The Northern Illinois Huskies finished their magical 2011 campaign in dramatic fashion after they won their first MAC title since 1983. Head coach Dave Doeren led the team to a second straight 11-3 season and defeated the Ohio Bobcats 23-20, after being down 20-0 at halftime. They would also beat Arkansas State 38-20 in the GoDaddy.com Bowl after being down 13-0 early in that matchup.
The magical team from last year has lost several key players but they do return 12 starters and 53 lettermen, so the roster isn\'t entirely stripped down.
Offense
Northern Illinois featured one of the best offenses in the MAC last year as they put up 38.3 points and 476 total yards/game. Unfortunately, this unit has lost too much on offense with only four starters coming back so Iowa State Football Jersey it is very likely that the offense takes a step back in 2012.
The biggest loss is MAC Offensive Player of the Year Chandler Harnish, who leaves as the school\'s all-time leading passer with 8,944 career yards. Harnish\'s dual threat ability made him so difficult to cover as he also led the Huskies in rushing with 1379 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2011. Junior Jordan Lynch now takes over the QB spot and he played well in limited action last year completing 75% of his passes for 166 yards and 11 touchdowns. Doeren actually believes that Lynch is faster and has a stronger arm than Harnish.
The Huskies also lose their top running back in Jasmin Hopkins. Senior Jamal Womble and junior Akeem Daniels will now get the bulk of the carries. These two are talented enough to make up for the production they lost on Hopkins\' departure.
The receiving corps looks to be the strongest unit of the offense as three of their top four pass catchers return. These are senior WR Martel Moore, senior WR Perez Ashford and sophomore WR Da\'Ron Brown. Also returning after missing all of 2011 with a medical redshirt is former third-team All-MAC selection TE Jason Schepler.
The loss of four starters in the offensive line is a cause for concern for the Huskies. With only one starter and 24 career starts returning, it is almost a given that this unit will have a drop in production.
Defense
After giving up 30.3 yards and 415 total yards/game last year, the defense will once again be asked to carry the load this season. With eight starters coming back, they have a good chance to do just Iowa State Football Jersey that. The Huskies return seven of their top nine tacklers from last season as well.
The defensive line loses DT Ron Newcomb, but this unit will return six of its top eight from last year. Expected starters are senior DE Alan Baxter, junior DT Anthony Wells, senior Iowa State Football Jersey NG Nabal Jefferson and senior DE Sean Progar. The D-line will be the strength of the defense.
Their biggest weakness on defense is at linebacker corps as they lose their #1 tackler in Pat Schiller and #3 tackler Jordan Delegal. This unit does return three players that have been full-time starters. Sophomore OLB Jamaal Bass is a returning from last season, while both junior MLB Devon Butler and senior OLB Tyrone Clark return after taking medical redshirts last year due to injury.
The Huskies are in good shape in the defensive backfield as six players with starting experience are back. The secondary will feature four studs in senior CB Rashaan Melvin, junior CB Jhony Faustin, junior FS Jimmie Ward and sophomore SS Dechane Durante. This unit will likely be the best secondary in the MAC.
MAC West Prediction - 2nd Place
It seems like a foregone conclusion that the Huskies will make another run at a MAC West title. The Huskies lose some valuable pieces in Harnish, Hopkins and their two best linebacker, but they are still talented enough to contend in the MAC West. Northern Illinois will have one of the best defenses in the MAC to take some pressure off of the offense. They also have a relatively easy schedule in 2012 as they face UMass, Buffalo and Akron who had a combined two conference wins in the East last season. But they must face a very tough opponent in Western Michigan on the road which makes it tougher for the Huskies to secure the top spot in the West in 2012.
