2016 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

The 2016 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Rod Carey. They played their home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois. They finished the season 5–7, 5–3 in MAC play to finish in third place in the West Division.

2016 Northern Illinois Huskies football
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
2016 record5–7 (5–3 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Uremovich (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorKevin Kane (1st season)
Home stadiumHuskie Stadium
(Capacity: 23,595)
2016 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
Ohio xy  6 –2     8 –6  
Miami x  6 –2     6 –7  
Akron  3 –5     5 –7  
Bowling Green  3 –5     4 –8  
Kent State  2 –6     3 –9  
Buffalo  1 –7     2 –10  
West Division
No. 15 Western Michigan xy$  8 –0     13 –1  
Toledo  6 –2     9 –4  
Northern Illinois  5 –3     5 –7  
Eastern Michigan  4 –4     7 –6  
Central Michigan  3 –5     6 –7  
Ball State  1 –7     4 –8  
Championship: Western Michigan 29, Ohio 23
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Huskies finished the 2015 season 8–6, 6–2 in MAC play to finish in a four-way tie for the West Division title. They represented the West Division in the MAC Championship Game where they lost to Bowling Green.[1] They were invited to the Poinsettia Bowl where they lost to Boise State.[2]

Preseason

For the second straight year, the Huskies were picked to finish third in the division in 2016 in the poll released during the 2016 MAC Media Day at Ford Field in Detroit.[3]

Schedule

The 2016 Northern Illinois Huskies schedule is:[4][5]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 39:30 p.m.at Wyoming*
CBSSNL 34–40 3OT18,483
September 106:30 p.m.at South Florida*
CBSSNL 17–4836,557
September 172:30 p.m.San Diego State*
CBSSNL 28–4214,513
September 242:30 p.m.No. 13 (FCS) Western Illinois*
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
ESPN3L 23–2815,496
October 12:30 p.m.at Ball State
ASNW 31–247,249
October 85:30 p.m.at Western Michigan
CBSSNL 30–4528,042
October 152:30 p.m.Central Michigan
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
ESPN3L 28–34 3OT8,495
October 222:30 p.m.Buffalo
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
ESPN3W 44–711,801
November 17:00 p.m.Bowling Green
  • Huskie Stadium
  • DeKalb, IL
ESPNUW 45–204,790
November 97:00 p.m.vs. Toledo
ESPN2L 24–3110,180
November 167:00 p.m.at Eastern Michigan
ESPNUW 31–24 OT15,603
November 2511:00 a.m.at Kent State
CBSSNW 31–214,450

Post Season Awards

All-MAC
TeamPlayerPositionYear
1st Max Scharping OL SO
Kenny Golladay WR SR
Aregeros Turner Return Spec. SR
2nd Levon Myers OL SR
Joel Bouagnon RB SR
Shawun Lurry DB JR

Source[7]

Game summaries

Wyoming
NIU at Wyoming
1 234OT2OT3OTTotal
NIU 7 677070 34
• Wyoming 3 10140076 40
  • Date: September 3, 2016
  • Location:
    War Memorial Stadium
    Laramie, WY
  • Game start: 10:20 PM
  • Elapsed time: 4:14
  • Game attendance: 18,483
  • Game weather: Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind: SSE 10 mph • Weather: Mostly cloudy
  • Referee: Kevin Hassell
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Dwayne Ballen (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analyst), Cassie McKinney (sideline)
See also: 2016 Wyoming Cowboys football team

The Cowboys beat the Huskies in triple overtime, 40–34. NIU quarterback Drew Hare went 24-for-39 for 327 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Receiver Kenny Golladay gained 144 yards on 10 catches with one touchdown and got 82 yards and another touchdown rushing. However, the Huskies had 12 penalties for 108 yards. The game was scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time, but began almost two hours late due to lightning. The game ended at 2:35 a.m. MT, which was 3:35 a.m. for NIU fans back in Illinois.[8][9]

South Florida
NIU at South Florida
1 234Total
NIU 0 7010 17
• South Florida 14 13147 48
  • Date: September 10, 2016
  • Location:
    Raymond James Stadium
    Tampa, FL
  • Game start: 7:08 PM ET
  • Elapsed time: 3:35
  • Game attendance: 36,557
  • Game weather: Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: E 5 mph • Weather: Mostly cloudy
  • Referee: Tom Stapleton
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Dwayne Ballen (play-by-play), Corey Chavous (analyst)
See also: 2016 South Florida Bulls football team

San Diego State
San Diego State at NIU
1 234Total
• San Diego State 14 14014 42
NIU 0 7147 28
  • Date: September 17, 2016
  • Location:
    Huskie Stadium
    DeKalb, IL
  • Game start: 2:37 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:40
  • Game attendance: 14,513
  • Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: W 15 mph • Weather: Partly sunny
  • Referee: Scott Campbell
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Ben Holden (play-by-play), Jay Feely (analyst)
See also: 2016 San Diego State Aztecs football team

Western Illinois
Western Illinois at NIU
1 234Total
• Western Illinois 14 0140 28
NIU 0 7016 23
  • Date: September 24, 2016
  • Location:
    Huskie Stadium
    DeKalb, IL
  • Game start: 2:30 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:24
  • Game attendance: 15,496
  • Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: E 9 mph • Weather: Cloudy
  • Referee: Ron Hudson
  • Television network: ESPN3
See also: 2016 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

Ball State
NIU at Ball State
Bronze Stalk Trophy
1 234Total
• NIU 10 1407 31
Ball State 10 707 24
  • Date: October 1, 2016
  • Location:
    Scheumann Stadium
    Muncie, IN
  • Game start: 3:36 PM EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:21
  • Game attendance: 7,249
  • Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind: WSW 8 mph • Weather: Overcast with showers
  • Referee: Timothy O'Dey
  • Television network: ASN/ESPN3
See also: 2016 Ball State Cardinals football team and Bronze Stalk Trophy

Western Michigan
NIU at Western Michigan
1 234Total
NIU 0 1767 30
• Western Michigan 14 71014 45
  • Date: October 8, 2016
  • Location:
    Waldo Stadium
    Kalamazoo, MI
  • Game start: 6:35 PM EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:41
  • Game attendance: 28,042
  • Game weather: Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: 10 mph • Weather: Clear
  • Referee: Larry Smith
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Ben Holden (play-by-play), Jay Feely (analyst)
See also: 2016 Western Michigan Broncos football team

Central Michigan
Central Michigan at NIU
1 234OT2OT3OTTotal
• Central Michigan 0 1407076 34
NIU 0 777070 28
  • Date: October 15, 2016
  • Location:
    Huskie Stadium
    DeKalb, IL
  • Game start: 2:30 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:33
  • Game attendance: 8,495
  • Game weather: Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: S 20 mph • Weather: Cloudy
  • Referee: Ron Hudson
  • Television network: ESPN3
See also: 2016 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

Buffalo
Buffalo at NIU
1 234Total
Buffalo 0 700 7
• NIU 10 2077 44
  • Date: October 22, 2016
  • Location:
    Huskie Stadium
    DeKalb, IL
  • Game start: 2:30 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:12
  • Game attendance: 11,801
  • Game weather: Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: S 14 mph • Weather: Mostly cloudy
  • Referee: Greg Sujack
  • Television network: ESPN3
See also: 2016 Buffalo Bulls football team

Bowling Green
Bowling Green at NIU
1 234Total
Bowling Green 7 670 20
• NIU 14 10147 45
  • Date: November 1, 2016
  • Location:
    Huskie Stadium
    DeKalb, IL
  • Game start: 7:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:31
  • Game attendance: 4,790
  • Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: SSW 5 mph • Weather: Clear
  • Referee: Mark Kluczynski
  • Television network: ESPNU
See also: 2016 Bowling Green Falcons football team

Toledo
Toledo at NIU
1 234Total
• Toledo 0 31414 31
NIU 7 773 24
  • Date: November 9, 2016
  • Location:
    Guaranteed Rate Field
    Chicago, IL
  • Game start: 7:00 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:39
  • Game attendance: 10,180
  • Game weather: Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: W 5 mph • Weather: Clear
  • Referee: Larry Smith
  • Television network: ESPN2
See also: 2016 Toledo Rockets football team

The Huskies lost to the Rockets 31–24. The loss eliminated Northern Illinois from bowl game eligibility, ending their conference-record streak of eight straight bowl games. NIU had beaten Toledo in their six previous matchups. This was the first football game ever played at Guaranteed Rate Field, the recently-renamed stadium of the Chicago White Sox.[10]

Eastern Michigan
NIU at Eastern Michigan
1 234OTTotal
• NIU 0 01777 31
Eastern Michigan 14 7030 24
  • Date: November 16, 2016
  • Location:
    Rynearson Stadium
    Ypsilanti, MI
  • Game start: 7:02 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:54
  • Game attendance: 15,603
  • Game weather: 46 F Wind: N 5 MPH, Weather: Clear
  • Referee: Ron Hudson
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Craig Haubert (analyst)
See also: 2016 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

Kent State
NIU at Kent State
1 234Total
• NIU 7 01014 31
Kent State 0 777 21
 
See also: 2016 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

References
  1. "Bowling Green blasts Northern Illinois to win MAC title". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  2. "Boise State vs. Northern Illinois - Game Recap - December 23, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  3. "Huskies Third in MAC Preseason Poll - The Official Website of Northern Illinois Athletics". niuhuskies.com. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  4. "NIU 2016 Football Schedule Set". The Northern Illinois Official Athletic Site. February 22, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  5. "2016 Northern Illinois Huskies Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  6. "2016 NIU-Toledo Game to be played at U.S. Cellular Field". FB Schedules. February 17, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  7. "MAC Announces 2016 All-MAC Teams and Postseason Awards". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  8. Helfgot, Mike (September 4, 2016). "NIU Comes Up Empty after Lightning Delay, 3 OTs, 3:35 a.m. Finish". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  9. Severson, Jesse (September 5, 2016). "NIU Football: 'Too Many Mistakes' Doom Huskies in 3OT Loss at Wyoming". Daily Chronicle. DeKalb. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  10. Helfgot, Mike (November 9, 2016). "Northern Illinois Out of Bowl Contention after Loss to Toledo at Sox Park". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
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