Husky Boys: The CORN NATION Q&A With Northern Illinois

WE ALL KNOW WHAT THIS WEEK IS, DON’T WE, HUSKER NATION??

Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

That’s right, it’s just a perfect week to right the ship against an outmanned, helpless MAC squad without a chance in the world. It’s not as if the last time we played them, they totally upset us as our future NFL draft pick threw more TD passes to them than us, we fired our walking apocalypse of an athletic director and our smiling head coach was put on life support.

Check that - all of those things did happen. And given how NIU played the Utah Utes, it’s all in play again. So what’s the view on the other side of the field? Dave Drury of Hustle Belt was generous enough to answer some of the Corn Nation Staff’s relevant questions.

And of course a few completely irrelevant ones...

---

How many chicks could a guy pull if he walked through downtown DeKalb with a Husky pupper on a leash?

Hell, depending on how cute that Husky pupper was, you could pull me! And, since all Husky pups are freaking adorable, I’m going to say 11 at the very least (10 chicks + myself).

---

So what’s your secret to shocking the world again? And who should we fire this time if it happens?

The secret is simple...it’s plain ol’ #MACtion, and, as we all know, #MACtion is magic!

If by some chance #MACtion should strike twice, don’t get rid of anyone like the AD or Scott Frost. No, instead I say you’d need to get rid of Orah Garst the “Director of Football Creative & Engagement.” I mean, what even is that? Why do you even have that position? Is it really necessary? After the second loss to a MAC squad I bet the fan base gets quite Creative and Engages with the administration a whole lot more than you’ll want them to. (Note: no offense to Orah, I’m sure you’re actually great at your job! I just looked for the most ridiculous title I could find and landed on yours.)

(Editor’s Note: We really have that shit?)

---

Tanner Lee wants to know… has Sutton Smith finally run out of eligibility?

You know, Sutton does still have one year left and he was just cut by the Steelers a few weeks ago...

Maybe he should come back, if for no other reason than to haunt Tanner Lee’s dreams.

---

How has the transition from a dual-threat quarterback in Marcus Childers to pocket passer Ross Bowers meant for the NIU offense?

We’ve since gotten rid of Coach Carey and OC Uremovich (WOO!) and are now working with new coach Thomas Hammock. Hammock has gone to a more pro-style offense so it hasn’t hurt the Huskies too much and, instead, we’ve actually developed a decent passing attack. Bowers, who played a season in the PAC-12 at Cal, has looked pretty solid so far this year and, if things keep going well, the Huskie offense could be harder to handle than you might think.

Photo by Douglas Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

---

Who is the most dangerous player on defense?

On defense linebackers Antonio Jones-Davis and Kyle Pugh are the most dangerous. I’ve started calling them Visa because, like the credit card, “they’re everywhere you want to be” (yes, I know that’s cheesy and dated but I just don’t care). Last season they were the only Huskies to have 100+ tackles and so far this year they’re on pace for more of the same, with 11 tackles and 9 tackles, respectively.

Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

---

What play on offense is the bread and butter identity play that the defense needs to adjust for?

We’ve only gotten to see NIU’s new offense twice so far, so I’m not truly sure we have developed a “bread and butter” identity just yet. After all, we’re still learning what our offense will look like too. But I will say that Bowers has done a great job finding the tight ends (especially Daniel Crawford) on seam routes for big chunks of yardage. Hopefully you don’t adjust for that though.

---

After you beat us two years ago, the University fired then-Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst. So, I feel we owe you a drink. What’s your go-to gameday beverage?

I’m a beer guy through and through, so I’m drinking the best IPA I can find (#beersnob). And there’s no better place to celebrate a Huskie win (or drown out a loss) then at Fatty’s in DeKalb. In fact, their beer list (and potato salad) is so good I’m slowly...ok, quickly, turning into their namesake.

---

And just because none of these columns are complete without it - what’s the final score Saturday and who’s winning it?

The past decade or so I have approached every game with that of “cautious optimism” and that holds true for this game as well. NIU has the talent to compete in every game we’ve been played (we haven’t always utilized it but it’s there). However, I think you guys come out extra fired up against NIU. Not just as a matter of revenge from our win two seasons ago but also to make up for last week’s meltdown against Colorado. I have Nebraska winning 38-27...and that’s me being quite optimistic.