NIU Huskies hope for championship in last year in MAC
The Northern Illinois University football team was at Harry Caray's downtown Thursday on their annual media tour before camp.
The Huskies are returning just four starters from last season, which was highlighted by a huge upset of Notre Dame in South Bend.
This will also be NIU's last year in the Mid-American Conference before moving to the Mountain West Conference. Head coach Thomas Hammock said the hard way is the only way forward for Northern.
"One thing about players, they can care less if somebody leaves. They can care less if somebody graduates," Hammock said. "As a matter of fact, they hope you leave and they hope you graduate, because that gives them an opportunity to play. What you're going to see is we've got guys in our program that's going to be better than guys that played last year."
The players are looking forward to working with their new teammates.
"I wouldn't say like a young group, but I mean, definitely some guys that haven't got the, like, on-field, like in-game experience," said offensive lineman Abiathar Curry. "So it's nice to what they'll be able to do, because I feel like we had a great spring."
"You know, people don't really know, you know, what we're going to be like because it's just so much change — new coaches, new players — but yeah, we're flying low on the radar for all these other teams, so I think we could use it to our advantage for sure," said receiver Dane Pardridge.
Hammock said winning another MAC championship would be the perfect way to go out.
"It would mean everything," he said. "I think we wanted a program to have, you know, some of the most MAC championships, and we definitely want to win one this season."
Linebacker Quinn Urwiler would like to win a MAC championship too, like his older brother Trey did.
"I never got to experience something like it, so I hear, you know, my brother got to experience it when he was here, and he said it was amazing. And honestly, I would be do anything to be able to get there, honestly, and I know a lot of these guys would too — so we all just got to come together, and we'll get there."
