Rakeem Cato is one of the nation's best playmakers. (Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports)
Unlike last season, when Northern Illinois suffered a crushing 47-27 loss to Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference Championship game, the Huskies enter their bowl game with rising confidence.
The Huskies captured their third conference title in four years with a convincing 51-17 victory over Bowling Green in the MAC championship game. The Huskies (11-2, 7-1 MAC) scored 24 straight points in the second half to cruise to the largest win in MAC Championship game history.
“I’m super-excited for our university, our athletic department, our staff and most importantly our players,” NIU coach Rod Carey said. “This was our best game at the right time. These kids set out what they wanted to do back in January and it’s because of their hard work that we’re here. You don’t get here without hard work.”
The Huskies enter the inaugural Boca Raton Bowl game on Dec. 23 against Marshall with a seven-game winning streak. The Thundering Herd (12-1) and Huskies are set for a 6 p.m. (ET) kickoff at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton. The Thundering Herd (12-1) won Conference USA and were in the conversation as the best team among the Group of Five conference for much of the season.
Marshall is led by senior Rakeem Cato, one of the greatest quarterbacks in program history. Running back Devon Johnson and wide receiver Tommy Shuler are big-time weapons that have helped MU put points on the board all season.
Marshall also put together the best defense in Conference USA with a group of talented upperclassmen led by linebacker Neville Hewitt. The Herd have 22 takeaways in 2014.
The Huskies extended their school and MAC record for consecutive bowl seasons to seven, and will be playing in a bowl for the ninth time in the last 11 years. The Huskies are making a return trip to Florida after losing to Florida State in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
“I’m super-excited for our team and our fans to go back to a bowl game in Florida,” Carey said. “In terms of location, opponent and the date, it’s ideal for our players and our fans.”
The Huskies have a tough task playing their old conference rivals, Marshall. The Thundering Herd and Huskies have met seven times, with the Huskies sporting a 4-3 edge. Marshall defeated the Huskies in 1999 and 2001 when both teams were members of the Mid-American Conference.
Marshall’s lone loss was a 67-66 defeat to Western Kentucky in overtime on Nov. 28. The Thundering Herd defeated Louisiana Tech 26-23 in the Conference USA Championship game on Dec. 6. Marshall, which won its first 11 games this season, defeated three MAC East Division teams this year – Miami, Ohio and Akron.
The Boca Raton Bowl has the potential to be an offensive-filled show. Both teams have diverse attacks and can score points in a flash.
The Huskies’ defense has played better late in the season, but stopping Cato represents a tall order. The senior tossed two touchdown passes to Deon-Tay McManus in the Conference USA title game to give him 46 straight games with at least one touchdown pass. Cato has completed 242 of his 414 passes for 3,622 yards and 37 touchdowns with 13 interceptions, and rushed for 457 yards and six touchdowns. Devon Johnson leads Marshall with 1,636 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. The Thundering Herd average a whopping 45.1 points per game, and allow just 20.8 points.
Northern Illinois has stuck to the run mostly in the second half this season. The Huskies, who average 32.2 points per game, will try and pound their running game behind an experienced offensive line. The Huskies average 252.9 rushing yards per game, with Cameron Stingily (895 yards), quarterback Drew Hare (850 yards) and Joel Bouagnon (573 yards) as the team’s top three rushers. Hare is a solid running and passing threat and rarely turns the ball over. He has passed for 2,097 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
–QB Drew Hare has become the primary starter after an early-season battle with Anthony Maddie and Matt McIntosh. Although Hare doesn’t possess the running or passing ability of former NIU quarterbacks, Chandler Harnish or Jordan Lynch, he doesn’t force passes and become a solid runner late in the season. Hare has thrown just two interceptions in 299 attempts, and ranks second on the team with 850 yards rushing.
–RB Cameron Stingily is going to be a key factor for the Huskies against Marshall. Stingily won’t gain many yards juking defenders, instead relying on a bulldozing-style running style. Stingily, who leads the Huskies with 895 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns, can help the Huskies eat the clock and keep Marshall’s high-octane offense off the field by moving the chains with his hard-running approach.
–WR Da’Ron Brown has taken on a bigger role since the season-ending injury to receiver Tommylee Lewis in September. Brown, a senior, tops the Huskies in receptions (64), receiving yardage (1,002) and touchdown catches (six) by a wide margin. Chad Beebe’s season-ending injury in the MAC Championship game puts an added emphasis on Brown.
–S Dechane Durante leads the Huskies with four interceptions. As a team, the Huskies have 14 interceptions. Durante’s play late in the season has been a major factor in NIU’s seven-game winning streak. The senior is a big-game player, and he intercepted two passes in the MAC Championship game win over Bowling Green to raise his career total to 11 interceptions.
MARSHALL
–QB Rakeem Cato is one of the greatest players in Marshall history and the bowl game will be his final contest in an MU uniform. Cato has thrown for 13,798 yards and rushed for 814 in 52 career games for the Thundering Herd. He’s accounted for 141 touchdown. The senior has completed 62.6 percent of his passes during his career, although that number is down to 58.5 this season.
–RB Devon Johnson makes the Marshall offense go. The junior has racked up 1,636 yards and scored 16 times for the Herd. A 6-1, 243-pound product of Richlands, Va., Johnson has only carried the ball seven times for 63 yards the last two weeks while being hampered by an shoulder injury. Backup Steward Butler (102 carries for 781 yards) is just as dangerous if Johnson can’t go in the bowl game.
–WR Tommy Shuler is 47 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards for the third consecutive season. Shuler has 74 catches for 953 yards and has hauled in eight touchdowns during his senior year. The 5-7, 188-pound wideout has racked up 3,378 yards on 304 catches during his stellar career.
–LB Neville Hewitt has led the Marshall defense the entire season. The senior has totaled 114 tackles – 12 for a loss – while also picking off once pass and forcing a fumble. Hewitt made 85 stops as a junior after transferring from Georgia Military College.
BOWL HISTORY: The Herd is 8-2 in bowl games since moving to the FBS in 1997. Their two losses are by three points to Mississippi in the 1997 Motor City Bowl and by 18 to Cincinnati in the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl. Marshall has won three straight postseason games and beat Maryland 31-20 in last year’s Military Bowl.
Northern Illinois is 4-5 in bowl games, with a two-game bowl losing streak after losses to Utah State and Florida State. The Huskies are 5-9 all-time in bowl games, with the Boca Raton Bowl the program’s record seventh straight bowl game, which is also a conference record.
