Ute Nation Opponent Q&A: NIU
After a suffocating defensive performance in week one, the University of Utah will head to DeKalb, Illinois to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies, Saturday at 5:30 MST on ESPNNEWS. DeKalb Daily Chronicle sports editor, Eddie Carifio, was recently kind enough to give Ute Nation some insight into the Utes next opponent.
NIU lost some key personnel on offense from last season, so how different will the scheme look on Saturday?
Regardless of the personnel, the team has pretty much looked the same under Carey --more or less. Last week was no exception. With the same quarterback as last year, MAC freshman of the year Marcus Childers, not much was different. They had an effective running game that ended up being under-utilized do to the situations the offense was in throughout the game.
Running back Jordan Nettles had an impressive performance against Iowa. What makes him so dangerous and who else should Utah be aware of, heading into the showdown?
Nettles was a bit of a surprise, sort of. Carey has said it will be a committee back there and that he'll "ride the hot hand," and on Saturday he felt that was Nettles. It could be Marcus Jones, or it could be Tre Harbison--in fact, it looked like it was going to be Harbison in the first quarter.
What kind of a game plan would you draw up, to stop the Huskies’ offense?
I would double down on stopping the run, make Childers beat you deep. It's been the one weak spot of his game. Plus you couple that with the absence of Spencer Tears and the youthful NIU receiving corps, and you've got to try to make them throw deep. Put then in medium and long situations and take the run away, and clamp down on short passes and make them go deep.
How would you attack the NIU defense?
Iowa had a very effective strategy--basically just keep them on the field. And that wasn't even Iowa's offense per se, that was more a product of the Hawkeye's defense. The Huskies have been known to give up a deep ball or two --Iowa almost had one to all-everything tight end Noah Fant on the first drive, but he dropped it. But the Huskies are excellent against the run and that pass rush is a doozy too.
Becoming the original BCS Buster, catapulted the Utes into heights that G5 schools, once never could have imagined. What are the the lasting effects from when NIU pulled it off, in 2012?
It's a whole different landscape these days with the automatic berth given to a G5 team. Granted schools like Western Michigan and UCF, the true national champions last year, make the most of it. But there was no guarantee like that for Utah, or Boise State, or NIU when they all did it.
What’s your prediction for Saturday and why?
This is a hard one to get a read on. I can't get a good feel for the Utah defense, and if they'll give NIU much. I've been going Utah 31-21, and I guess I'll stick with that for now. Though the more I think about the more I may lower it as we get closer to game day. Cause for all of NIU's offensive woes--real or perceived-- they do manage to get points, usually through the defense or special teams. And as good as the defense is, they're prone to giving up points.
You can follow Eddie leading to and throughout the game at: @DDCEddieCarifio
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