COMMENTARY: NIU football needs help to win MAC West
By Lacy Searcy, Northern Star
October 31, 2006
(CSTV U-WIRE) DEKALB, Ill. -- With three games remaining, the NIU football team looks for help from other MAC schools to stay in the division race.
The Huskies (5-4 overall, 3-2 MAC) are two games behind Central Michigan (5-3, 5-0) and one game behind Western Michigan (6-2,4-1) in the MAC West division race.
There are two scenarios that can help the Huskies sneak back in the race. If Western Michigan beats Central Michigan on Nov. 10, the Huskies could tie the division with a win over CMU on Nov. 17.
Even with a win, WMU's road will not be smooth.
WMU faces a confident Miami squad Nov. 4 and its last game of the season is at Akron.
The Huskies will need to win out the rest of their games. One more loss for NIU or a win for the Chippewas keeps the Huskies out of the division title.
ENGLISH GETTING CLOSE
NIU defensive end Larry English has nine sacks for the year and is on pace to break the NIU single-season sack record at 12.
The junior has racked up five sacks in the past two games. That makes him second in the MAC and 11th in nation.
The Huskies are 38th in the nation in sacks per game with 2.4 and 22 total.
Last year they were 97th in the nation with 19 sacks.
WHERE DID THE OFFENSE GO?
NIU's offensive stats don't compare to what they did earlier in the season.
In the first five games of the year, the Huskies' offense averaged 475 yards per game.
But in the last three games, the Huskies offense has averaged 289.7 yards per game.
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Current line NIU -11.5/54.5
By Lacy Searcy, Northern Star
October 31, 2006
(CSTV U-WIRE) DEKALB, Ill. -- With three games remaining, the NIU football team looks for help from other MAC schools to stay in the division race.
The Huskies (5-4 overall, 3-2 MAC) are two games behind Central Michigan (5-3, 5-0) and one game behind Western Michigan (6-2,4-1) in the MAC West division race.
There are two scenarios that can help the Huskies sneak back in the race. If Western Michigan beats Central Michigan on Nov. 10, the Huskies could tie the division with a win over CMU on Nov. 17.
Even with a win, WMU's road will not be smooth.
WMU faces a confident Miami squad Nov. 4 and its last game of the season is at Akron.
The Huskies will need to win out the rest of their games. One more loss for NIU or a win for the Chippewas keeps the Huskies out of the division title.
ENGLISH GETTING CLOSE
NIU defensive end Larry English has nine sacks for the year and is on pace to break the NIU single-season sack record at 12.
The junior has racked up five sacks in the past two games. That makes him second in the MAC and 11th in nation.
The Huskies are 38th in the nation in sacks per game with 2.4 and 22 total.
Last year they were 97th in the nation with 19 sacks.
WHERE DID THE OFFENSE GO?
NIU's offensive stats don't compare to what they did earlier in the season.
In the first five games of the year, the Huskies' offense averaged 475 yards per game.
But in the last three games, the Huskies offense has averaged 289.7 yards per game.
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Current line NIU -11.5/54.5