Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson looking to break out in Week 2
September 18, 2015Johnny Manziel to start Week 2 against Tennessee
September 18, 2015“We did not execute well. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
No, those quotes are not from Mike Pettine. That’s how Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer described his offense after Saturday’s game against Hawaii. By the way, the Buckeyes won 38-0. But, such is the pressure of being the No. 1 team in the country where a five-plus touchdown margin of victory can cause worry. Coach Meyer made a point to praise his defense, but the message was clear: anything less than the best is unacceptable (if not quite a felony). So with a full week to prepare for the Northern Illinois University Huskies, what can fans look forward to seeing on the field this weekend?
Saturday’s game marks the second matchup between the Huskies and Buckeyes. The clubs faced off during Week 1 of the 2006 season in Columbus, a game Ohio State won 35-12. The Bucks jumped all over their guests, taking a 28-0 lead in the first 15:05 of the contest. Quarterback Troy Smith threw touchdown passes to Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, while Antonio Pittman rushed for 111 yards and a score. NIU running back Garrett Wolfe shouldered the offensive load, accumulating 285 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Just like this weekend, the last time NIU and OSU met up, the latter was ranked number one in the nation.
For the uninitiated, Northern Illinois has developed into a mid-major darling over the past decade or so. Through the power of ESPN-fueled #MACtion, the Huskies enjoy the benefits of national television exposure on weekday night football. NIU won the MAC in 1983, 2011, 2012, and 2014, and even crashed the BCS party with an appearance in the Orange Bowl after the 2012 season. While they would lose the game 31-10 to Florida State, they did strike a blow for mid-majors everywhere simply by making the cut. The Huskies have won 59 games since the 2010 season, fourth best of all Division I FBS schools over that stretch. Plus, they have the right, duty, honor, and privilege of annually playing Ball State for the Bronze Stalk, one of the best looking homages to bronzed farm life in college football.
To call Northern Illinois “just another easy MAC opponent” does not do them justice
To call Northern Illinois “just another easy MAC opponent” does not do them justice
Northern Illinois enters Saturday’s game with a 2-0 record after victories over UNLV (Mountain West) and Murray State (FCS). The Huskies’ primary offensive weapon is redshirt junior quarterback Drew Hare. Over two games he has completed 50-of-64 passes for 718 yards and six touchdowns. His top target has been redshirt junior Kenny Golladay, who has hauled in 17 receptions for 357 total yards and two scores. The Huskies’ balanced attack also offers junior tailback Joel Bouagnon,1 who has rushed for 204 yards so far this season with five touchdowns and an average of 5.7 yards per touch.
To call NIU “just another easy MAC opponent” does not do them justice. The Huskies are a talented club who opened the season with two strong weeks of football. They have won 19 of their last 20 true road games and have defeated the past three Big Ten teams they have faced. However, none of those opponents has the pedigree or talent of Ohio State. Immediately after the uneven win over Hawaii the Buckeyes’ main question remained: Who will play quarterback?
During his weekly press conference, head coach Urban Meyer spoke pretty definitively about the present quarterbacking situation: “Both of them will continue to get reps. The approach I’ve taken is [that] Cardale started. He’s the starting quarterback. … J.T. has not beat him out yet. He’s going to continue to have opportunities to do that because J.T. is a very good player and Cardale’s got to perform.”
The coaching staff, as well as fans and pundits, were not pleased with the Buckeye offensive output against Hawaii. Whether it was the short preparation week or just poor decision making, neither quarterback looked especially sharp against the Rainbow Warriors. So while Meyer confirmed that he will continue to let Cardale Jones start games, J.T. Barrett will likely continue to relieve him under center.
The Huskies’ official Twitter account uses two hashtags during all its gameday tweets: #ONEWay #theHardWay. To be sure, the way against Ohio State is hard, and riding high on a 15-game winning streak, the Buckeyes have more than earned their top ranking. During the game, the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame will induct 14 new members including prolific receiver Joey Galloway and former head coach Jim Tressel. The last time OSU played NIU, Tressel wore a headset on the sideline. While he will not be calling plays this time around, it seems likely the result will again favor the home team.
- Per NIU’s website, his name is pronounced “Jo-ELL Bwon-NYO.” [↩]
2 Comments
State University of Ohio – 7
Northern Illinois – 2
Elliot runs 80 yards on first play to score.
Meyer then sends the offense to the Varsity Club to watch the game, and gives the ball to NIU for the entirety of the game.
After the NUI QB is knocked out of the game with multiple broken bones, Meyer decides to play 7 on 11.
The only points NIU scores is when Bosa gets baked at halftime and runs a fumble the wrong way.
I’m finally getting 98 Dollars an hour,just working 5-7 hours daily online….It’s time to take some action and you can join it too.It is simple,dedicated and easy way to get rich.Three weeks from now you will wishyou have started today – I promise!….see link in my prof!le…
56