2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

The 2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They were led by head coach Jerry Kill in his third season at NIU. The Huskies finished the season 11–3, 8–0 in MAC play to win the West Division Title, but lost to Miami (OH) in the MAC Championship Game. They were invited to the Humanitarian Bowl where they defeated Fresno State 40–17.

2010 Northern Illinois Huskies football
MAC West Division champion
Humanitarian Bowl champion
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest
2010 record11–3 (8–0 MAC)
Head coachJerry Kill (10–3)
Tom Matukewicz (1–0)
Home stadiumHuskie Stadium (Capacity: 24,000)[1]
2010 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
Miami x$  7 –1     10 –4  
Ohio  6 –2     8 –5  
Temple  5 –3     8 –4  
Kent State  4 –4     5 –7  
Bowling Green  1 –7     2 –10  
Buffalo  1 –7     2 –10  
Akron  1 –7     1 –11  
West Division
Northern Illinois x  8 –0     11 –3  
Toledo  7 –1     8 –5  
Western Michigan  5 –3     6 –6  
Ball State  3 –5     4 –8  
Central Michigan  2 –6     3 –9  
Eastern Michigan  2 –6     2 –10  
Championship: Miami 26, Northern Illinois 21
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions

Following the MAC Championship game, head coach Jerry Kill resigned to accept the head coaching position at Minnesota. Kill did not coach in the bowl game. Tom Matukewicz coached the Huskies as interim head coach for the bowl game.[2]

The season marked the Huskies third consecutive trip to a bowl game and their first bowl game win since 2004.

Preseason
  • NIU was considered the favorite in the Pre-season Poll to win the West Division for the MAC.

Recruiting
  • Recruited Jasmin Hopkins from Fort Scott Community College where he rushed for 1,931 yards on 300 carries and recorded 18 touchdowns in his Sophomore campaign.[3]

Notable Returning Players
  • #28- (Sr.) RB Chad Spann First team all MAC in 2009 (T-5 in NCAA with 19 touchdowns in 2009)
  • #54- (Sr.) DE Jake Coffman 2nd Team all MAC in 2009
  • #20- (So.) DB Tommy Davis 3rd Team all MAC in 2009 as a Punt Return Specialist

Post Season Awards

Award Watch Lists
AwardPlayerYear
Doak Walker Award[4] (Outstanding Running Back) Chad Spann Sr.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award [5] (Outstanding Senior NCAA Division I Student-Athlete) Jake Coffman Sr.

All MAC
TeamPlayerPositionYear
1st Chandler Harnish QB JR.
1st Scott Wedige C JR.
1st Trevor Olson OT JR.
1st Chad Spann TB SR.
1st Sean Progar DE SO.
1st Chris Smith CB SR.
2nd Joe Pawlak OL JR.
2nd Jake Coffman DE SR.
3rd Jason Schepler TE JR.
3rd Landon Cox WR SR.
3rd Alex Kube LB SR.
3rd Devon Butler LB SO.
3rd Tommy Davis KR SO.

[6][7]

Schedule
  • Average Home Attendance: 17,760 (59.1%)
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 27:00 p.m.at Iowa State*
CSNCL 10–2743,116[8]
September 116:00 p.m.North Dakota*
W 23–1718,046[9]
September 1811:00 a.m.at Illinois*
BTNL 22–2850,569[10]
September 257:30 p.m.at Minnesota*
BTNW 34–2349,368[11]
October 25:00 p.m.at Akron
W 50–1412,133[12]
October 911:00 a.m.Temple
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
ESPN+W 31–1714,011[13]
October 162:30 p.m.Buffalo
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
W 45–1421,230[14]
October 233:05 p.m.Central Michigan
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
CSNC/ESPN3W 33–717,042[15]
October 3011:00 a.m.at Western Michigan
ESPN+W 28–2112,578[16]
November 96:00 p.m.Toledo
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
ESPN2W 65–3018,472[17]
November 2012:00 p.m.at Ball State
W 59–215,524[18]
November 2611:00 a.m.at Eastern Michigan
W 71–35,147[19]
December 37:00 p.m.vs. Miami (OH)No. 24
ESPN2L 21–2612,031[20]
December 184:30 p.m.vs. Fresno State*
ESPNW 40–1725,449[21]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

Scores by quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
NIU 103 148 114 127 492
Opponents 51 86 61 50 248
See also: 2010 Mid-American Conference football season

Source:[22]

Rankings
See also: 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=receiving votes.
PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Final
AP - - - - - - - - RV RV RV RV RV 24 RV RV
Coaches RV - - - - - - - RV RV RV RV RV 23 RV RV
Harris Not released - - - RV RV RV 24 RV
BCS Not released - - - - - - 25 -

Regular season

Iowa State
See also: 2010 Iowa State Cyclones football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Huskies 0 0 3 7 10
Cyclones 7 10 0 10 27
Overall Record Last Meeting Result
1-2 2004 ISU, 48-41

Despite being without the services of starting QB Chandler Harnish, the Huskies pulled within a touchdown midway through the 4th quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by backup signal caller DeMarcus Grady. But an Iowa State touchdown drive immediately thereafter put the game away for the Cyclones.

North Dakota
1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Sioux 0 7 7 3 17
Huskies 13 3 0 7 23
Overall Record Last Meeting Result
0-1 1965 ND, 37-20
  • Hours after the 23-17 win against North Dakota, Coach Jerry Kill was hospitalized for dehydration. He would be released and return to coach the Huskies against Illinois the following week.[23]

Illinois
See also: 2010 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Huskies 12 0 0 10 22
Fighting Illini 7 11 0 10 28
Overall Record Last Meeting Result
0-3 2001 U of I, 17-12

The Huskie defense was scorched on the ground, allowing 319 rushing yards to the Fighting Illini, and NIU star tailback Chad Spann was held to only 15 yards on 13 carries. QB Chandler Harnish had a strong performance, but lost a fumble in Illinois territory in the 4th quarter that proved to be costly.

  • P-Josh Wilber was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Special Teams Player of the Week. Wilber Averaged 49.0 yards on five punts, with 3 punt's over 50 yards.[24]

Minnesota
See also: 2010 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Huskies 7 13 0 14 34
Golden Gophers 3 10 3 7 23
Overall Record Last Meeting Result
0-2 2008 MINN, 31-27

The win was the third over a Big Ten school in the history of the program, and the second in as many years.

Akron
See also: 2010 Akron Zips football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Huskies 6 23 14 7 50
Zips 7 0 7 0 14
Overall Record Last Meeting Result
6-5 2009 NIU, 27-10
  • QB-Chandler Harnish was named Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week. Harnish completed 16-of-20 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of action while leading the Huskies to a 50-14 victory at Akron.[26]

Temple
See also: 2010 Temple Owls football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Owls 7 10 0 0 17
Huskies 7 10 7 7 31
Overall Record Last Meeting Result
3-2-1 2007 TEM, 16-15

    In a matchup of preseason MAC favorites, the Huskies took over in the second half thanks in large part to a dominant and balanced offensive performance that wore the Owls down on a warm day in DeKalb.

    • QB-Chandler Harnish was named Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week. Harnish accounted for 282 yards of total offense with 211 yards passing and 71 rushing in NIU's 31-17 victory over Temple.[27]

    Buffalo
    See also: 2010 Buffalo Bulls football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Bulls 0 14 0 0 14
    Huskies 0 21 10 14 45
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    5-1 2006 NIU, 31-13
    • S-Jimmie Ward was named Mid-American Conference West Division Special Teams Player of the Week. The Freshman from Mobile, Alabama recorded his second blocked punt of the season in a 45-14 win over Buffalo.[28]

    Central Michigan
    See also: 2010 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Chippewas 0 7 0 0 7
    Huskies 3 6 14 10 33
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    12-12 2009 CMU, 45-31

    NIU continues its 2nd-half dominance against MAC foes, not allowing a point in the 2nd half for the third straight week.

    • LB- Tyrone Clark was named Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week. Clark picked off two passes in NIU's 33-7 win over Central Michigan. Clark’s two interceptions came in the second quarter, both coming off of tipped balls.[29]

    Western Michigan
    See also: 2010 Western Michigan Broncos football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Huskies 0 13 7 8 28
    Broncos 7 7 0 7 21
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    12-22 2009 NIU, 38-3

    Quarterback Chandler Harnish found Willie Clark with a 21-yard TD pass with 3:42 to play to lift the Huskies (7-2, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) to their six straight victory, their longest winning streak since 2004.

    • DE- Jake Coffman was named Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week. Coffman came down with a win-clinching interception during the Huskies' 28-21 victory at Western Michigan. Coffman also had four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack.[30]

    Toledo
    See also: 2010 Toledo Rockets football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Rockets 0 0 23 7 30
    Huskies 7 21 28 9 65
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    8-28 2009 TOL, 20-19

    Toledo could not hold on against NIU's offense as the Huskies dominated the Rockets with Chad Spann scoring 3 touchdowns and Chandler Harnish going 11-of-16 for 162 yards. The Huskies (8-2, 6-0 Mid-American) now have a 7-game winning streak and are edging closer to the MAC championship.

    • QB-Chandler Harnish was named Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. He went 11-of-16 for 162 yards and rushed for 149 yards as well as scoring a touchdown on a 28-yard run.[31]

    Ball State
    See also: 2010 Ball State Cardinals football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Huskies 14 21 10 14 59
    Cardinals 0 7 14 0 21
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    13-19-1 2009 NIU, 26-20

    While winning its eighth straight game and clinching the Mid-American Conference West Division title, the NIU Huskies excelled on offense, defense and special teams en route to a 59-21 victory.

    • LB- Jordan Delegal was named Mid-American Conference West Division Special Teams Player of the Week. Delegal blocked two punts in a 59-21 win at Ball State and the Huskies set a school record with three blocked punts in the game.[32]

    Eastern Michigan
    See also: 2010 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Huskies 20 17 21 13 71
    Eagles 0 3 0 0 3
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    16-5-2 2009 NIU, 50-6

    The Huskies had 654 yards on 46 plays, rushing for 552 yards, with most of the starters on the sideline for the second half. The Huskies (10-2, 8-0 MAC) swept MAC play for the first time in school history and will play Miami (8-4, 7-1) in the MAC Championship. It was the 5th most points scored by the Huskies in school History.

    • DE- Jake Coffman was named Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week. Coffman finished with five solo tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble as he led the way for NIU 71-3 win at Eastern Michigan.[33]

    MAC Championship: Miami (OH)
    See also: 2010 Miami RedHawks football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    RedHawks 13 0 7 6 26
    #25 Huskies 14 0 0 7 21
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    7-7 2009 NIU 27-22

    Armand Robinson caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Austin Boucher with 33 seconds remaining, lifting Miami to a stunning 26-21 upset of No. 25 NIU in the 2010 Marathon MAC Championship Game at Ford Field. The win marked the second time the RedHawks had won the league title game and completed a worst-to-first league finish.

    2010 uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: Fresno State
    See also: 2010 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
    1 2 3 4 Total
    Bulldogs 7 3 0 7 17
    Huskies 6 17 10 7 40
    Overall Record Last Meeting Result
    2-2 1991 Fresno 55-7

    References
    1. "2010 Northern Illinois Football Media Guide" (PDF). Northern Illinois University. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
    2. http://today.niu.edu/2010/12/07/12132/
    3. http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hopkins_jasmin00.html
    4. http://www.ncfaa.org/10watchlists.pdf
    5. http://www.seniorclassaward.com/athletes/jake_coffman/
    6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-21. Retrieved 2011-10-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    7. https://web.archive.org/web/20101228121733/http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/niu-m-footbl-mtt.html
    8. "Iowa State Cyclones vs. NIU Huskies Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
    9. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302542459
    10. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302610356
    11. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302680135
    12. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302752006
    13. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302822459
    14. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302892459
    15. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302962459
    16. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303032711
    17. http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2010-2011/11-09-10.html
    18. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303242050
    19. http://www.comcast.net/sports/cfb/games/2010/13/CFB201011260051/boxscore/
    20. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303370193
    21. "NIU Huskies vs. Fresno State Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
    22. http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090209aaa.html
    23. http://www.huskiewire.com/blogs/entries/2010/09/12/78848211/index.xml
    24. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-09-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    25. http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2010/09/27/95561719/index.xml
    26. http://www.mac-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=9400&ATCLID=205006421
    27. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-11-11. Retrieved 2010-10-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    28. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-10-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    29. http://www.footballreportersonline.com/?p=4239
    30. http://www.huskiewire.com/blogs/entries/2010/11/01/77188996/index.xml
    31. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20101115/sports/711169846/
    32. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-11-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    33. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-07-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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