope I'm wrong and NIU dominates.

You bring up good rationalizations for a team's motivation or lack thereof. But neither you nor I know what is going on inside the players' heads.

I agree that Miami and WMU had more at stake than the Huskies, as they had not secured post season play, and the Huskies had already clinched a trip to the MCC and some bowl game. But a good coach should be able to motivate his team to play their best against any team on the schedule, whether it's Iowa or Eastern Illinois. You do not know when the NFL scouts are watching, so you might as well assume it is all the time.

You play to win the game - Herman Edwards

No disagreement there. I think we're going to need the same inspired play as in the last half of the MACC. Tall task for Carey.

(12-11-2018 01:42 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  Boca Raton Bowl presser is today and one week out from the game.

Opponent Record: UAB 10 - 3
Best Wins: 9 - 3 North Texas, 8 - 5 Middle Tenn., 7 - 5 La. Tech, 6 - 6 Tulane
Total Offense Rank: UAB #66 NIU #122
Total Defense Rank: UAB #11 NIU #31

UAB coach has won a few national coaching awards and just signed a sizeable contract extension. Should be challenging game.

Rushing Defense: NIU #14 UAB #20

Number of Big Dudes on Roster: (>= 320LBs) UAB 13, NIU 1 (Scharping)

Coaching Extension: UAB (+6 years @+500,000 per year), NIU (+4 years @175,000 per year)

I really hope our players and coaches notice that none of the media prognosticators are picking the Huskies to win the Boca Bowl. The one’s I’ve read cite Carey’s 0-5 record in bowls as the reason. If the Huskies lose this, Rod’s bowl futility will garner even more attention and may even carry over to recruiting when competing coaches say do you really want to play for a coach that can’t even win a bowl game? I don’t know if we can afford that kind of label...