Pugh: Hopefully NIU ‘back to what we’re traditionally known for, and that’s winning football games’

Kyle Pugh said he has very simple expectations for the Northern Illinois University’s football team this season.

“To win,” the seventh-year senior said after the team wrapped up its first day of spring practices Friday.

It was the first spring workout for the team in two years because of COVID-19. The Huskies did play an abbreviated 2020 season, going 0-6 under second-year head coach Thomas Hammock.

Because of the shortened season, the NCAA did not count last season toward a player’s eligibility. So Pugh returns for his seventh year with the team.

“The only thing I expect from this team right now is to take that everyday mentality and get better,” Pugh said. “I think we’ll find ourselves flipping the switch hopefully to the point where we’re back to what we’re traditionally known for, and that’s winning football games.”

Pugh said the pieces are fitting together well so far. The Huskies were one of the youngest teams in NCAA Division I football last year, and add a new recruiting class and a couple of transfers.

Hammock said having a seventh-year player like Pugh helps hold all the players to a higher standard.

“He’s a tremendous worker and anytime you’ve got an older guy with good leadership qualities, it gets the rest of the group to match the integrity,” Hammock said. “He is excited. Being around the youth has energized him. When you see a bunch of young guys running and getting to the ball it makes you want to get to the ball. We all benefit from having Kyle around.”

Hammock said there were some Day 1 standouts for the team. Junior transfer Rocky Lombardi had a good command of the offense, Hammock said, and freshman Ethan Hampton was throwing the ball well.

He also said senior transfer Clint Ratkovich, listed as a running back but able to play anywhere on the offense, already has proved valuable.

Hammock said a pair of first-year true freshmen, 6-4, 270-pound offensive lineman Pete Nygra and 6-2 Canadian cornerback Cyrus McGarrell got a lot of reps Friday.

Heading into spring Hammock said offensive explosiveness was going to be a focal point for NIU, and the Huskies already have made progress toward that.

“I just think you notice our speed now,” Hammock said. “When you got guys, you watch tape, speed shows up on tape. Anytime you’ve got speed at the wide receiver position and the quarterback gets them the ball, good things happen.”

True freshman Trayvon Rudolph proved himself to be very explosive last year for NIU, and Tyrice Richie emerged as one of the top receivers in the league. With quarterback Ross Bowers having graduated, there will be a new quarterback. It may be Lombardi, a transfer from Michigan State, Hampton, who graduated early from Aurora Christian, Rodney Thompson or Dustin Fletcher, both of who saw limited action last year.

Right now, Hammock said everything is about developing chemistry.

“We’re in the infancy stages with that right now between the quarterbacks and wide receivers,” Hammock said. “We talked a lot today about accuracy, throwing to a window to allow guys to make an explosive play. Six inches can be the difference between giving a guy a chance to make a catch and advancing the football.”