Big opportunity awaits Huskies in Minnesota

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DeKALB - As far as first games go, Northern Illinois could do a lot worse.

It?s a Big Ten opponent, there will be a large audience on the road and Jerry Kill is set to make his debut.

?It?s a great opportunity to surprise some people and get a win,? defensive end Larry English said.

The game, set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Minnesota, is the culmination of all the hype Kill brought with him when he was hired in December of last year.

The players won't need any extra motivation.

?Coach Kill is just as excited as we are,? running back Montell Clanton said. ?He is an amazing coach. I know we are going to play hard and play for him.?

As for going up against a Big Ten school, Kill said he welcomed the challenge.

He cited the NIU-Iowa game at Soldier Field in Chicago last season as an example of where he wants his program to go.

?That's who we are going to recruit against,? Kill said. ?Until we are able to beat some of those schools, it affects our recruiting.?

Kill said he would have butterflies when he walks out of the tunnel and onto the field, but it?s a familiar feeling before games.

?If you don't have butterflies, you better get out of the game,? Kill said. ?I?m just like everybody else. I?m eager to see what we have.?

Safety concern

Kill identified safety as one of the team?s biggest trouble spots before preseason camp.

Free safety David Bryant is a converted running back at his third position (linebacker was his other spot). Strong safety Mike Sobol sat out last season with a knee injury.

How did Kill feel about the position after three weeks of training? Not as bad.

?It?s one of those things where you can practice and feel good about it, but it?s a whole different thing on Saturday,? Kill said. ?I?ve had players practice real well and then come Saturday, they don?t play well. Until you get in that environment, you can't really evaluate those situations. I feel comfortable about the young men we have there and I like what they bring to the table.?

A familiar face

NIU fans will see someone they know and cheered for on the Gopher sidelines Saturday. Running backs coach Thomas Hammock was a two-time 1,000-yard rusher for the Huskies in 2000 and 2001 and was the running backs coach in 2005 and 2006.

Clanton spent some of his early years under the tutelage of Hammock.

"He's a great guy and a great coach," Clanton said.

Minnesota wide receivers coach George McDonald also held the same position at NIU from 2001-03.

Inside the numbers

Minnesota is 24-3-1 against the Mid-American Conference, but one of those three losses came last year, when the Gophers lost 32-31 in overtime at home against Bowling Green.

 

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NIU announces depth chart, but not starting QB


There still is no public decision from Northern Illinois football coach Jerry Kill on who plays quarterback, but his first game-week news conference offered evidence of how playing time will be divided.

After months of insisting he?s not a coach who will rotate quarterbacks, Kill stuck to that sentiment Tuesday. But that doesn?t mean it will be either senior Dan Nicholson or redshirt freshman Chandler Harnish who sees the field exclusively.

?I don?t want to give away everything here, but there will be situations where I?ll plug some different personnel in,? Kill said. ?I know (Minnesota) watched our film.?

Kill said there won?t be any public decision on the position until Saturday, partially because he believes it?s an advantage that Minnesota remains in the dark until kickoff.

The other reason appears to be the continued improvement of Nicholson?s sore throwing shoulder.

The Huskies practiced Sunday at Huskie Stadium and Nicholson got significant work done, Kill said.

?He had a really good day on Sunday,? Kill said. ?We threw him a lot. We didn?t back off of him at all. We?ve got to see how he feels (Tuesday).?

There were a few changes to the depth chart. The safety positions were virtually unknown before preseason camp. David Bryant will start at free safety and Mike Sobol will take strong safety. Bryant originally was a defensive back, converted to running back in 2007, but then moved back to safety after this spring.

Kyle Skarb is the starting fullback with Anthony Antonacci as the backup. The right guard position will go to Dan Keller or Jason Onyebuagu. Onyebuagu still is recovering from knee surgery but has been practicing.

?This week will be critical for him,? Kill said.

Freshman running back Me?co Brown is listed as the starter for the punt return and kick return jobs. Ricky Crider joins Brown as a starting kick returner. Sycamore High graduate Jason Schepler, a walk-on, is listed as the third tight end.

Although Minnesota runs the same offense from last year, little is known about the defense and what schemes the Gophers will use under first-year defensive coordinator and former Duke head coach Ted Roof.

Kill listed that as his major concern for Saturday.

?We don?t know what we?re going to see,? Kill said. ?We?ve prepared for all of that. But the problem is when you do all that you don?t get good at attacking defensively. That?s a nervous part.?