Northern Illinois is primed for another stellar season with 13 starters returning from last year’s MAC West Division championship squad. Respected coach Joe Novak, entering his 11th season, emphasized the need for the defense to get stronger, faster and more athletic to avoid another season filled with shootouts. At times the Huskies played seven freshmen on defense last year. The extra season of growth and confidence should lead to a more dependable defense. The offense won’t have any problems scoring points with star tailback Garrett Wolfe returning. The Huskies have high expectations, and they’ll be tested with road games at Ohio State and Iowa.

LOWDOWN

Coach: Joe Novak (12th season, 54-60)
2005 record: 7-5
MAC finish: 6-2 (t-1st West)
2005 I-A offensive rankings:
Rushing: 16th (206.7 ypg)
Passing: 39th (237.4 ypg)
2005 I-A defensive rankings:
Rushing: 58th (147.9 ypg)
Passing: 65th (222.0 ypg)

DEPTH CHART

Offense (6)

SE  14  Jarret Carter  Sr.  17  Greg Turner  So.
FL  7  *Britt Davis  So.  13  Evans Adonis  So.
WR  2  Matt Simon  So.  5  Marcus Perez  So.
LT  62  *Doug Free  Sr.  59  Kevin Skatrud  Fr.
LG  70  Chris Acevedo  Jr.  77  Tim Mayerbock  Fr.
C  50  Eddie Adamski  Fr.  73  Ethan Gill  Fr.
RG  61  Matt Rogers  Sr.  75  Ryan Tuggle  So.
RT  60  *Jon Brost  So.  66  Tony Holmes  Fr.
TE  86  *Jake Nordin  Sr.  87  Brandon Davis  Jr.
QB  3  *Phil Horvath  Sr.  19  Dan Nicholson  So.
TB  1  *Garrett Wolfe  Sr.  22  Cas Prime  Jr.

Defense (7)

DE  34  *Ken West  Sr.  95  Robert Oruche  Jr.
NT  63  Zack Holycross  Jr.  49  Brad Benson  Sr.
DT  99  Craig Rusch  So.  92  Adam Schroeder  Jr.
DE  51  *Larry English  So.  56  Brandon Bice  Fr.
SLB  52  Phil Brown  So.  33  *Keenan Blalark  Sr.
MLB  53  *Tim McCarthy  So.  8  Cory Hanson  Fr.
WLB  38  David Bryant  Fr.   9  Josh Allen  So.
CB  12  *Adriel Hansbro  Sr.  30  Bradley Pruitt  So.
CB  11  *Alvah Hansbro  Sr.  31  Melvin Rice  So.
SS  8  Mark Reiter  Jr.  32  Jeff Fontana  Fr.
FS  35  *Dustin Utschig  Sr.  30  Bradley Pruitt  So.

Special Teams

K  25  Chris Nendick  Jr.
P  18  Andy Dittbenner  So.
KR  5  Marcus Perez  So.
PR  8  Mark Reiter  Jr.

(#) Indicates number of returning starters
* Indicates returning starters

2006 SCHEDULE

Sept. 2  at Ohio State
Sept. 9  Ohio
Sept. 16  Buffalo
Sept. 23  Indiana State
Sept. 30  at Ball State
Oct. 7  at Miami (Ohio)
Oct. 14  at Western Michigan
Oct. 21  Temple
Oct. 28  at Iowa
Nov. 7  Toledo
Nov. 17  Central Michigan
Nov. 24  at Eastern Michigan

OFFENSE

The offense should pile up points with talented players at every position. And yet, the main story in the spring session centered on the quarterback derby. Senior Phil Horvath flashed some impressive numbers in nine starts last year. When Horvath broke his arm in the first half at Central Michigan, freshman Dan Nicholson shocked the coaches by piloting the Huskies to a win. Nicholson helped end an 11-game losing streak against Toledo and led NIU to its first-ever trip to the MAC title game with a win over Western Michigan. Horvath’s strengths are his experience and knowledge of the system, but the coaching staff likes Nicholson’s strong arm and tendency not to force passes. “I have two starters,” says NIU coach Joe Novak.

When healthy, senior tailback Garrett Wolfe has posted eye-popping numbers. He has rushed for 3,236 yards and scored 34 touchdowns in 20 career games. Wolfe is the nation’s leading returning rusher but was sidelined all spring after right shoulder surgery in January. Expect the Huskies to deploy Wolfe more in the passing game this season to utilize his big-play ability.

The Huskies will miss wide receivers Sam Hurd and Shatone Powers, but Britt Davis headlines a deep and fast group.

The offensive line is not as experienced as last year’s unit. Still, this will be a solid group, with left tackle Doug Free, a legitimate All-America candidate, leading the way. Eddie Adamski has a tough task trying to replace All-MAC first-team center Brian Van Acker.

DEFENSE

Novak emphasized the need to get faster on defense to combat the majority of the spread offenses in the conference. A number of redshirt and true freshmen are expected to help raise the level of athleticism on this unit.

The defense doesn’t have any stars but features plenty of quality players. The line is no longer considered a weakness. Ends Ken West and Larry English should benefit from a solid group of defensive tackles.

Four freshmen received significant playing time at linebacker last year. Sophomore middle backer Tim McCarthy recorded 101 tackles in 11 games. Phil Brown and David Bryant can cover a lot of ground with their speed and athleticism.

The secondary has experience with senior corners Adriel and Alvah Hansbro and free safety Dustin Utschig, but the defensive backs must become more consistent.

SPECIALISTS

Chris Nendick is an all-conference kicker with a strong and accurate leg. Andy Dittbenner returns to handle the punting duties.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Huskies lost more games last year (five) than in each of the previous three seasons but came within 10 seconds of capturing the school’s first-ever victory in the conference championship game. The motivation of barely missing Novak’s main goal, combined with 13 returning starters plus an influx of talented newcomers, should spearhead the Huskies to another run to the West title.

The key to the season is the defense. The offense, even with a quarterback controversy, has the ingredients to light up scoreboards and help the defense through some early rough spots. The defense is still young but has the talent to surprise teams.

“I’m excited about this team,” Novak says. “I look at this team as the most balanced in terms of experience and athleticism we’ve had. I like our potential.”

This Northern Illinois team preview was pulled from our 2006 National College Football preview magazine. To order this or the 2006 Regional preview magazine - with expanded team page coverage and conference features - click here