2018 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

2018 Northern Illinois Huskies football
2018 Northern Illinois Huskies football
MAC champion; MAC West Division champion
MAC Championship Game, W 30–29 vs. Buffalo
Boca Raton Bowl, L 13–37 vs. UAB
Conference	Mid-American Conference
	West Division
Record	8–6 (6–2 MAC)
Head coach	Rod Carey (6th season);
Offensive coordinator	Mike Uremovich (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Jeff Knowles (1st season)
MVP	Sutton Smith
Captain	Max Scharping, Luke Shively, Josh Corcoran, Kyle Pugh, D. J. Brown
Home stadium	Huskie Stadium
	Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Buffalo x	7	–	1	10	–	4
Miami (OH)	6	–	2	6	–	6
Ohio	6	–	2	9	–	4
Akron	2	–	6	4	–	8
Bowling Green	2	–	6	3	–	9
Kent State	1	–	7	2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois x$	6	–	2	8	–	6
Western Michigan	5	–	3	7	–	6
Eastern Michigan	5	–	3	7	–	6
Toledo	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ball State	3	–	5	4	–	8
Central Michigan	0	–	8	1	–	11
Championship: Northern Illinois 30, Buffalo 29
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

The 2018 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Rod Carey in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 8–6 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, winning the MAC's West Division title. Northern Illinois advanced to the MAC Championship Game, where they defeated East Division champion Buffalo to win the program's fifth MAC championship. The Huskies were invited to the Boca Raton Bowl, where they lost to UAB. The team played home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy^[1]	Sutton Smith	DE	JR
Rimington Trophy^[2]	Luke Shively	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[3]	Sutton Smith	DE	JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[4]	Sutton Smith	DE	JR
Outland Trophy^[5]	Max Scharping	T	SR
Wuerffel Trophy^[6]	Max Scharping	T	SR
Ted Hendricks Award^[7]	Sutton Smith	DE	JR

Preseason media poll

The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 24, 2018, with the Huskies predicted to finish as champions of the West Division.^[8]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
West Division
1	Northern Illinois	133 (15)
2	Toledo	125 (7)
3	Western Michigan	87 (1)
4	Eastern Michigan	67
5	Central Michigan	58 (1)
6	Ball State	34

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	2:30 p.m.	at Iowa*	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 7–33	67,510
September 8	6:30 p.m.	Utah*	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPNews	L 6–17	16,762
September 15	2:30 p.m.	Central Michigan	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	W 24–16	12,354
September 22	3:30 p.m.	at Florida State*	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPNU	L 19–37	65,633
September 29	5:00 p.m.	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN+	W 26–23 ^3OT	14,779
October 6	3:00 p.m.	at Ball State	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN (Bronze Stalk Trophy)	ESPN3	W 24–16	7,159
October 13	2:30 p.m.	Ohio	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	W 24–21	12,138
October 27	2:30 p.m.	at BYU*	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	ESPNU	W 7–6	51,084
November 1	6:00 p.m.	at Akron	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH	CBSSN	W 36–26	16,401
November 7	7:00 p.m.	Toledo	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN2	W 38–15	5,887
November 14	7:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	L 7–13	4,878
November 20	6:00 p.m.	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	L 21–28	18,278
November 30	6:00 p.m.	vs. Buffalo	Ford Field Detroit, MI (MAC Championship Game)	ESPN2	W 30–29	10,255
December 18	6:00 p.m.	vs. UAB*	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl)	ESPN	L 13–37	22,614
*Non-conference game All times are in Central time

^[9]^[10]

Game summaries

At Iowa

Northern Illinois at Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Northern Illinois	0	0	0	7	7
• Iowa	0	3	14	16	33

Date: September 1, 2018
Location:
Kinnick Stadium
Iowa City, IA
Game start: 2:40 pm
Elapsed time: 3:11
Game attendance: 67,510
Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), Wind: 5-10 MPH SSW, Overcast
Referee: Jeff Servinski
TV announcers (BTN): Joe Beninati (Play-by-Play), Chuck Long (Analyst)

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
1–8	August 31, 2013	NIU, 30–27

Utah

Utah at Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Utah	0	0	7	10	17
Northern Illinois	3	0	0	3	6

Date: September 8, 2018
Location:
Huskie Stadium
DeKalb, IL
Game attendance: 16,762
TV announcers (ESPNews): Bill Roth (Play-by-Play), Mike Golic Jr. (Analyst)

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
First meeting

Central Michigan

Central Michigan at Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Michigan	0	3	7	6	16
• Northern Illinois	0	14	7	3	24

Location: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
Game attendance: 12,354

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
15–17	November 24, 2017	CMU, 31–24

At Florida State

Northern Illinois at Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Northern Illinois	0	7	6	6	19
• Florida State	14	6	3	14	37

Date: September 22, 2018
Location:
Doak Campbell Stadium
Tallahassee, FL
Game attendance: 65,633

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
0–1	January 1, 2013	FSU, 31–10

At Eastern Michigan

Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	3OT	Total
• Northern Illinois	3	10	0	0	7	0	6	26
Eastern Michigan	10	0	0	3	7	0	3	23

Location: Rynearson Stadium, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Game attendance: 14,779

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
24–5–2	October 26, 2017	NIU, 30–27

At Ball State

Northern Illinois at Ball State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Northern Illinois	7	7	7	3	24
Ball State	0	6	3	7	16

Location: Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, Indiana
Game attendance: 7,159

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
17–18	November 9, 2017	NIU, 63–17

Ohio

Ohio at Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio	0	7	14	0	21
• Northern Illinois	3	6	0	15	24

Location: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
Game attendance: 12,138

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
11–10	November 24, 2015	OHIO, 26–21

At BYU

Northern Illinois at BYU

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Northern Illinois	0	0	7	0	7
BYU	3	0	3	0	6

Date: October 27, 2018
Location:
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Provo, UT
Game attendance: 51,084

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
First meeting

At Akron

Northern Illinois at Akron

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Northern Illinois	7	17	5	7	36
Akron	7	3	16	0	26

Date: November 1, 2018
Location: Info Cision Stadium, Akron, Ohio
Game start: 7:02 pm
Elapsed time: 3:31
Game attendance: 16,401
Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), Wind: 3 MPH ENE, Intermittent Showers
Referee: Amanda S.-Cook

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
8–5	October 12, 2013	NIU, 27–20

Toledo

Toledo at Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Toledo	3	6	0	6	15
• Northern Illinois	7	10	14	7	38

Date: November 7, 2018
Location: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
Game start: 7:05 pm
Elapsed time: 3:15
Game attendance: 5,887
Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), Wind: 6 MPH NNW, Intermittent Showers
Referee: Ron Hudson
Television network: ESPN2

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
14–30	November 2, 2017	TOL, 27–17

Miami (OH)

Miami at Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Miami	0	3	10	0	13
Northern Illinois	0	0	7	0	7

Location: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
Game start: 7:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 4,878
Television network: ESPNU

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
9–8	October 17, 2015	NIU, 45–12

At Western Michigan

Northern Illinois at Western Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Northern Illinois	7	0	14	0	21
• Western Michigan	7	6	8	7	28

Location: Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Game start: 6:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 18,278
Television network: ESPNU

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
19–23	November 15, 2018	NIU, 35–31

vs Buffalo (MAC Championship Game)

Northern Illinois vs Buffalo
(MAC Championship Game)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Northern Illinois	0	10	7	13	30
Buffalo	7	15	7	0	29

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Game start: 6:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 10,255
Television network: ESPN2

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
11–1	October 14, 2017	NIU, 14–13

vs UAB (Boca Raton Bowl)

UAB vs. Northern Illinois
(Boca Raton Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• UAB	10	17	10	0	37
Northern Illinois	7	3	3	0	13

Date: December 18, 2018
Location: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Game start: 7:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 22,614
Television network: ESPN

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
First Meeting

Coaching staff

Name	Title	Years at NIU
Rod Carey	Head coach	8
Jeff Knowles	Def. Coord./lb coach	6
Mike Uremovich	Off. Coord./Asst. Head Coach/TE/fb coach	3
Steve Crutchley	WR Coach	2
Craig Harmon	QB Coach	7
Melvin Rice	CB Coach	4
Joe Tripodi	OL Coach/Run Game Coord.	9
Walter Stewart	DL Coach	1
Tyler Yelk	Safeties Coach	1
Jake Landry	RB Coach	1
Dan Sabock	Special Teams Coord.	1

^[11]

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL team
2	55	Max Scharping	Offensive tackle	Houston Texans
6	175	Sutton Smith	Linebacker	Pittsburgh Steelers

References

^ "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
^ "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
^ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club". Maxwell Football Club. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
^ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
^ "2018 Outland Trophy Watch List Unveiled". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
^ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Preseason Watch List - 2018 edition of the Ted Hendricks Award" (PDF). August 14, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
^ "NIU & Ohio Picked as Divisional Winners in 2018 MAC Football Media Preseason Poll".
^ "2018 NIU Huskies Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
^ "NIU Football Set for Five-Game Home Schedule in 2018 - Northern Illinois University". NIU Athletics. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
^ "NIU Football Coaching Staff Set for 2018 - Northern Illinois University". NIU Athletics. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

[1] "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

[2] "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.

[3] "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club". Maxwell Football Club. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

[4] "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[5] "2018 Outland Trophy Watch List Unveiled". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[6] "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.

[7] "Preseason Watch List - 2018 edition of the Ted Hendricks Award" (PDF). August 14, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.

[8] "NIU & Ohio Picked as Divisional Winners in 2018 MAC Football Media Preseason Poll".

[9] "2018 NIU Huskies Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

[10] "NIU Football Set for Five-Game Home Schedule in 2018 - Northern Illinois University". NIU Athletics. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

[11] "NIU Football Coaching Staff Set for 2018 - Northern Illinois University". NIU Athletics. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

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v t e Northern Illinois Huskies football
Venues	Glidden Field (1903–1948, 1951–1965) Dekalb Township High School football field (1949–1950) Huskie Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Ball State: Bronze Stalk Trophy
Culture & lore	"Huskie Fight Song" Huskie Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold