-- Saturday, August 28, 2010
It?s snuck up on some of the Northern Illinois players. The first week of school and a Thursday season-opener can do that.
But in four days, the Huskies will board the bus for Ames, Iowa. The 2010 season kicks off Thursday night against Big 12 opponent Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium.
?I can?t believe it?s this close already,? junior center Scott Wedige said. ?I?m excited. We worked hard all summer and worked hard all camp. It?s almost here. You can almost taste it.?
The Huskies coaching staff has slowly integrated game preparation into the practice schedule. This week, scout teams provided Iowa State?s offensive and defensive looks for the last 20 to 30 minutes of practice.
?We?ve been doing a little bit of that through two-a-day camp at times,? NIU coach Jerry Kill said. ?Slowly, you work your way toward preparing for Iowa State. But right now, there?s some other things we?ve got to get ironed out too, but we certainly are working toward that.?
The game prep will pick up soon. The Huskies will practice Sunday night under the lights at Huskie Stadium in preparation for Thursday?s 7 p.m. kickoff.
The NIU offense is adjusting to a Cyclones defense that usually plays five defenders on the line of scrimmage and plays a cover-2 scheme in the secondary. The NIU defense is preparing for an Iowa State offense that looks similar to the Huskies? spread, run-based attack.
Kill said he and the NIU coaching staff already have prepared for the Huskies? first five opponents but that he expects some surprises on Thursday.
?Every team?s different year to year,? Kill said. ?They don?t always do what they did last year. Are they going to be exactly the same? Probably not. But you take what you know about them in the first game and prepare for what you see. You can?t prepare for ghosts.?
But this has been more than a few weeks of preparation. Sept. 2 has been circled on the Huskies? calendar since a New Year?s Day loss to South Florida in the International Bowl.
?You?ve got a whole spring of practice and a whole fall camp,? sophomore safety Tommy Davis said. ?People are ready to lock it up and play a game now.?
Injury updates: Junior Adam Kiel, who started 11 games at right tackle last season, practiced this week after missing most of training camp. Keith Otis is slated as the starter against Iowa State as Kiel works his way back into the lineup.
Senior safety Mike Sobol shed his green non-contact jersey this week. Coaches have been cautious with Sobol, who?s contending for a starting job with sophomore Tommy Davis, after he underwent knee surgery for an ACL injury last spring.
Sobol has been cleared by trainers to play for Thursday?s opener. Kill said he will ?make that decision later on.? The senior said he?s ready to go.
?I kind of wanted to get out there and test it as much as I can,? Sobol said. ?Whatever reps I get right now, I?m trying to take advantage of it. When I?m out there, I?m not focused on [the knee]. I?m just focused on getting the calls and getting everyone set up.?
An ankle sprain has kept senior cornerback Patrick George out of drills, though he is out of the walking boot and continues to work out with strength coach Eric Klein. He might return to practice soon but his status for Thursday?s opener is unclear. Senior Kiaree Daniels is penciled in as the replacement starter.
?[George is] supposed to be released to practice on Saturday,? Kill said, ?but until we see him run and move around I really don?t know.?
Sycamore freshmen: As Sycamore prepares to play its season-opener against North Lawndale today, two former Spartans are helping the Huskies prepare for Iowa State.
NIU freshmen C.J. Compher and Marckie Hayes are unlikely to play this season but the coaches have been pleased with their progress through the first three weeks of practice.
?C.J. had a good camp and has done some good things,? Kill said. ?He?s a good athlete, a very smart kid. We?ve got two senior fullbacks that will be graduating (Kyle Skarb and Connor Flahive), so those opportunities are going to be there on the horizon for him.?
Hayes, a cornerback, broke up multiple passes as part of the scout team defense on Wednesday.
?Marckie?s done a great job,? Kill said. ?I think the kids have done a great job of taking care of Marckie and teaching him and helping him. I think he really fits into that group. He comes to play every day and we?ve been very pleased with him.?
It?s snuck up on some of the Northern Illinois players. The first week of school and a Thursday season-opener can do that.
But in four days, the Huskies will board the bus for Ames, Iowa. The 2010 season kicks off Thursday night against Big 12 opponent Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium.
?I can?t believe it?s this close already,? junior center Scott Wedige said. ?I?m excited. We worked hard all summer and worked hard all camp. It?s almost here. You can almost taste it.?
The Huskies coaching staff has slowly integrated game preparation into the practice schedule. This week, scout teams provided Iowa State?s offensive and defensive looks for the last 20 to 30 minutes of practice.
?We?ve been doing a little bit of that through two-a-day camp at times,? NIU coach Jerry Kill said. ?Slowly, you work your way toward preparing for Iowa State. But right now, there?s some other things we?ve got to get ironed out too, but we certainly are working toward that.?
The game prep will pick up soon. The Huskies will practice Sunday night under the lights at Huskie Stadium in preparation for Thursday?s 7 p.m. kickoff.
The NIU offense is adjusting to a Cyclones defense that usually plays five defenders on the line of scrimmage and plays a cover-2 scheme in the secondary. The NIU defense is preparing for an Iowa State offense that looks similar to the Huskies? spread, run-based attack.
Kill said he and the NIU coaching staff already have prepared for the Huskies? first five opponents but that he expects some surprises on Thursday.
?Every team?s different year to year,? Kill said. ?They don?t always do what they did last year. Are they going to be exactly the same? Probably not. But you take what you know about them in the first game and prepare for what you see. You can?t prepare for ghosts.?
But this has been more than a few weeks of preparation. Sept. 2 has been circled on the Huskies? calendar since a New Year?s Day loss to South Florida in the International Bowl.
?You?ve got a whole spring of practice and a whole fall camp,? sophomore safety Tommy Davis said. ?People are ready to lock it up and play a game now.?
Injury updates: Junior Adam Kiel, who started 11 games at right tackle last season, practiced this week after missing most of training camp. Keith Otis is slated as the starter against Iowa State as Kiel works his way back into the lineup.
Senior safety Mike Sobol shed his green non-contact jersey this week. Coaches have been cautious with Sobol, who?s contending for a starting job with sophomore Tommy Davis, after he underwent knee surgery for an ACL injury last spring.
Sobol has been cleared by trainers to play for Thursday?s opener. Kill said he will ?make that decision later on.? The senior said he?s ready to go.
?I kind of wanted to get out there and test it as much as I can,? Sobol said. ?Whatever reps I get right now, I?m trying to take advantage of it. When I?m out there, I?m not focused on [the knee]. I?m just focused on getting the calls and getting everyone set up.?
An ankle sprain has kept senior cornerback Patrick George out of drills, though he is out of the walking boot and continues to work out with strength coach Eric Klein. He might return to practice soon but his status for Thursday?s opener is unclear. Senior Kiaree Daniels is penciled in as the replacement starter.
?[George is] supposed to be released to practice on Saturday,? Kill said, ?but until we see him run and move around I really don?t know.?
Sycamore freshmen: As Sycamore prepares to play its season-opener against North Lawndale today, two former Spartans are helping the Huskies prepare for Iowa State.
NIU freshmen C.J. Compher and Marckie Hayes are unlikely to play this season but the coaches have been pleased with their progress through the first three weeks of practice.
?C.J. had a good camp and has done some good things,? Kill said. ?He?s a good athlete, a very smart kid. We?ve got two senior fullbacks that will be graduating (Kyle Skarb and Connor Flahive), so those opportunities are going to be there on the horizon for him.?
Hayes, a cornerback, broke up multiple passes as part of the scout team defense on Wednesday.
?Marckie?s done a great job,? Kill said. ?I think the kids have done a great job of taking care of Marckie and teaching him and helping him. I think he really fits into that group. He comes to play every day and we?ve been very pleased with him.?
