NIU vs. Akron: What watch for in the 2022 season finale for the Huskies

DeKALB – Northern Illinois will host Akron on Saturday to close the season for both teams, with the Huskies looking to end on a win after a 29-23 Mid-American Conference loss to Miami last week.

The Huskies (3-8, 2-5 MAC) were 0 for 9 on third-down conversions last week, dropping their record to 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the conference. Akron (1-9, 0-6) had its game against Buffalo postponed because of the 4 feet of snow that fell in upstate New York. It will be played Dec. 2.

Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+.

About the Zips

Akron enters the game with the second-to-worst scoring offense in the league at 19.5 points per game. The 36.7 points per game they surrender is the worst in the MAC.

The Zips have the worst rushing offense in the league at 82.3 yards per game – the only team in the MAC averaging fewer than 100 ground yards per game. They also are the worst in the league in efficiency against the pass.

They pass the ball well, however. The Zips are second in the league with 283.1 yards per game, and quarterback D.J. Irons is the second-leading passer in the MAC with 2,606 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Shocky Jacques-Louis leads the league in receptions per game and has 65 catches for 800 yards and two scores. Alex Adams has 49 catches or 688 yards and six scores.

3 storylines to watch

1. Special teams look for a bounce-back week

Coach Thomas Hammock said special teams made some costly mistakes. The biggest thing was in the punt return game, where short punts in the air bounced and turned into bad field position for the Huskies. Five times last week they started inside their own 15-yard line. Twice they started from their own 3, and one of those turned into a safety, the first points for Miami.

The situation was exacerbated by the absence of Cole Tucker, the senior receiver from DeKalb who handles punt returns. Freshman Dane Pardridge started as the punt returner, then Kacper Rutkiewicz took over.

“I know Cole hasn’t had a lot of returns, but his value of catching the football and saving field position is big,” Hammock said. “We used Dane at the beginning. He had his freshman moment or whatever. He’ll grow from that. Then Kacper. We have to be able to field the ball, don’t let the ball bounce, or we get backed up.”

Hammock also said there were some issues in the punting game with long snapper Isaac Hatfield and punter Tom Foley. He said given how strong they’ve played all year, he expects both to bounce back.

“The ball was heavier than what it normally is because of the wetness, and I think that played a part in his psyche,” Hammock said. “I think that got to him a little bit. He had an errant snap and the next time dropped a snap. But Isaac Hatfield, Tom Foley have done a phenomenal job all season. This past game, the elements and the weather, it played a factor in them not going out there and executing the way they executed the whole year. But I couldn’t be more proud of those guys. ... One game will not define them, and I know they will respond the right way this week.”

2. Hammock: Experience these past few games key

Hammock said he wasn’t sure if true freshman quarterback Nevan Cremascoli even took five reps in training camp this year. He’s been the starter for the past three games and is likely the starter Saturday.

That experience gap is what Hammock said has been costly to the Huskies this year, with players thrust into spots without enough reps.

“That’s been our story,” Hammock said. “It’s not our injuries. It’s the guys who have been thrown into roles that it takes time to get experience.”

Hammock also pointed to J.J. Lippe as an example of that. He’s played every position on the line this year after starting every game at right guard last year. Passing him in the hall the other day, Lippe told his coach, ‘I finally played well.’

He was back at right guard last week.

“Anybody that knows offensive line play knows you don’t practice every spot in practice,” Hammock said. “You practice the one position that you play. He was finally in a spot ... where he got comfortable. That’s kind of the story of our season.”

3. Huskies look to improve on third down, though mathematically they can’t do worse

Despite 365 yards of total offense against Miami, the Huskies were 0 for 9 on third-down attempts. Hammock said part of the issue was unmanageable third-down situations – only one third-and-less-than-4 and four of third-and-less-than-10.

“We had about three or four third downs that were maybe inches short,” Hammock said. “Shemar [Thornton] caught the ball, third-and-15, caught it at 14. You have to go vertical and split it. Then we had a couple of runs that fell inches short.”

Rutkiewicz said the team did well offensively on other downs and needs that level of play on third down.

“We had the right calls,” Rutkiewicz said. “It just all comes down to execution. We were executing fine until third down, that’s where we weren’t very good.”

Pulse of the fans

Analysis

Hammock pointed out that coming into this year, only two quarterbacks in the program had taken snaps in game situations – Rocky Lombardi and Ethan Hampton. That number heading into camp next year will be at four, with Justin Lynch and Nevan Cremascoli seeing a ton of playing time after injuries to Lombardi and Hampton. Of course, the transfer portal looms large, and Hammock said you have to continue to recruit your own team. He said it’s natural that there will be guys who want to go somewhere and play, and then you just “shake their hand and wish them the best.” Hammock said there’s a core group of guys they need and want, and if someone gets the opportunity to play more, the staff understands it’s part of the process and they fully understand that. How that plays out for the team will be interesting heading into next season at not just quarterback, but running back as well.