Previewing Michigan vs. Northern Illinois With A Huskie Insider

TheWolverine.com caught up with Northern Illinois insider Edward Carifio of the Daily Chronicle to gather some insight on the Huskies (1-1) ahead of their game with the Michigan Wolverines (2-0) Saturday (Sept. 18 at noon ET on Big Ten Network).

Carifio discussed the team's strengths on each side of the ball and star running back Harrison Waylee, and gave a final score prediction.

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• Redshirt junior QB Rocky Lombardi — The Michigan State transfer has completed 30 of his 53 pass attempts for 369 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions this season. He played in 22 career games with the Spartans, making nine starts, including at Michigan in 2020, when he passed for 323 yards and three scores in a 24-21 win.

• Freshman RB Harrison Waylee — The second-year player ranks third nationally in rushing yards per game (161.5) and second in carries per contest (26.5), while averaging 6.1 yards per attempt and scoring three touchdowns. He led the Huskies in rushing last season with 456 yards and one score on 107 carries.

• Fifth-year senior FB Clint Ratkovich — The Western Illinois transfer has churned out 76 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns this year.

• Fifth-year senior WR Tyrice Richie — The 2020 first-team All-MAC honoree established career highs in receptions (53) and yards (597), and tied his career best in touchdowns (four) in six games last season. He's leading the team once again this year, with eight catches for 110 yards.

• Redshirt junior WR Cole Tucker — He and Richie are the only pass-catchers on the team with more than three receptions. Tucker has hauled in seven balls for 83 yards on the year, after posting 13 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns in 2020.

• Redshirt junior TE Miles Joiner — The Youngstown State transfer has two catches for six yards and a touchdown. His PFF run-blocking grade of 43.4 is considered well below average (average is 64).

• Redshirt sophomore LT Marques Cox — He has made eight career starts, and his overall PFF grade of 44.2 ranks 21st out of 22 on the offense. Both his pass-blocking grade (64.6) and his run-blocking rating (47.1) are the worst among the starting offensive line. He has yielded two hits on the quarterback.

• Redshirt freshman LG J.J. Lippe — The first-year starter's overall PFF grade of 57.8 ranks 14th on the offense, and he has allowed one sack this year.

• Fifth-year senior C Brayden Patton — The veteran has started 28 career tilts, but his overall PFF mark of 54.3 this season ranks 19th on the unit.

• Redshirt freshman RG Logan Zschernitz — He has made eight career starts, and is the team's second-best pass blocker according to PFF (68.6) while owning an overall mark of 59.4 (10th on the unit).

• Redshirt sophomore RT Nolan Potter — He has graded out as the squad's best offensive lineman, with an overall PFF rating of 69.7 that slots fourth on the offense. His pass-blocking grade of 76.4 tops the team, and his run-blocking mark of 68.7 is the best out of the Huskies' offensive linemen.

• Redshirt freshman DT James Ester — He has made five tackles this season, and grades out as the 20th-best defender on the squad (out of 22) on PFF with a rating of 47.5.

• Freshman DT Devonte O'Malley — He provides pass-rush production from the interior, having led the squad in sacks last season with two. This season, he's accumulated five stops, including 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. His PFF grade of 66.5 ranks third on the defense.

• Freshman DE Raishein Thomas — He finished the 2020 campaign with 20 tackles, including one stop for loss, and has totaled 11 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and a half-sack this year with two quarterback hurries. His overall PFF rating of 62.0 slots seventh on the unit.

• Redshirt junior DE Michael Kennedy — He has eight tackles this season, coming off a big year in 2020, when he totaled 17 stops, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage, one sack and one forced fumble. His overall PFF grade of 61.6 ranks eighth on the defense.

• Fifth-year senior LB Lance Deveaux Jr. — His 21 tackles and three tackles for loss both top the team, and his PFF grade of 62.9 ranks sixth among defenders.

• Freshman LB Daveren Rayner — He's registered 13 tackles and one sack so far this season, with a PFF mark of 60.4 that checks in 10th on the defense.

• Sophomore LB Nick Rattin — His 16 tackles are the second-most on the team, and his four quarterback hurries top the squad, though his PFF grade of 49.9 ranks 18th.

• Freshman CB Eric Rogers — He has allowed seven receptions for 94 yards on nine targets this season, posting a 49.8 PFF coverage grade. His 14 tackles are the fourth-most on the team.

• Sophomore CB Jordan Gandy — The 2020 second-team All-MAC selection led the team in tackles (41) and passes defended (eight) last season, and he is off to a solid start to the 2021 campaign. His overall PFF grade of 66.8 ranks second on the defense and first among starters, and he's allowed just three receptions on 10 targets, though that includes a long of 53 yards. His three pass breakups lead the squad.

• Freshman S CJ Brown — He has notched 14 tackles (tied for third on the team), and has generated a PFF rating of 57.2 (11th on the unit).

• Freshman S Jordan Hansen — He led the team with two interceptions last season but has not picked a ball off yet this year. He has seven tackles, including one for loss, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry, while posting a coverage grade of 73.4 (leads starters).

Freshman running back Harrison Waylee is a strength of the offense all by himself, Carifio said. The Huskies rely heavily on him offensively, evidenced by his 26.5 carries per game through two weeks, the second-highest mark in the nation, and it has paid off, with the second-year player having racked up 323 yards on the ground, the third-most in the country.

"Even if he has negative-3 yards at halftime, he can end up with a career day, that is what happened against Wyoming," Carifio said. "Known as a speed back — track star in high school — he's shown a lot of ability to gets yards after contact, which is obviously huge. They were able to run against a very tough Wyoming defense, so it will be interesting to see if they can duplicate it against Michigan in very difficult conditions."

Waylee's performance has been perhaps even more impressive, considering the biggest weakness of the offense is in the trenches, according to Carifio.

"I'm going with the offensive line on this one," he said. "Waylee, according to one site, is in the top 5 in yards after contact. Which means he's not always getting holes. And while they didn't give up a sack in the first game, they didn't throw too much either. Looking to throw more against Wyoming, they were pressured more and Lombardi felt it in throwing three interceptions and being sacked twice."

Before half-jokingly "passing" on naming a strength for a defense that ranks 99th in the country in yards per game allowed (412) and 115th in points per clash yielded (35.5), Carifio went on to explain how the team has been able to cash in after forcing turnovers and could use some more going forward.

"Seriously, you could say they have the ability for a timely takeaway, which I thought coming in would be true, but that hasn't been the case," the writer said. "They have two forced turnovers this year, although the fumble recovery against Wyoming set up Waylee for two touchdowns in 13 seconds.

"Imagine what they could do by forcing more turnovers."

Northern Illinois has allowed 26 plays of 10 or more yards — 11 in the pass game and 15 in the run game — something that needs to be tightened up going forward, Carifio opined.

"Not to be glib again, but there's a lot. They have gotten pressure on the other teams' quarterback, causing five sacks. But they're giving up 412 yards per game to not-exactly-known-for-their-offenses Georgia Tech and Wyoming," he said. "I think a lot of it stems from the secondary. If they stop allowing multiple big plays, the other facets might be able to step up."

"I think the offense may be ready to make a leap. That said, I'm not sure The Big House is the best place for a struggling defense," Carifio said.

Prediction: Michigan 49, Northern Illinois 28

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