After quarterback Chandler Harnish did some light running at Monday's practice, Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill had a status update on Harnish's injured right knee at Tuesday's weekly news conference.
"He was running yesterday and did pretty well," Kill said. "But [trainer Kammy Powell] did not clear him to practice [Tuesday]."
Although nothing is official, Harnish not being cleared for practice increases the likelihood that DeMarcus Grady will get his third straight start at quarterback.
In the short week of practice for the Huskies before playing host to Eastern Michigan at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Huskie Stadium, Kill has stuck to a practice plan he has used since he took his Southern Illinois team on a short week to No. 1 FCS-ranked Western Kentucky and won on a Thursday night. It's also a similar plan his friend and TCU coach Gary Patterson uses on short weeks.
That includes going without pads and shortening practices to about an hour and 20 minutes.
"It's hard to get a team prepared in such a short period of time," Kill said. "It's very difficult."
Eastern Michigan, a winless team playing back-to-back road games on a short week after traveling home from Arkansas this past Saturday, has struggled immensely on offense this season, especially after losing quarterback Andy Schmitt to a season-ending knee injury.
But Kill said the Eagles have shown a few different things on offense out of the same personnel groupings every single week.
"The threat of the unknown is a concern," Kill said. "Them on a short week, however, may be a good thing. How much can they do differently? We'll have to see there."
One more thing Kill is a battling: A vicious cold that has rendered his voice to froggy at best, though he said he would be fine for the game.
"I can promise you, by my voice, and our coaching staff, we have had no sleep and we've prepared very hard to get ready for this football game to make sure we don't have a letdown, because you can't have them this time a year," he said.
"He was running yesterday and did pretty well," Kill said. "But [trainer Kammy Powell] did not clear him to practice [Tuesday]."
Although nothing is official, Harnish not being cleared for practice increases the likelihood that DeMarcus Grady will get his third straight start at quarterback.
In the short week of practice for the Huskies before playing host to Eastern Michigan at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Huskie Stadium, Kill has stuck to a practice plan he has used since he took his Southern Illinois team on a short week to No. 1 FCS-ranked Western Kentucky and won on a Thursday night. It's also a similar plan his friend and TCU coach Gary Patterson uses on short weeks.
That includes going without pads and shortening practices to about an hour and 20 minutes.
"It's hard to get a team prepared in such a short period of time," Kill said. "It's very difficult."
Eastern Michigan, a winless team playing back-to-back road games on a short week after traveling home from Arkansas this past Saturday, has struggled immensely on offense this season, especially after losing quarterback Andy Schmitt to a season-ending knee injury.
But Kill said the Eagles have shown a few different things on offense out of the same personnel groupings every single week.
"The threat of the unknown is a concern," Kill said. "Them on a short week, however, may be a good thing. How much can they do differently? We'll have to see there."
One more thing Kill is a battling: A vicious cold that has rendered his voice to froggy at best, though he said he would be fine for the game.
"I can promise you, by my voice, and our coaching staff, we have had no sleep and we've prepared very hard to get ready for this football game to make sure we don't have a letdown, because you can't have them this time a year," he said.
