 DE KALB, ILL. - Many sports writers, broadcasters and fans were among those picking Northern Illinois and Temple to square off in this year’s MAC Championship football game. That could still happen, to be sure, but first the two favorites will get a chance to tangle in a regular season contest Saturday in DeKalb. It’s one of those interdivisional matchups that just happens to pit two of the MAC’s best against each other.
A loss, by itself, wouldn’t eliminate either team from a shot at its respective divisional title. Both teams are 1-0 early in the MAC race. However, any setback would put a little more pressure on that team, and strange things can happen over the course of the season.
Northern Illinois (3-2, 1-0) will benefit from home field advantage. The Huskies are finally back home after playing three on the road. NIU turned two of those trips into wins, dropping Minnesota 34-23 after a loss 28-22 loss at Illinois and finishing with a 50-14 drubbing of Akron.
“It’s good to get back to back wins on the road,” Northern Illinois head coach Jerry Kills said. “I felt like (when) we went to Akron, our kids were focused. … We played for four quarters.”
“Now we play Temple, and I will say (that) athletically, their football team right now is as good as anybody in the conference,” he continued. “I think they’ve proven that with the wins … and (they) could very easily (have) beat Penn State at Penn State. … We’ve worked very hard over the last 48 hours preparing for them.”
In some respects, NIU and Temple resemble each other. Each squad is known for embracing physical play. Both also have a strong running game.
Northern Illinois’s 241 yards per game (6.3 ypc) is a comfortable first in MAC rushing stats. That, in turn, has helped propel the Huskies to a No. 1 ranking in scoring offense (27.8 ppg). Northern Illinois senior Chad Spann leads individual rushers, averaging 108.4 ypg. ( 6.6 ypc.)
Temple, which currently ranks third (MAC) in rushing offense (168.4 ypg) has two players among the league rushing leaders. Sophomore Bernard Pierce is third (85.8 ypg, 5.2 ypc), while classmate Matt Brown is fourth with an average of 76.8 ypg and 5.6 ypc. The latter had a career high 226 yards, along with four touchdowns, on 28 carries as Temple rallied for a 42-35 road win over Army last week.
Brown gives the Owls a more –than-viable option for Pierce, who has been dealing with an ankle injury and could be a game-time decision.
Asked about his concerns with Temple, Kill quickly zeroed in on the Owls running attack.
“Number one, you have to stop the rush,” Kill said. “They’re 6-5, 6-6, 300-pound offensive linemen all the way across the board. So their size and physicalness on offense (is something) we have to match.”
Kill indicated he would like to at least slow down the Owls’ running game enough to “make them throw the ball.” After that, he said, “We can’t give up the big play on play action. We’ve been pretty good at that.”
With both teams playing physical football, Kill believes turnovers could be a factor. “We absolutely cannot turn over the football. That is how they beat teams,” he said. “They’re very good at taking the ball away from you because they’re so strong on defense.”
Both teams entered 2010 with highly-regarded defenses. NIU finished last season No. 1 in total defense (329.9 ypg), while Temple was second (334 ypg). Whether it’s the schedule or other factors, they have statistically slipped to the middle of the pack. Temple is eighth 368 ypg. The Huskies, one spot back, are yielding 370.6 ypg.
“We’ve improved at tackling (and) we’re making less mental errors on defense,” said Kill, who sees progress. “I think some younger guys that are playing are gaining confidence. We’ve improved our pass rush lanes. We’re just not making as many mental errors.”
Neither team is among conference leaders in passing offense, but NIU has a bit of a statistical edge. The Huskies are completing 63.9 percent of their passes for 167.8 yards per contest. Temple, three spots back at No. 11, is connecting on 56.1 percent and averages 142 passing yards per game.
In a close, physical contest, diversity could be a key factor.
“Offensively, we have to have a good mixture to keep them off balance. They have some great defensive football players, but we have to stay on the field,” Kill said. “We have to be able to move the ball and we have to be able to put points on the board.”
“I think (the ability to pass) is definitely a positive for our team, because I think it was something that we’ve lacked the last couple years, being a more run heavy team,” quarterback Chandler Harnish said. “If we can have a balanced attack against Temple, I think we’ll have a great shot to win.”
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