Northern Illinois
Huskies

Northern Illinois Team Report

Updated: February 06, 2012 10:46 EST

Northern Illinois Coach Dave Doeren viewed his first season as a stepping stone for bigger and better things.

Talk about a great first step. The Huskies concluded the 2011 season with nine consecutive victories, including the school's second Mid-American Conference championship, a second consecutive bowl victory and second 11-3 record in a row.

The Huskies, though, finished just outside the Top 25, but Doeren has plans to fix that tiny oversight. Doeren, though, must first find a new offensive coordinator -- at least as of Feb. 1 -- when Matt Canada, who was instrumental in installing the no-huddle offense, was hired as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator in January.

Former NIU star wide receiver P.J. Fleck was named the new offensive coordinator on Feb. 2. Fleck, who played bits of two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers, was one of the key players in NIU's rise to the No. 12 ranking in 2003. Playing at a high school 15 miles away from DeKalb, Fleck previously coached the wide receivers at Northern Illinois and Rutgers.

"The great thing about Northern Illinois is that the tradition has been built," Fleck said. "Now we have to continue to take strides in the right direction to continue to make the tradition strong. We want to continue to develop our student-athletes on a daily basis and that is what Dave is all about.

"I respect so much what they did last year. He had a tremendous football team coming in, but NIU has had a lot of good football teams come through here in the past. Getting that MAC Championship trophy says a lot about his leadership here at NIU."

Fleck's main job is getting soon-to-be junior Jordan Lynch comfortable at quarterback. After the GoDaddy.com Bowl victory over Arkansas State, Doeren made a point out of telling Lynch that the Huskies are his team now.

Lynch has some experience, completing 15-of-20 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown last year. Lynch's ability to run the ball continues in the recent tradition of the offense. He finished fourth last year in rushing with 45 carries for 246 yards and three touchdowns, including a long run of 66 yards.

Don't expect NIU's offense to be as explosive as the previous two seasons. The Huskies averaged an eye-popping 38.3 points and 476.0 yards per game in 2011. But Harnish's gaudy stats often covered up NIU's main strength the last few years -- a strong offensive line led by all-conference players Scott Wedige and Trevor Olson. The Huskies have to replace four starters on the offensive line. That alone will severely curtail NIU's offensive attack next year despite the return of wide receivers Martel Moore and Perez Ashford.

The Huskies lost 19 seniors from last year's team, but the good news is that several key defensive players are coming back. The 2012 team is shaping up to be much different than most Mid-American Conference teams because of the expected strength of the defense. Whereas the 2011 team featured a senior-dominated offense, the upcoming NIU team is solid on the defensive side with linebacker Pat Schiller and Jordan Delegal the only players not returning next year.

Doeren relied on his experienced staff and recent success of the program to sign 31 players for 2012. He signed 16 players from Illinois, including 10 from the Chicagoland area. Doeren loaded up on linemen, bringing in seven offensive linemen and six defensive linemen. The heavy concentration of the class was on the offensive side with 16 players and 14 defenders and punter Mark Strbjak.

Doeren admitted it was an easy sell to entice recruits to come to Northern Illinois.

"Back-to-back 11-win seasons opened doors for us with many of the kids we recruited," Doeren said. "We were able to compete against BCS level schools for many of our signees. There were definitely doors open this year that weren't the year before. Recruits took notice that we have had the Player of the Year in the MAC in five of the last six years and we were also able to use the excitement over the new Chessick Practice Center in our recruiting. Our APR and graduation rates were important to the people we talked to."

TOP OF THE CLASS

LB Mike Cotton (O'Fallon HS, O'Fallon, IL) -- Perhaps the top rated recruit among the 31-player class. A three-star Scout.com recruit, Cotton has great size -- 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds -- to play immediately if needed. A physical, run-stopper who originally committed to Indiana.

WR Charlie Miller (Vero Beach HS, Vero Beach, Fla.) -- Signed with NIU despite getting interest from Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Wake Forest. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder concentrated on basketball before joining the football team his senior year, but brings tremendous upside after catching 37 passes for 966 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall.

DE Matthew Baltimore (Olathe East HS, Overland, Kan.) --The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder fits NIU's need at defensive end with potential to add quality size and not sacrifice speed.

OT Scott Taylor (Marian Central Catholic HS, Woodstock, IL) -- At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, Taylor is a leader and the highest rated freshmen in NIU's class, according to ESPN. Armed with good agility and athleticism, Taylor has good technique and comes from a solid high school program.

--Offensive coordinator Matt Canada was hired to take over the same position at Wisconsin. Canada completed two tours of duty at Northern Illinois, first under former coach Joe Novak and then returning for this past season. Previously, Canada had spent seven years at Indiana. The loss of Canada is a big blow due to his work as quarterbacks coach. Canada was credited with installing the no-huddle offense that helped the Huskies run more plays and average 38.3 points per game.

"I'm truly excited for the opportunity to come to Wisconsin," Canada said. "It's a program that I've followed closely for a number of years. I've always been impressed with their tradition, especially offensively with their style of play, and I can't wait to be a part of that."

--Former NIU standout wide receiver P.J. Fleck, who won two state championships at local Kaneland High School, was named the new offensive coordinator Feb. 2. Fleck starred at NIU from 199-2003, playing a key role in the rebuilding of the program.

--Linebackers coach Tom Matukewicz accepted the defensive coordinator job at Toledo in mid-January. The last remaining assistant from the Jerry Kill era, Matukewicz was the interim coach NIU's Humanitarian Bowl victory over Fresno State in 2010.

--Former St. Francis Coach Mike Uremovich was hired as NIU's new special teams coordinator, replacing Eddie Faulkner, who was hired as Pitt's running backs coach.

--Former NIU quarterback Frisman Jackson returned to DeKalb after being named the wide receivers coach. Jackson, who caught 40 passes for 490 yards in a stint with the Cleveland Browns from 2002-06, coached the wide receivers at Akron the last two years. He played quarterback at Northern Illinois from 1997-99 before transferring to Western Illinois, where Jackson was converted into a wide receiver.

SPRING SNAPSHOT:

Practice begins/ends: undetermined.

Practice priorities: The Huskies have to find a replacement for highly successful quarterback Chandler Harnish. Sure, the Huskies have other holes to fill, but Harnish's showed what an experienced, accurate and durable quarterback can do for a mid-major program. The most likely candidate is Jordan Lynch, who looked strong in leading the Huskies to a touchdown drive in the second quarter in the GoDaddy.com Bowl victory over Arkansas State. Lynch can run the ball effectively, but his passing remains a question mark. New offensive coordinator P.J. Fleck is familiar with the program after playing at NIU and previously coaching the wide receivers.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Like I told our team the other day, 'Last year, you put your faith in me, I hired all these coaches and we won the championship. Now I get to do it after a year of exposure, and I know the team better. You need to trust that I'm going to bring in the same quality of guys. I'm a real believer in our system. Our system won't change, even though the guy maybe driving the wheel is different, it's going to be the exact same car." -- NIU Coach Dave Doeren on the rash of coaches leaving the program.

KEY LOSSES: Quarterback Chandler Harnish exits the program with a slew of school and national records, finishing his five-year tenure as one of the best players in school history. What Harnish meant to the program cannot be duplicated. He started in four straight bowl games and remained wildly successful despite playing for three head coaches. An overlooked aspect of Harnish's success was a senior-dominated offensive line. The Huskies lose two all-conference linemen in Scott Wedige and Trevor Olson. The offense might take a backseat for a change to the defense because of the loss of top tailback Jasmin Hopkins and wide receivers Nathan Palmer and Willie Clark.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012:

QB Jordan Lynch -- After playing behind record-breaking quarterback Chandler Harnish the last two years, Lynch inherits the starting quarterback position. Lynch follows in Harnish's footsteps with his ability to run the ball after finishing fourth last year on the team in rushing. Lynch got valuable playing time last year because of his ability to run the ball.

WR Martel Moore -- Expectations are high for Moore's senior season after he finished with 221 receiving yards in the GoDaddy.com bowl game. Moore led the Huskies in receiving last year with 47 catches for 747 yards and seven touchdowns.

DB Dechane Durante -- Came on strong late in his freshman year, capping NIU's bowl win with an interception return for a touchdown. He led the Huskies with three interceptions.

PK Mathew Sims -- Established himself as another in a long line of successful kickers at Northern Illinois in the last 15 years. Sims made 20 field goals last year, including 12-of-15 from 30-39 yards. His role should expand next year with more opportunities because of the loss of several standouts on offense.

PLAYER NOTES

--LB Devon Butler missed the 2011 season after getting shot in the back at an off-campus apartment in the spring of 2011. Butler elected to take a redshirt season to rehab for a return in the 2012 season. A starting linebacker in the 2010 season, Butler is projected to play a key role in the upcoming season.

--LB Tyrone Clark did not play in the 2011 season but expected to return to the field for the 2012 campaign. Named the defensive MVP in 2010, Clark was a key player at outside linebacker in NIU's run to the Humanitarian Bowl.

--DE Sean Progar, who was suspended for the GoDaddy.com Bowl after getting arrested in December for driving under the influence, is expected to return for his senior season. Progar was a key player for the Huskies the last two years, earning second-team all-conference selection last year.