Preview: Northern Illinois University

courtesy of  http://www.niuhuskies.com

courtesy of http://www.niuhuskies.com

When
Saturday, September 19, 2015

Where
Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH

TV Viewing
ABC/ESPN2
Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham
Sidelines Dr. Jerry Punch

Series All-time Record (Last Meeting)
Ohio State 1 Northern Illinois 0 (2006)

Head Coach
Rod Carey 25-6

Northern Illinois Huskies Fun Facts
2014 MAC Champions
Have won 5 of last 8 against the Big Ten, that is better than TTUN has been (maybe invite the Huskies into the B1G)
3 straight road victories against the B1G

Huskie Offense
Lead by QB Drew Hare who has a passer efficiency of 203.30 which is currently fifth nationally. Hare has completed 78.1 percent of his throws for 718 yards while rushing 16 times for an additional 64 yards. The Huskie running back Joel Bouagnon is averaging 5.7 yards a carry and 102 a game. Joel has 208 yards rushing total but has only lost 4 yards so far making his total 204 on the season so far. Hare has a favorite target which is South Dakota transfer Kenny Golladay. Golladay is averaging 178.5 yards a game receiving. He has 17 catches for 357 yards with 2 touchdowns. I know they have only played UNLV and Murray State but its an offense this Buckeye defense can’t afford to fall asleep on, will be a great test for the Silver Bullets.

Huskie Defense
Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer has stated they have a big defensive line that will cause the Buckeye offensive line problems. Northern Illionois has a very good linebacker group and secondary. They play a 4-3 mainly while their secondary mixes up from man to zone. They play aggressive, hard and fast just like the Buckeyes. Huskie defense has 14 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, 4 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles on the season so far. This will be another great test for Cardale Jones and company. Buckeyes will have to make sure as to not turnover the ball and remain aggressive unlike they were against Hawaii last week.

My Three Keys to the Game for Buckeyes
Huskies have outscored their opponent in every quarter but the first. Buckeyes will need to jump on them fast and keep their foot on the gas.
Limiting turnovers – Kind of self explanatory but limiting how many times their high powered offense has the ball
Aggressive defense – Need to keep the duo of Hare and Golladay out of sync to cut down on the big plays from happening

2015 Season Stats

Huskies Category Buckeyes
47.5 Points/G 40.0
12 (6-6) TDs (Rush-Pass) 10 (7-3)
54 First Downs 47
594.0 Total Yards/G 467.5
219.5 Rush Yards/G 270.5
374.5 Pass Yards/G 197.0
2 Turnovers Lost 3
25:40 Time of Possession/G 31:20
42% 3rd Down Conversions 42%
33% 4th Down Conversions 50%
36.7 Net Punting Avg. 40.8
40.5 Kickoff Return Avg. 25.0
13.2 Punt Return Avg 11.6
12-113 Penalties-Yards/G 13-173
28.0 Points Allowed/G 12.0
(8-8) 100% Red Zone Scores (6-7) 86%
(8-8) 100% Red Zone TDs (5-7) 71%
5 (1-4) TDs Allowed (Rush-Pass) 3 (0-3)
50 First Downs Allowed 30
433.0 Total Yards/G Allowed 242.5
128.0 Rush Yards/G Allowed 104.0
305.0 Pass Yards/G Allowed 138.0
42% 3rd Down Conv. Allowed 32%
67% 4th Down Conv. Allowed 50%
4 Turnovers Gained 4

I will leave you with this: the Ohio State trailer for the Northern Illinois game.

MotSaG Podcast Rainbow Warrior Review and Huskie Discussion

Chip Minnich and myself (Shannon Sommers) go over the Hawaii game. We talk about the lackluster offense, who was responsible (fatigue or players/coaches). I discuss being at the game and enjoying the great college football atmosphere.

We breakdown Northern Illinois. What they look like and what to expect when they come to The Shoe this Saturday. We discuss the players for the Huskies and who to keep an eye on. We also give our predictions for the four biggest games this weekend, I am currently down by two games to Chip.

Hope you enjoy the show, don’t forget you can subscribe to us on iTunes, sticher, soundcloud and listen to us on Buckeye Sports Radio. Please leave a comment on iTunes and a rating help us spread the word on our show.