2023 Preview: Northern Illinois

It was a horrible year for NIU, no other way to put it. While they dealt with some injuries at key positions, the team went 3-9, going 2-5 in one score games and 4-8 against the spread. 4 QBs took over 165 snaps, but Rocky Lombardi was the starter for 2 of them. But the offensive woes, even with the injuries abound, pale in comparison to the defense. It was the worst defense in the country, and outside of a game they graded well against Eastern Michigan, they largely outperformed expectations in every game the rest of the year. The hope is it was a bad variance year and there is a reset coming for the Huskies.