Context is always important when evaluating opponents for the next week. The Northern Illinois Huskies are coming off of a 54-15 victory over FCS for Western Illinois, who isn’t a very good team on that level. Northern Illinois was impressive, but they should have been against that type of team.
What is going to be somewhat concerning for Notre Dame heading into their matchup, is that this Husky squad has some legitimate weapons on the offensive side of the football. They also have a good scheme that accentuates those strengths. If you aren’t careful, this team could present some problems to defensive coordinator Al Golden when they have the football.
- The best player On the Northern Illinois offense by far is star running back Antario Brown. The 221-pound ball carrier was tremendous in 2023, rushing for 1,296 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Brown is a downhill runner, but has surprising juice to the perimeter. If you’re a gap short, the senior is going to make you play. He majors in singles and doubles, but Brown is also good for the occasional home run as well.
- When it comes to the skill positions, the other big threat for the Huskies outside of Brown is wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph. During the team’s 54 to 15 victory over Western Illinois, Rudolph was a big play waiting to happen. That included hauling in four receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. Rudolph also had another long score off of a jet sweep. He is an extremely smooth player whose speed can take you off guard at times, going for 171 yards and two touchdowns during that opener on only six touches.
- While Rudolph is the small space player, Northern Illinois also has a very intriguing pass game weapon in hybrid tight end Grayson Barnes. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, Barnes is technically listed as a tight end but is more of a wide receiver in the Husky system. His straight line speed and catch radius pops immediately, leading to five receptions for 95 and a touchdown in that first game. Barnes will be an interesting matchup for safeties Xavier Watts and Adon Shuler.
- At quarterback, Ethan Hampton showed a lot of potential in the season opener. A rhythm-based passer, he completed 18 of 20 passes for 328 yards and five touchdowns. Not only was he efficient, but Hampton also made a lot of big plays. The 6-3, 216-pound signal caller doesn’t have a great arm, but the ball does come out quickly. Hampton is also a solid athlete, showing that a defense will need to account for him. He only ran the ball once in the first game, but Hampton showcased good wheels to create and is comfortable moving the pocket as well.
- The Husky offensive line is pretty big all the way across. That line consists of left tackle Evan Malcore (6-6, 298 pounds), left guard JJ Lippe (6-5, 311 pounds, center Logan Zshernitz (6-3, 305 pounds), right guard John Champe (6-4, 321 pounds), and right tackle Evan Buss (6-6, 312 pounds). That is a really good sized offensive line, especially for the MAC level. It isn’t an incredibly impressive group based on talent, but the unit does play well together.
- I have no idea who offensive coordinator Wesley Beschomer is, but his offense is quite creative. There is a lot of pre snap movement, and he clearly makes it a priority to get his best players the ball in as much space as possible. The run game is pretty diverse but the passing game is what is the most impressive part. Beschomer is a big fan of levels concepts, and he will create it from varying alignments, making things similar but appear different from those varying alignments. You are going to have to be disciplined against this offense.
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