NIU daily-chronicle.com:
? Neither Northern Illinois nor Louisiana Tech are very familiar with bowl games.
Both teams will get used to the ex*perience in a hurry tonight at 7 p.m. when they play each other in the In*dependence Bowl at Independence Stadium.
?Our kids have handled ourselves very well,? NIU coach Jerry Kill said. ?They?ve handled themselves in a first-class manner. We?ve been able to get outside and do a lot of football things, but at the same time, I think we?ve been able to learn a lot about each other.?
When NIU has the ball
Look for the Huskies to establish the run early. Running backs Me?co Brown, Ricky Crider and Chad Spann have received the majority of the carries in the last half of the season, and tonight should be no different.
NIU has shown that it isn?t afraid to let quarterback Chandler Harnish run with the ball either, so if the running backs can?t get the job done, the coaches will put the ball in Harnish?s hands and ask him to make plays.
When Louisiana Tech has the ball
Bulldogs quarterback Ross Jenkins provided some bulletin board material Saturday when he said that NIU defensive end and two-time Mid-American Conference MVP Larry English wouldn?t be an issue tonight. Look for English, the NCAA?s active career-leader in sacks, to try to prove Jenkins wrong.
The Bulldogs run the ball well, led by running back Daniel Porter, so look for Louisiana Tech to try to control the clock by feeding the ball to Porter early and often.
? Neither Northern Illinois nor Louisiana Tech are very familiar with bowl games.
Both teams will get used to the ex*perience in a hurry tonight at 7 p.m. when they play each other in the In*dependence Bowl at Independence Stadium.
?Our kids have handled ourselves very well,? NIU coach Jerry Kill said. ?They?ve handled themselves in a first-class manner. We?ve been able to get outside and do a lot of football things, but at the same time, I think we?ve been able to learn a lot about each other.?
When NIU has the ball
Look for the Huskies to establish the run early. Running backs Me?co Brown, Ricky Crider and Chad Spann have received the majority of the carries in the last half of the season, and tonight should be no different.
NIU has shown that it isn?t afraid to let quarterback Chandler Harnish run with the ball either, so if the running backs can?t get the job done, the coaches will put the ball in Harnish?s hands and ask him to make plays.
When Louisiana Tech has the ball
Bulldogs quarterback Ross Jenkins provided some bulletin board material Saturday when he said that NIU defensive end and two-time Mid-American Conference MVP Larry English wouldn?t be an issue tonight. Look for English, the NCAA?s active career-leader in sacks, to try to prove Jenkins wrong.
The Bulldogs run the ball well, led by running back Daniel Porter, so look for Louisiana Tech to try to control the clock by feeding the ball to Porter early and often.
