A little cooler than yesterday, thanks to strong breeze and cloudy skies, but still warm, the Huskies practiced for two-plus hours, adding shoulder pads to their practice kit for the first time this fall as the build up to full pads continues. NIU head coach Thomas Hammock was pleased with what he saw for his squad.
"The pads come on and it's another step in the process," Hammock said. "We turned up the level of intensity, turned up the physicality. I think there were plays on both sides of the ball. I think the big thing is, what we keep harping on is we got we're going to be as tough as we're going to be. Iron sharpens iron for us and so we got to continue to work. We have to continue to compete. They have to continue to study. We put more information in the playbook and they have to be able to process that and adjust and be ready to execute."
Sophomore safety Joshua Earl was in the red POTD (Player of the Day) jersey on Sunday for his performance in Saturday's practice. Earl is part of a talented, deep, young but experienced safety group for the Huskies.
"We're probably the youngest, old secondary in the country because we have experience across the board," NIU defensive coordinator and safeties coach Derrick Jackson said. "We have four guys that have played extensively.
"What's fun about it is, and I tell them every practice, is the level of expectation is as high as if we have vets back there because these guys have played really a full season, for the most part. They played enough football to know what they have to do. They have a spring under their belt, which we missed [last year]. So, it's been fun just to see like how fast they've come along."
Two guys that made an impact in their first year of college football were freshmen Devin Lafayette and Jordan Hansen. Lafayette was second on the team in tackles last year with 36 and tallied an interception, while Hansen led the team in interceptions with an INT in the first game of the season against Buffalo and his second against Toledo.
In fact, the Huskie defense tallied three more interceptions, five in six games, than they did in 12 games the year before. It's a trend Jackson would like to see continued in 2021.
"We talked about wanting to be one of the best turnover or take away teams in the country," Jackson said. "We are going to emphasize that, no different than tackling and no different than we do our disguise. If we can take the ball away, we could eliminate big plays."
One way Jackson feels the Huskies can eliminate big plays is by tackling. It was something NIU did not do a good enough job on, in Jackson's opinion, last season, and something he takes personal responsibility for.
"I did a poor job, because the film is a reflection of me, and we did not tackle at a level necessary for us to have a chance to be successful," he said. "I don't think that was a function of being young. I don't think it's a function of being strong. I think it was a function of understanding that every play to us is a chance for it to be an explosive play. The explosive plays we gave up our first year typically were not touchdowns. Year two, it was explosive touchdowns and when explosive touchdowns get scored you have no chance to be successful no matter how many great snaps you play, so then there's no consistency. So we're really focused on everyday working some aspects of tackling even if it's not taking someone to the ground."
A big difference from the start of last season to the beginning of this year that Jackson feels will help in tackling and being more physical is the size of his players.
"We probably don't have a safety under maybe 190 pounds or at least hovering there, which physically we're big enough that guys can play every snap, can play with physicality and can play with confidence because of that," Jackson said.
While size has its advantages, the Huskie DC also knows the mental game is equally important. Being able to understand schemes, coverage concepts and communication.
"I do think that's an area, as young guys, that we failed in," he said. "That's as much my fault more so than theirs of just how we have to be so deliberate and so focused on notes and the nuances, backfield sets, tight end alignments, splits of offensive lineman and or receivers, personnel groups, down and distance. All these are information pieces that I think, in totality, our guys couldn't gather [last year]. What I think we've seen from then now is like they understand why down and distance matters."
The Huskies return to the practice field Monday morning for the fourth practice of fall camp.
NIU opens the season at Georgia Tech on September 4 before welcoming fans back to the stands at full capacity in Huskie Stadium beginning with the home opener versus Wyoming on September 11. Kickoff for the game is at 12:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will honor First Responders and Health Care Heroes, while also serving as a Welcome Back Fans celebration.
Season tickets for NIU's complete six-game home schedule remain on sale with season ticket prices as low as $85. Purchase a minimum of four tickets for all six games via the Family Pack for just $90 per ticket (in sections B and F) or $66 per ticket (in sections A and G). Three-game or four-game mini-plans are also available with Mission's 3-Game Mini-Plan priced at $79 (including processing), while Victor E.'s 4-Game Mini-Plan is $107.
To see all the ticket options and prices, and for more information on premium seating, see the Football Ticket Page at NIUHuskies.com. To purchase tickets, call 815-753-PACK (7225) or go to NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies.
-NIU-
"football" - Google News
August 09, 2021 at 02:32AM
https://ift.tt/3xsCqzz
NIU FOOTBALL POSITION PREVIEW: SAFETIES - Northern Illinois University Athletics
"football" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ST7s35
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NIU FOOTBALL POSITION PREVIEW: SAFETIES - Northern Illinois University Athletics"
Posting Komentar