By Woodrow Carroll
Northern Illinois University football head coach Thomas Hammock will begin his fifth season guiding the team’s fortunes, September 2, when the Huskies open on the road at Boston College. In his first four years coaching at his alma mater, Hammock has seen both the good and bad.
Two years ago it was the good! Northern Illinois finished with 9-5 won-loss record and captured the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship. Last season, when hopes for a repeat were high, the Huskies faltered. Northern Illinois ended 3-9 overall, 2-6 in the MAC, and was home at bowl time.
If Northern Illinois is to come through this season, the schedule might help. Nine of the 12 teams on the Huskies’ schedule, including all four non-conference opponents, closed with losing records last season. In fact, the Boston College Eagles of the Atlantic Coast Conference were 3-9 in 2022.
Following the Boston College game, Northern Illinois will play host to Southern Illinois September 9, then go to Nebraska September 16 before closing non-conference play against Tulsa September 23 in DeKalb.
Northern Illinois should be tested in its MAC opener at Toledo, defending MAC champion, September 30. Not surprisingly, the two teams which played for the MAC championship last season, Toledo and Ohio, have been accorded preseason honors this year. Toledo beat Ohio for the MAC championship last season and those two programs are favored to repeat this season. A smattering of pre-season votes were there for Eastern Michigan in the MAC West and Miami (Ohio) and Buffalo drew support among East Division teams. No body picked NIU although the Huskies are seen as making it to a bowl game by many observers. Bowl-game participation usually calls for six victories.
Northern Illinois is part of the six-team MAC West with Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Ball State. This season the Huskies will play three of the five West foes at home, therefore, they play only one team (Ohio) from the MAC East. They will go on the road to face MAC East foes in Akron and Kent State. Thus, you have your balanced eight-game MAC schedule.
The better teams play more games. Georgia finished 15-0 last season by running the table (12-0) in the regular season.
The Bulldogs defeated LSU for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship and followed it up with victories over Ohio State and TCU to close out their unblemished season to capture a second consecutive National championship.
Scaled back dreams for Northern Illinois? It could be 14 games such as in 2021 when the Huskies beat Kent State for the MAC championship before falling to Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl.
Although the MAC has not been held in high esteem among FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) schools in recent seasons, the MAC closed 4-2 in bowl games last season.
If the Huskies are to return to the MAC championship game, Saturday, Dec. 2at Ford Field in Detroit, a healthy Rocky Lombardi at quarterback is viewed as the key.
Thanks to a medical redshirt, Lombardi, who began his collegiate sojourn at Michigan State, is in his seventh season overall. Two seasons ago, with Lombardi under center, the Huskies were MAC champions. Injured in his third game last season, Lombardi saw action later in the season against Eastern Michigan. But, it was a limited appearance and Lombardi’s last game in 2022.
Other Huskie players to watch include senior defense tackle James Ester, the team’s MVP from last season, safety C.J. Brown and running back Antario Brown (no relation) and the feeling is that Northern Illinois will rebound from what was clearly an off season last season.