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Huskie football camp: Offense responds Sunday to defense’s strong field performance Saturday

August 8, 2011
Chandler Harnish

Chandler Harnish

With temperatures in the mid-80s and a cool breeze out of the southeast Sunday afternoon, the Northern Illinois University football team had ideal conditions for its fourth practice of the 2011 camp at Huskie Stadium.

The Huskies turned in a shorter workout than the previous three, going 26 periods instead of the usual 29.

Overall, NIU head coach Dave Doeren was pleased with the team’s effort today.

“There was a lot of good back and forth,” Doeren said. “The defense kind of punched the offense in the mouth yesterday. The offense came back today. It was fun to see them compete on both sides.”

Rashaan Melvin

Rashaan Melvin

A day after the defense turned in a strong performance on the practice field, the offense responded with a cleaner effort Sunday. One offensive player in particular, quarterback Chandler Harnish, corrected many of his mistakes from a day ago and looked crisper Sunday.

“Anytime you’re a senior, especially with that pressure he puts on himself, it’s normal to come out pressing a little bit,” he said. “Today, he just played football. Obviously, the results were a lot better.

“That’s why you like having a senior. He knew exactly what happened to himself yesterday. That’s what good players do. They fix they’re problems fast.”

The offense and defense showed their competitive sides during the team portion of practice. The defense continued show it was a unit to be reckoned with, forcing the NIU offense into three and outs early in the session. However, the Huskie offensive unit was moving the ball and getting some drives going later in the period.

For more information on NIU football and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.