Northern Illinois (3-9)

Picked to win the MAC West in the preseason poll, Northern Illinois finished last in the division as one of just two MAC teams to win fewer than three league games, joining Akron. Fourth-year coach Thomas Hammock has sandwiched last year's MAC championship with a combined 3-15 mark in 2020 and 2022.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc...791191002/

Im hard pressed to think of a season that was a bigger disappointment than 2022. Even Novak's 1-21 stretch came with low, rebuild expectations.

Worst season in school history? One could probably argue just that.

Is this where I'm supposed to say how embarrassed I am?

One would think this would make drastic changes happen, but so far nothing.

(12-01-2022 02:50 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  One would think this would make drastic changes happen, but so far nothing.

Doubt many personnel changes are made on staff. Rocky needs to literally save everyone.

And a 5-3 (conference) Toledo are west champs. Talk about salt in the wound. Ohio is going to destroy them.

(12-01-2022 01:47 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Im hard pressed to think of a season that was a bigger disappointment than 2022. Even Novak's 1-21 stretch came with low, rebuild expectations.

Worst season in school history? One could probably argue just that.

The 2-10 2007 season was no gem. And that was Novak's last season after he had brought the team back in the early 2000's.
This season was bad, no doubt, but even worse because we had high expectations.

(12-01-2022 04:12 PM)MiamiHuskie Wrote:  And a 5-3 (conference) Toledo are west champs. Talk about salt in the wound. Ohio is going to destroy them.

So of course Toledo gets OHIO with No Rourke bc of his last game injury. Their back up is decent but The Rockets free path to a title continues.

(12-01-2022 04:24 PM)MiamiHuskie Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 01:47 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Im hard pressed to think of a season that was a bigger disappointment than 2022. Even Novak's 1-21 stretch came with low, rebuild expectations.

Worst season in school history? One could probably argue just that.

The 2-10 2007 season was no gem. And that was Novak's last season after he had brought the team back in the early 2000's.
This season was bad, no doubt, but even worse because we had high expectations.

The first 3 years of Novak's tenure were nothing fantastic either. 3-30 over 3 seasons.

(12-01-2022 05:43 PM)Big Red Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 04:24 PM)MiamiHuskie Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 01:47 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  Im hard pressed to think of a season that was a bigger disappointment than 2022. Even Novak's 1-21 stretch came with low, rebuild expectations.

Worst season in school history? One could probably argue just that.

The 2-10 2007 season was no gem. And that was Novak's last season after he had brought the team back in the early 2000's.
This season was bad, no doubt, but even worse because we had high expectations.

The first 3 years of Novak's tenure were nothing fantastic either. 3-30 over 3 seasons.

Novak inherited a dysfunctional program, and slowly turned it around. The 2007 season was plagued with injuries too, and it was too bad that Novak has such a bad final season.

Hammock inherited a winning program that was kind of going in circles. I understood a bad 1st year; players leave with a new coach and new schemes come into play. 2020, the COVID year, have no clue why things were so bad, but that was the year to do it. 2021, what can you say? He brought Rocky in and beat GT in his first game, and onto a MACC win.

This year, Rocky and Rudolph were big losses. Hampton didn't do too bad until he was out. D was awful.

I'm skeptical but supportive of Coach Hams. Next year will have to have some kind of turnaround or hard decisions have to be made.

(12-01-2022 04:28 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  [quote='MiamiHuskie' pid='18633447' dateline='1669929120']
And a 5-3 (conference) Toledo are west champs. Talk about salt in the wound. Ohio is going to destroy them.

So of course Toledo gets OHIO with No Rourke bc of his last game injury. Their back up is decent but The Rockets free path to a title

Toledo's top two QB's are injured. And have played injuredthe last two games. Finn, foot and shoulder injury. Gleason broken hand.

(12-01-2022 06:14 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 04:28 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  [quote='MiamiHuskie' pid='18633447' dateline='1669929120']
And a 5-3 (conference) Toledo are west champs. Talk about salt in the wound. Ohio is going to destroy them.

So of course Toledo gets OHIO with No Rourke bc of his last game injury. Their back up is decent but The Rockets free path to a title

Toledo's top two QB's are injured. And have played injuredthe last two games. Finn, foot and shoulder injury. Gleason broken hand.

Finn is about 1/3 the QB Rourke is. It would be like Akron facing you in 2017 without Woodside. If you're the ZIps are you trading Woodside for Tommy Woodson? Damn right you are. The Rockets had about a 10% chance vs a healthy Rourke. The game is probably a coin flip now.

(12-01-2022 04:03 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 02:50 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  One would think this would make drastic changes happen, but so far nothing.

Doubt many personnel changes are made on staff. Rocky needs to literally save everyone.

That’s pretty much where we’re at. Hammock is gambling his job on the health of an injury-prone quarterback.

The MAC sucks too. If you have a steady QB you have a chance, even with a trash defense.

(12-01-2022 10:02 PM)BDB5yp Wrote:  The MAC sucks too. If you have a steady QB you have a chance, even with a trash defense.

Lol. This is true. We did it last year with this formula.

(12-01-2022 09:54 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 04:03 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  

(12-01-2022 02:50 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  One would think this would make drastic changes happen, but so far nothing.

Doubt many personnel changes are made on staff. Rocky needs to literally save everyone.

That’s pretty much where we’re at. Hammock is gambling his job on the health of an injury-prone quarterback.

I wouldn't call Rocky injury prone? Hope Hammock does a good job backfilling the positions that opened up.