The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Northern Illinois – INSIDE SLANT
A slow start at one-win Akron turned into nothing more than a minor blip for Northern Illinois. The Huskies missed a field goal on their first possession and carried a 13-7 lead a few minutes before halftime. But the Huskies’ highly ranked offense woke up with a late second-quarter scoring drive, finishing with 528 yards of total offense in 83 plays to record a 37-7 triumph over Akron.
In the past three years, a 30-point victory over the Zips wouldn’t be something to brag about, not with the Zips winning just three total games since the start of the 2010 season. But this 2012 Zips’ team possesses a solid offense and ranked high in several national and conference categories. The Huskies (7-1, 4-0 MAC West) have won seven straight games and 16 of their last 17.
“To get a victory, it’s something you’re proud of. I think any road victory is a big win,” Northern Illinois second-year coach Dave Doeren said. “The way our guys played on defense, to hold that team that averaged almost 500 yards a game to under 200 yards, I think says a lot about our football team defensively.”
The Huskies steamrolled the Zips by accumulating 305 yards on the ground on 50 carries. NIU junior quarterback Jordan Lynch was his usual big-play self, finishing with 131 yards rushing and two touchdowns and passing for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Lynch has rushed for 100-plus yards in six straight games and seven times this year. Lynch owns 13 rushing touchdowns and 13 passing touchdowns, and topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
“He’s a tough dude,” Doeren said of Lynch. “Every time I think he’s going down, he runs over a guy. He had a great second half.”
The Huskies scored 24 unanswered points and held Akron’s offense to 199 total yards and just 42 yards on 37 carries. Northern Illinois forced three turnovers, including recovering a pair of fumbles in the first half.
“We won the line of scrimmage, that’s where it starts,” Doeren said. “We tackled well and our secondary covered well.”
Northern Illinois kicker Mathew Sims made three field goals and senior tight end Jason Schepler caught his first pass of the season — a 13-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
“We had two plays in specifically for Schep this week, but that wasn’t one of them,” joked Doeren. “I’m happy for him; he does so much for our run game that we wanted to get him in the end zone.”
The Huskies held Akron’s highly touted senior quarterback Dalton Williams to 157 yards passing and minus-44 yards on the ground. The Zips’ lone touchdown was aided by a flea-flicker that set up Williams’ touchdown pass to Jerrod Dillard late in the second quarter.
“Anytime you can go on the road and get a victory, it’s something to be proud of,” Doeren said. “The way our team played on defense, to hold them under 200 yards in the game is quite an accomplishment against a good passing offense. We have a good defensive front and our linebackers play downhill and when you have a good front seven, you can do some things defensively.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Northern Illinois – NOTES, QUOTES
WHAT’S AHEAD: The Huskies conclude a two-game roadtrip at Western Michigan. The Huskies have played well in recent years in Kalamazoo. But the Broncos represent a unique challenge for NIU’s defense with their offense. The Huskies have won seven straight games.
–NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch was added to the Watch List for the 2012 Manning Award last Wednesday. Lynch is one of 10 midseason additions to the Watch List, which started with 25 names in August. Lynch moved over the 1,000-yard rushing mark after tallying 131 yards and two touchdowns against Akron. Lynch has 13 rushing and 13 passing touchdowns this year.
–The Huskies have won six straight road games and seven straight overall. Off to their best start at 7-1 since 2003, the Huskies have won 16 of their last 17 games, including eight straight games against teams from the MAC East Division.
–NIU’s senior class became the all-time winningest class in school history with victory No. 36. The 2012 senior class had the previous high with 35 victories.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Tight end Jason Schepler was a promising local recruit for the Huskies before injuries took a toll. The senior caught his first pass of the season at Akron, a 13-yard touchdown from Jordan Lynch late in the third quarter. A well-liked player and a solid blocker, Schepler can help the NIU offense now that’s healthy. Schepler missed the 2011 season with a knee injury.
LOOKING GOOD: The NIU defense held Buffalo to three points last week and followed that performance by limiting Akron to 199 total yards and seven points. Akron quarterback Dalton Williams came into the game leading the conference in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing yards per game, but finished with 157 yards and netted just 113 total yards. Akron tailback Jawon Chisholm ran for a season-high 177 yards last week at Ohio for his third straight 100-yard rushing game. Against NIU, Chisholm had eight carries for 13 yards. The Huskies forced three turnovers, recovering two fumbles and intercepting a pass.
STILL NEEDS WORK: The Huskies started off slow against a team with just one win all season. The Zips have a solid offense, but their defense is in shambles due to key injuries along the defensive line. The Huskies scored just 13 points until Jordan Lynch scored on a 15-yard run late in the second quarter.
“We played as bad as we could in the first half,” NIU coach Dave Doeren said. “He (Lynch) can’t play l like that if we want to be a championship team.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I had really high expectations of him. I wasn’t as concerned about him as I was about what was going to be around him. I knew he was going to be really good. I didn’t know if it would be this year or next year because of the youth of our offensive line and just the unknowns at that position.” — NIU coach Dave Doeren on quarterback Jordan Lynch before Saturday’s 30-point win at Akron.
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NCAAF Team Report – Northern Illinois – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES:
–QB Jordan Lynch ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns to lift his season total over the 1,000-yard mark for the season with four regular season games left. Lynch, who rushed for 129 yards on 15 carries against Buffalo the previous week, topped the 100-yard mark for the sixth straight game and seventh time this season. He passed for 223 yards and two touchdowns against Akron. For the season, Lynch has 1,049 yards rushing on 149 carries and 13 touchdowns.
–WR Martel Moore hauled in his seventh touchdown reception of the season and 18th of his career at Akron. The senior is coming off a game against Buffalo where he had had eight receptions for 133 yards, including an impressive 43-yard touchdown.
–TE Jason Schepler scored his second career touchdown on a 13-yard reception in the third quarter. It was Schepler’s first catch of the season, and first since the MAC Championship game versus Miami on Dec. 3, 2010. Schepler missed the 2011 season with a knee injury.
ROSTER REPORT
–S Dechane Durante sat out Saturday’s game due to an injury.
–WR Perez Ashford remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
–WR Tommylee Lewis was shaken up in the game, but returned to action.
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