Q&A Session With The NIU Coaches
"Good evening everybody, and welcome to the first annual, 'Ask The Coaches' session. I'm your host for night, Justin Taylor. With me in the studio tonight is Head Coach Bill Busch, Offensive Coordinator Casey Rice, and Defensive Coordinator Jay Niemann. Thanks for being here tonight, fellas."
Bill Busch: Thanks for having us Justin.
JT: Now Coach Busch, this is the first session we've had with you guys. Let's give the readers, listeners, and watchers as to why we are doing this.
BB: Well Justin, I wanted to start this Q&A session just to give the fans a preview of what we are expecting this season, as well as to answer some questions they may have regarding the program. I started something like this at my first coaching job, and it went really well. It generated more of a buzz and got the folks more interested in what's happening and got them to come out to the games. I'd like this to be a continuing effort and I want, not only Dekalb, but the nation talking about NIU football.
JT: This is really a great idea, and I'm honored that I can be a part of the first show. Well, let's get started. My first question is for Coach Busch. With your first season under your belt, how does it feel coming in to this season coming off a bowl game.
BB: We're fired up and ready to go, Justin. Certainly we would have liked to have a better showing against a tough Michigan State team in the Military Bowl. It was our only nationally televised game of the year, and to come out as flat as we were, we did a poor job of showing the nation what NIU football is all about. Myself, Coach Rice, and Coach Niemann sat down, poured over the game tape, and found a lot of weaknesses. We believe we have those fixed and are ready to come out of the gate strong this year and sustain it the entire season.
JT: What were some of those weaknesses, Coach?
BB: Well Justin, turnovers were the biggest. We found we let the ball hit the ground way too many times. Our pitches were erratic. Our line didn't do the best job of blocking, which allowed the defenders to get in the face of our quarterbacks, who then pitched the ball when the runner wasn't ready, or there was a defender in his face as well and it bounced off of him. We have been working those issues out, pointing out what our quarterbacks need to look for and read the play before it begins.
Another problem we had was too many penalties. It seemed like every time we had a good run, it was called back for holding, often times when the runner was already beyond the line. I feel if we cut those down, it cuts down our 2nd and 3rd and longs, and we move the ball down the field and put more points on the board.
JT: Sounds like if there were any areas to improve, those would be it. My next question is to Coach Rice. Some criticism has come your way on your option offense. Many folks want to just hand the ball off and let the runners hit the hole. They feel pitching the ball provides for too many errors. What are your thoughts?
CR: The option is a difficult system to run effectively, but when's it ran the way it should be, it's hard to defend and can be very successful. You can chew up a lot of yards, as well as dominate the T.O.P., and control the game. I feel like we're getting the right personnel in our system, and should be a lot more successful this season. If you look at teams like Navy and Georgia Tech, they are terrors on the field because that's all they do is chew up yards and clock. It wears the defense out, and provides your defense plenty of time to rest, and they can ultimately control the opposing offense.
JT: Army has certainly improved their game with the option as well.
CR: Absolutely.
JT: Coach Niemann, how is your defense looking to be this year?
JN: We're looking good Justin. We've recruited well and look to have some size and speed this year. Our secondary is looking to be ball hawks and our line will really be looking to explode and get to the quarterback a lot more. We've beefed up and once we establish control of the line, our secondary will be getting extra work in breaking up passes and picking a few off.
JT: We are certainly looking forward to a tough defense and be nightmares on the field.
We have to take a commercial break, but when we come back, we take your calls and questions you have for the NIU coaches.
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JT: And welcome back to our first annual "Ask the Coaches". If you're just joining us, we are sitting with the coaches of the NIU Huskies and finding out about what to look for this year. This part of the show, we ask you, the faithful NIU fans, to call in and ask what you want to these guys. And let's go to our first caller. Hello, what do you have for these coaches?"
Caller 1: Good evening coaches. My question is for Coach Niemann. MSU had a heyday with us last year in the bowl, throwing and running all over our D. What are your plans for stopping teams this year that are built like them?
JN: We have really added size and speed to our D this year. We have quality specialty coaches working with these kids day in and day out and we're getting the results we want to see. Our vision is improving in seeing the field and know what's developing.
Caller 2: Coach Rice, I'll admit, I'm not one of the biggest fans of option football. I like the ground and pound we see from bigger schools. If the option doesn't work out this year, is there any chance we start to implement more of a straight up running game?
CR: The option is built more around speed, timing, and vision. A lot of your bigger schools can recruit monsters who are capable of pushing people around, and then the running back just runs up their backs and through the holes that they leave in their wake. NIU is not on the level of the Michigans and Ohio States we're recruiting against, so we have to take a different approach, and that's getting the speed and building players up to what we need.
Caller 3: Coach Busch, can we look forward to a winning season, and possibly our first conference championship since 1983?
BB: Those are definitely our goals. No coach will say no to a winning season and championship, and I'm no different. We're taking every game one at a time, because that's how you build up to the winning season and championships. We feel like we have everything in place to be right at the top of the MAC.
Caller 4: Coach Rice, you're one of the cutest coaches in the country. Are you single?
CR: Haha, make me blush, will ya? Sorry caller, I'm taken.
JT: Haha, alright on that note, lets take a break, and come back with what the schedule looks like, and where your Huskies look to finish this year in the MAC.
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JT: And welcome back. The preseason schedule was released earlier today, and let's have a look at it:
Week Opponent 1 Arkansas State 2 Army 3 @ Ohio* 4 Miami U* 5 @ Idaho 6 @ Bowling Green * 7 @ Toledo* 8 Akron* 9 Western Michigan* 10 Bye 11 Bye 12 Ball State* (Homecoming) 13 @Central Michigan* 14 Eastern Michigan* 15 Championship Week
*Denotes Conference Game
JT: That looks like a pretty solid schedule this year, with a C- rating given to strength
BB: Yeah, we're going to have our work cut out for us, that's for sure. We finish up our contract this year with Idaho, as well as enter into a Home and Home with Arkansas State. We have one more road trip against Army after this year as well.
JT: And here's how the MAC Conference is looking to shape out this year:
Team Miami U Ohio Western Michigan Central Michigan Northern Illinois Akron Ball State Toledo Kent State Bowling Green Buffalo Eastern Michigan
JT: Well, that's going to do it for us here in the studio. Be sure to come out to opening day as your NIU Huskies take on Arkansas State. Go Huskies!
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