The presser is out on YouTube under NIU Athletics. Typical stuff: had a great camp, excited to play someone else, etc.

Here's the two deep from Eddie Carifio's tweet:

QB Rocky Lombardi
Ethan Hampton

RB Antario Brown
Gavin Williams

FB Brock Lampe
Christian Nash

TE Chris Carter
Tristen Tewes

WR Davis Patterson
Keyshaun Pipkin

WR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Grayson Barnes

WR Trayvon Rudolph
Jalen Johnson

LT Evan Buss
Drew Hoth

LG JJ Lippe
Seth Thompson

C Pete Nygra
Matt Schooley

RG John Champe
Tyler Pitcel

RT Nolan Potter
Evan Malcore

DE Ray Thomas
George Gumbs

DT Devonte O'Malley
Skylar Gill-Howard OR Demond Taylor

DT James Ester
Cade Haberman

DE Roy Williams
Pierce Oppong

LB DaRon Gilbert
Devin Lafayette

LB Jaden Dolphin
Tyler Jackson

H Jashon Prophete
Ty Myles

CB JaVaughn Byrd
Shaad Dabney

S CJ Brown
Santana Banner OR Jordan Hansen

S Nate Valcarcel
Cyrus McGarrell OR Muhammad Jammeh

CB Jacob Finley
Amariyun Knighten

P Tom Foley
K Jake Seibert
LS Isaac Hatfield

KR Trayvon Rudolph
Kacper Rutkiewicz

PR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Trayvon Rudolph OR Dane Pardridge

(08-29-2023 02:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  The presser is out on YouTube under NIU Athletics. Typical stuff: had a great camp, excited to play someone else, etc.

Here's the two deep from Eddie Carifio's tweet:

QB Rocky Lombardi
Ethan Hampton

RB Antario Brown
Gavin Williams

FB Brock Lampe
Christian Nash

TE Chris Carter
Tristen Tewes

WR Davis Patterson
Keyshaun Pipkin

WR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Grayson Barnes

WR Trayvon Rudolph
Jalen Johnson

LT Evan Buss
Drew Hoth

LG JJ Lippe
Seth Thompson

C Pete Nygra
Matt Schooley

RG John Champe
Tyler Pitcel

RT Nolan Potter
Evan Malcore

DE Ray Thomas
George Gumbs

DT Devonte O'Malley
Skylar Gill-Howard OR Demond Taylor

DT James Ester
Cade Haberman

DE Roy Williams
Pierce Oppong

LB DaRon Gilbert
Devin Lafayette

LB Jaden Dolphin
Tyler Jackson

H Jashon Prophete
Ty Myles

CB JaVaughn Byrd
Shaad Dabney

S CJ Brown
Santana Banner OR Jordan Hansen

S Nate Valcarcel
Cyrus McGarrell OR Muhammad Jammeh

CB Jacob Finley
Amariyun Knighten

P Tom Foley
K Jake Seibert
LS Isaac Hatfield

KR Trayvon Rudolph
Kacper Rutkiewicz

PR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Trayvon Rudolph OR Dane Pardridge

Not a good idea for Rudolph to return kicks, IMO. Not that he can't do it, just that he's too valuable as a receiver and coming off a knee injury makes kick returns an unnecessary risk.

(08-29-2023 02:12 PM)MiamiHuskie Wrote:  

(08-29-2023 02:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  The presser is out on YouTube under NIU Athletics. Typical stuff: had a great camp, excited to play someone else, etc.

Here's the two deep from Eddie Carifio's tweet:

QB Rocky Lombardi
Ethan Hampton

RB Antario Brown
Gavin Williams

FB Brock Lampe
Christian Nash

TE Chris Carter
Tristen Tewes

WR Davis Patterson
Keyshaun Pipkin

WR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Grayson Barnes

WR Trayvon Rudolph
Jalen Johnson

LT Evan Buss
Drew Hoth

LG JJ Lippe
Seth Thompson

C Pete Nygra
Matt Schooley

RG John Champe
Tyler Pitcel

RT Nolan Potter
Evan Malcore

DE Ray Thomas
George Gumbs

DT Devonte O'Malley
Skylar Gill-Howard OR Demond Taylor

DT James Ester
Cade Haberman

DE Roy Williams
Pierce Oppong

LB DaRon Gilbert
Devin Lafayette

LB Jaden Dolphin
Tyler Jackson

H Jashon Prophete
Ty Myles

CB JaVaughn Byrd
Shaad Dabney

S CJ Brown
Santana Banner OR Jordan Hansen

S Nate Valcarcel
Cyrus McGarrell OR Muhammad Jammeh

CB Jacob Finley
Amariyun Knighten

P Tom Foley
K Jake Seibert
LS Isaac Hatfield

KR Trayvon Rudolph
Kacper Rutkiewicz

PR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Trayvon Rudolph OR Dane Pardridge

Not a good idea for Rudolph to return kicks, IMO. Not that he can't do it, just that he's too valuable as a receiver and coming off a knee injury makes kick returns an unnecessary risk.

That was my thought, keep him healthy all season to compliment Lombardi. Get anyone with soft hands to catch punts and grab whatever yards they can.

(08-29-2023 02:53 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

I like this lineup. Go smash BC!

I’m extremely optimistic about this WR group.

It’s been said before. But if you’ve been a fan of the program for awhile, the size of this D line vs many successful prior teams - wow. I think I’ve seen enough to be excited for their ability but just the size compared to the past 20 years. Just wow. Beat BC!

(08-29-2023 02:12 PM)MiamiHuskie Wrote:  

(08-29-2023 02:05 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  The presser is out on YouTube under NIU Athletics. Typical stuff: had a great camp, excited to play someone else, etc.

Here's the two deep from Eddie Carifio's tweet:

QB Rocky Lombardi
Ethan Hampton

RB Antario Brown
Gavin Williams

FB Brock Lampe
Christian Nash

TE Chris Carter
Tristen Tewes

WR Davis Patterson
Keyshaun Pipkin

WR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Grayson Barnes

WR Trayvon Rudolph
Jalen Johnson

LT Evan Buss
Drew Hoth

LG JJ Lippe
Seth Thompson

C Pete Nygra
Matt Schooley

RG John Champe
Tyler Pitcel

RT Nolan Potter
Evan Malcore

DE Ray Thomas
George Gumbs

DT Devonte O'Malley
Skylar Gill-Howard OR Demond Taylor

DT James Ester
Cade Haberman

DE Roy Williams
Pierce Oppong

LB DaRon Gilbert
Devin Lafayette

LB Jaden Dolphin
Tyler Jackson

H Jashon Prophete
Ty Myles

CB JaVaughn Byrd
Shaad Dabney

S CJ Brown
Santana Banner OR Jordan Hansen

S Nate Valcarcel
Cyrus McGarrell OR Muhammad Jammeh

CB Jacob Finley
Amariyun Knighten

P Tom Foley
K Jake Seibert
LS Isaac Hatfield

KR Trayvon Rudolph
Kacper Rutkiewicz

PR Kacper Rutkiewicz
Trayvon Rudolph OR Dane Pardridge

Not a good idea for Rudolph to return kicks, IMO. Not that he can't do it, just that he's too valuable as a receiver and coming off a knee injury makes kick returns an unnecessary risk.

I am in violent agreement with you!

They were serious about fixing the speed problem. Just the backers and safety #3, whom we no longer call the huskie?, can all run. Byrd/Brown aren’t “fast” but they are the slow 2 and that isn’t bad.

The D line is huge. Size and an upgrade on speed. Plus this seems like fancy talk for a Nickle package we never get out of. I like it.

https://niuhuskies.com/news/2023/8/29/hu...llege.aspx

Game notes: https://niuhuskies.com/documents/2023/8/..._-_ALL.pdf

Media presser:

That is a veteran ball club we are sending out there. One true FR made the -2- deep and that is S Santa Banner. We do have a couple of redshirt fr sprinkled in.

I went through BCs game notes and they are BIG across the OLine and have a combined 110+starts, with a pre-season AA right guard. Have smallish Rbs and a WR that can fly who transferred in from UCF. We are playing a good football team that will be bowl eligible.

Please, please do not have Rudolph at KR unless their guy kicks it through the uprights.

(08-29-2023 05:41 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  That is a veteran ball club we are sending out there. One true FR made the -2- deep and that is S Santa Banner. We do have a couple of redshirt fr sprinkled in.

I went through BCs game notes and they are BIG across the OLine and have a combined 110+starts, with a pre-season AA right guard. Have smallish Rbs and a WR that can fly who transferred in from UCF. We are playing a good football team that will be bowl eligible.

Please, please do not have Rudolph at KR unless their guy kicks it through the uprights.

No. BC will not go to a bowl.

(08-29-2023 05:41 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  I went through BCs game notes and they are BIG across the OLine and have a combined 110+starts, with a pre-season AA right guard.

Wonder where NIU media got their info from then because we have the following in our game notes:

Quote:PAVING THE WAY: NIU returns six offensive linemen who started at least seven games a year ago and the group boasts 118 career starts which ranks first among all FBS starting offensive lines.

Starts on Offensive Line by 2022 Returning Starters
    1.    NIU    118
    2.    Kansas State    116
    3.    West Virginia    111
    4.    Clemson    95
        Duke    95

My initial impressions are:

SO happy for Jalen Johnson, dealt with so many injuries the last few years so this has to feel really good, and I can't wait for everyone to see the guy I got to watch in HS.

A bit surprised that Z isn't on the 2 deep at either guard spot after starting the last 2 years, although the 4 guys listed are all experienced as well.

Nash listed as FB...Is that an actual position change or a hint to being used in kind of a Ratdog role?

Can't wait to watch Roy Williams step into a bigger role, not surprised he won a starting job. Watching him throw shot at state track meet his SR year and he is a freakin monster.

Happy that the change to DE seems to be working out for Gumbs...Works his butt off, great athlete, and played hard last year but just simply did not have the hands to be a WR/TE. The fact that he's ahead of a guy like Ivan Davis is intriguing.

Everyone keeps talking about how huge the D-line is, which makes the LB group seem perfect. 4 of 6 were safeties and 1 was a CB. D-line just eat up the o-line and keep them clean and let them run and hit all day. Where the rubber meets the road will be playing any teams (like BC maybe) that line up with mult TEs and just smash it up the middle. Can our fast be be better at being fast than their strong can be at being strong. We shall see.

True freshman Banner being listed side by side with Hansen and ahead of Jammeh (who started the majority of the games at S last year) is impressive. Have to keep an eye out and see if we get our first look at him.

I am also wary of Rudolph returning kicks after a knee injury...but it is also hard to argue with considering how damn explosive he is. If it were me, I would probably primarily use guys like Urwiler, Thompson, Dozier, and Flowers who all returned kicks in HS/at previous schools, and only throw Rudolph out there in certain situations like 4th quarter of a close game, etc. I also understand that football shouldn't be coached/played scared. It is a lot easier to urge caution for us fans when our jobs and dreams aren't on the line.

(08-29-2023 05:41 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  That is a veteran ball club we are sending out there. One true FR made the -2- deep and that is S Santa Banner. We do have a couple of redshirt fr sprinkled in.

I went through BCs game notes and they are BIG across the OLine and have a combined 110+starts, with a pre-season AA right guard. Have smallish Rbs and a WR that can fly who transferred in from UCF. We are playing a good football team that will be bowl eligible.

Please, please do not have Rudolph at KR unless their guy kicks it through the uprights.

Ryan Okeefe? I don't know much about him other than he's averaged 9.8 YPC on 150 receptions over his last 2 seasons at UCF. That doesn't sound like someone who can fly but more like a possession wr.

EDIT
*****take the possession label off. Dude ran a 10.45 100m in HS*****. fast-fast

(08-29-2023 06:00 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  

(08-29-2023 05:41 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  That is a veteran ball club we are sending out there. One true FR made the -2- deep and that is S Santa Banner. We do have a couple of redshirt fr sprinkled in.

I went through BCs game notes and they are BIG across the OLine and have a combined 110+starts, with a pre-season AA right guard. Have smallish Rbs and a WR that can fly who transferred in from UCF. We are playing a good football team that will be bowl eligible.

Please, please do not have Rudolph at KR unless their guy kicks it through the uprights.

No. BC will not go to a bowl.

It's possible, but they would HAVE to beat NIU to do so. Holy Cross is obviously a W. VA & VA Tech are bad teams. Needing three more wins out of Army, UConn, Syracuse, GA Tech, Louisville, Miami, and Pitt is a pretty big ask for them, but if they can beat NIU, getting two of those games is certainly in the realm of possibility.

(08-29-2023 06:11 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(08-29-2023 05:41 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  I went through BCs game notes and they are BIG across the OLine and have a combined 110+starts, with a pre-season AA right guard.

Wonder where NIU media got their info from then because we have the following in our game notes:

Quote:PAVING THE WAY: NIU returns six offensive linemen who started at least seven games a year ago and the group boasts 118 career starts which ranks first among all FBS starting offensive lines.

Starts on Offensive Line by 2022 Returning Starters
    1.    NIU    118
    2.    Kansas State    116
    3.    West Virginia    111
    4.    Clemson    95
        Duke    95

Their starters missed 55% of game starts in 2022.

(08-29-2023 06:15 PM)TXHuskieJA26 Wrote:  My initial impressions are:



A bit surprised that Z isn't on the 2 deep at either guard spot after starting the last 2 years, although the 4 guys listed are all experienced as well.

Can't wait to watch Roy Williams step into a bigger role,

I totally missed that on Z. I assume he is hurt, he can play, hopefully we could get some clarity on him. Williams is the guy I am hoping for a BIG year. If we can get some pressure from a DE, that would make our D look great.

Amegatcher not listed in 2 deep, I was assuming he'd start at corner. Coach Bland made mention of him. I'm assuming he's dinged up.

"Gabe is a hard worker," said Bland. "He can play both the field and the boundary. Right now he'll show up in all facets of defense and on special teams. You will notice him when he's on the field. If I had to create a player on Madden, it would be him. "

(08-29-2023 06:36 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  

(08-29-2023 06:11 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(08-29-2023 05:41 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  I went through BCs game notes and they are BIG across the OLine and have a combined 110+starts, with a pre-season AA right guard.

Wonder where NIU media got their info from then because we have the following in our game notes:

Quote:PAVING THE WAY: NIU returns six offensive linemen who started at least seven games a year ago and the group boasts 118 career starts which ranks first among all FBS starting offensive lines.

Starts on Offensive Line by 2022 Returning Starters
    1.    NIU    118
    2.    Kansas State    116
    3.    West Virginia    111
    4.    Clemson    95
        Duke    95

Their starters missed 55% of game starts in 2022.

I believe they also got a stud OL transfer whose starts count. This stat says “returners” only.