Huskies-Illini Gameday Binoculars: Live Blogging, Play-by-Play & Analysis

NIU Huskies (1-1) at Illinois Fighting Illini (1-1): 11 a.m. central time on the Big Ten Network

Northern Illinois vs. Illinois (9/18/2010)

First Half Recap

Due to me missing the first half of today’s game, here is the play-by-play as I watch the NIU-UI DVD-R.

NIU is in its white-and-black uniforms while Illinois is in its blue-and-white. Head coach Jerry Kill is on the sidelines for the Huskies, while wide receiver Eddie McGee is out of the game for the Illini.

Illinois wins the coin toss but defers to the second half. Northern Illinois will receive the ball first.

Illini placekicker Derek Dimke lines up the football and kicks it to NIU’s Tommy Davis, who downs the ball in the end zone.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 20: Quarterback Chandler Harnish lines up in the pistol formation and hands off to Chad Spann, who avoids a tackle from Nate Bussey and runs for 7 yards. 2nd and 3 NIU from its own 27: Harnish hands off to Spann again, who is wrapped up by a swarm of Illini while losing a yard. 3rd and 4 NIU from its own 26: Harnish lines up in the gun and hands off to Spann, who is swarmed by Nate Bussey and then finished by Justin Green and Akeem Spence. 4th and 3 from the 27: NIU punts the ball to the Illini 32, where Jack Ramsey makes a fair catch.

Illinois forces a three-and-out on NIU’s first possession.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 31: Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase options out of the shot formation to Mikel Leshoure for an 18-yard run.

1st and 10 Illinois from the 50: Leshoure runs for a tough 6 yards, bounding off an initial tackle for a few more yards. 2nd and 4 from the NIU 44: Scheelhaase hits A.J. Jenkins over the middle for a gain of about 6 yards.

1st and 10 Illinois from the NIU 37: Illinois is in a no-huddle offense and Scheelhaase makes a great fake hand off to Leshoure before running for 27 yards,.

1st and Goal Illinois from the NIU 10: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and keeps again off a fake hand off to Leshoure. Scheelhaase runs for a touchdown, getting high in the air at around the 3-yard line to somersault his way in for the score. Dimke hits the extra point and Illinois leads 7-0.

Illinois jumps out to a 7-0 lead with 11:11 to go. Illinois was run-oriented on its first possession, which went 69 yards in just 5 plays before Scheelhaase got the first rushing touchdown of his college career. The Illini covered 62 yards on the ground during that series.

Dimke kicks deep into the end zone again, and Tommy Davis takes another knee.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 20: Harnish hands off to Chad Spann, who is stuffed behind the line for a one-yard loss by Martez Wilson. 2nd and 11 NIU from its own 19: Harnish’s pass to Nathan Palmer is a bit high and incomplete. 3rd and 11 from the NIU 19: Harnish is lined in the gun and hits Martel Moore in a crossing pattern for a first-down reception to the 31-yard line. The Illini were in a zone there and a little too passive.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 31: Harnish hands off to Ricky Crider for about one yard. 2nd and 9 NIU from its own 32: Harnish hands off to Jasmin Hopkins out of the motion. Hopkins runs for 7 yards before getting hit hard by Justin Green. 3rd and 2 from the 39: Harnish keeps and runs up the middle for a big gain to the Illini 42-yard line. A nice fake hand off by Harnish set up that play.

1st and 10 NIU from the Illini 42: Harnish fakes a hand off and hits a wide open Nathan Palmer for 41-yards. Nate Bussey tackles Palmer at the one-yard line. That play was wide open after the play-action fake.

1st and Goal NIU from the Illinois 1: Crider is stuffed short of the goal line on first down. 2nd and Goal NIU from the Illini 1: Harnish hands off to Spann, who dives over the top for a touchdown. For some reason, NIU is going for two. Harnish’s pass to Jack Marks is incomplete.

With 7:03 to go in the first quarter, NIU has cut the game to 7-6, marching 80 yards for a touchdown run but missing a questionable two-point conversion early.The Illini defense gave up successive big plays on that drive, leading to the NIU score. That drive took 9 plays and about 4 minutes.

Former Illinois and current NIU kicker Michael Cklamovski kicks the ball to the Illini 5, where it’s caught by Darius Millines, who returns the ball to the 18-yard line before getting tripped up. There is a penalty – an illegal block in the back by Illinois special teams player Aaron Gress. That will push the football 10 yards back.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 8: Scheelhaase is in the gun, fakes a hand off to Jason Ford, and runs for nothing. 2nd and 10 from the UI 8: Scheelhaase fires an awry, incomplete pass to Mikel Leshoure out of the backfield. 3rd and 10 from the UI 8: Scheelhaase is lined up in the gun as Illinois brings 4 wide receivers. Scheelhaase is sacked for a loss of three by Joe Windsor. 4th and 13 Illinois from its own 3: Anthony Santella punts to the NIU 40, where Tommy Davis is tackled. There is a penalty on the play. Justin Staples and Aaron Gress made the tackle. There was a personal foul on Illini offensive lineman Hugh Thornton during the play. NIU will get the ball at the Illinois 45 to start.

Pinned back, the Illini go three-and-out. NIU has good field position (the Illini 45) to start its next drive after a personal foul call on Illini offensive lineman Hugh Thornton.

1st and 10 NIU from the Illinois 45 with 5:25 to go: Hopkins runs for a tough 5 yards. 2nd and 5 NIU from the Illinois 40: Harnish hits Moore for a yard, with Ian Thomas making a strong tackle. 3rd and 4 from the Illinois 39: Harnish lines up in the gun and keeps the ball up the gut for a 39-yard touchdown with 3:55 remaining. NIU placekicker Matthew Sims misses the extra point, which hit the right upright. There are two penalties on the play: a personal foul on Akeem Spence of the Illini and a personal foul on Tracy Wilson of NIU. Those penalties will offset, and the kick is no good.

Illinois trails 12-7 with 3:55 to go as NIU takes advantage of good field position and strikes with another big play, this time a 39-yard touchdown run by quarterback Chandler Harnish. That drive only took 1:44.

NIU kicks off to Millines, who returns the ball from the 3-yard line to the 25 of Illinois.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 25: Scheelhaase hands off to Mikel Leshoure, who bullies his way for a 15-yard run.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 40: Scheelhaase hands off again to Leshoure, who runs for 1 yard. 2nd and 9 Illinois from the NIU 41: Scheelhaase is in the gun, fakes a hand off to Jason Ford and runs the opposite side for about 7 yards. 3rd and 2 Illinois from its own 48: Scheelhaase rolls out, avoids a sack and then runs to the NIU for a first down. Scheelhaase was looking down field to tight end Justin Lattimore but pulled it back before getting spun in the air.

1st and 10 Illinois from the NIU 45: Scheelhaase keeps the ball out of the gun and runs to the NIU 27.

1st and 10 Illinois from the NIU 27: Jason Ford runs for a tough 6 yards. 2nd and 4 Illinois from the NIU 21: Scheelhaase hands to Ford for no gain. It looked like Scheelhaase struggled to get that snap. There is a flag on the play. An illegal formation against the Illini/5 players in the backfield. NIU declines. 3rd and 6 Illinois from the NIU 23: Scheelhaase hits Jarred Fayson for a first down at the NIU 16. A nice throw by Scheelhaase with pressure in his face.

1st and 10 Illinois from the NIU 16: Leshoure runs up the gut for no gain. That’s the end of the first quarter.

At the end of one quarter, Illinois trails 12-7. The Illini are driving, with the ball at the NIU 16 after a first-down run by Leshoure for no gain. After not giving up many big plays in the first two weeks of the season, the Illinois defense gave up three big plays in the first quarter, allowing NIU to take a 5-point lead.

2nd and 10 Illinois from the NIU 16: Wide receiver A.J. Jenkins is called for a false start. 2nd and 15 from the NIU 21: Scheelhaase lines in the gun and shovels a dangerous shovel pass to Leshoure that is incomplete. That ball was thrown into a lot of traffic. 3rd and 15 Illinois from the NIU 21: Scheelhaase keeps the ball out of the gun and runs for about 13 yards before unsuccessfully leaping for a first down. 4th and 2 from the NIU 8: Illini placekicker Derek Dimke nails a 25-yard field goal to cut the score to 12-10 with 14:25 to go in the second quarter.

Illinois trails 12-10 with a little more than 14 minutes to go in the second quarter after a 25-yard field goal by Derek Dimke. The Illini stalled at the end of that drive due to a false start penalty by wide receiver A.J. Jenkins. Illinois has anywhere from 4-5 penalties, including 2 personal foul calls already in this game.

Dimke kicks another ball into the NIU end zone for a touchback.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 20: Harnish lines up in the pistol formation and hands off to Spann for about a yard or two at the most. 2nd and 8 NIU from its own 22: Harnish keeps the ball and runs to the Illinois 32. The Illini are struggling to contain Harnish.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 32: Hopkins runs for three yards before getting stopped by Trulon Henry and then wrapped up by several other Illini. 2nd and 7 NIU from its own 35: Harnish fakes a hand off and rolls but is pressured by Whitney Mercilus, who does a good job of containing, getting pressure and forcing an incomplete pass. 3rd and 7 NIU from its own 35: Harnish hits Marks for 5 yards before Ian Thomas makes the tackle. 4th and 2 from the 40: NIU punts the ball to the Illinois 9-yard line, where Jack Ramsey makes a fair catch.

After allowing an NIU first down on a Harnish run, the Illini buckle down and force a punt. Illinois will have the ball at its own 9-yard line with 11:43 to go.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 9: Leshoure runs for no gain on first down. 2nd and 10 Illinois from its own 9: Scheelhaase hands out of the gun to Leshoure, who runs for 5 yards. 3rd and 5 Illinois from its own 14: Scheelhaase lines up in the gun and has his over-the-top pass to A.J. Jenkins knocked down by Patrick George. 4th and 5 Illinois from its own 14: Santella line drives a punt to the NIU 35, where Davis receives and returns the ball for five yards.

Illinois goes three and out. NIU has the ball at its own 40 with 10:04 to go in the first half.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 40: Hopkins runs for 3 yards as Mercilus got some good penetration on the tackle. 2nd and 7 from the NIU 43: Harnish hands off to Spann, who runs for a yard before Nate Bussey makes a tackle. There is a flag on the play. Bussey is called for a personal foul, a face mask to be exact. Make that 3 personal fouls on the Illini in the first half.

1st and 10 NIU from the Illinois 43: Harnish in the gun and keeps for maybe a yard, with Martez Wilson making the tackle. 2nd and 10 NIU from the Illini 43: Harnish hits Landon Cox over the middle for a gain of 7 yards. 3rd and 3 NIU from the Illinois 36: Harnish hands off to Spann, who gets a yard but is brought down by Clay Nurse. 4th and 2 NIU from the Illinois 35: NIU goes for the first down and runs with Hopkins, who looks to be a little short after Trulon Henry made a nice hit on the Northern Illinois running back. Here comes the measurement: NIU is short.

Illinois forces a turnover on downs with 6:49 to go and NIU leading 12-10. Illinois will have the ball at its own 34.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 34: Leshoure runs off the edge for 12 yards, getting a nice block from Evan Wilson.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 46: Scheelhaase hits A.J. Jenkins for a gain of 14 yards. A nice job of running after the catch by Jenkins.

1st and 10 Illinois from the NIU 40: Illinois is called for a false start. The penalty is on Jack Cornell. 1st and 15 Illinois from the 45: Leshoure runs for two yards on first down. 2nd and 13 from the NIU 43: Scheelhaase drops back and tries to run before losing a yard. 3rd and 14 Illinois from the NIU 44: Scheelhaase is in the gun and uses his feet before firing an overthrown pass to Darius Millines. There will be a pass-interference penalty on NIU cornerback Kieree Daniels on that play.

1st and 10 Illinois from the NIU 29: Jason Ford runs to the line of scrimmage. Randall Hunt is called for a hold.

1st and 20 Illinois from the NIU 39 with 4 minutes to go in the half: Scheelhaase lines in the gun and hits Jason Ford in the flat. Ford picks up about 10 yards, using a late stiff arm to get a couple more yards at the end of the play. 2nd and 9 from the NIU 28: Scheelhaase hits A.J. Jenkns for a 10-yard gain and another first down.

1st and 10 Illinois from the NIU 18: Scheelhaase overshoots A.J. Jenkins in the end zone on that play. Nice coverage by NIU’s Patrick George. 2nd and 10 Illinois from the NIU 18: Mikel Leshoure tight ropes down the sidelines for a gain of nearly 10 yards. Illinois is just short of a first down. 3rd and inches Illinois from the NIU 8: Scheelhaase lines under center and hands off to Jason Ford, who goes outside and scores a touchdown with 1:58 to go. Illinois leads 16-12 and will go for two. Illinois 2-point conversion: NIU takes a timeout before the attempt. After the timeout, Scheelhaase fakes a hand off to Mikel Leshoure and runs the ball into the end zone for the two-point conversion.

Illinois leads 18-12 with less than 2 minutes to go in the half after a nice, long drive that ended with a Jason Ford touchdown and Scheelhaase 2-point conversion. The Illini have been run-oriented this afternoon, but Scheelhaase has made some key throws in the first half.

Dimke kicks another ball into the end zone for a touchback.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 20: NIU has two timeouts left in the half. Harnish lines up in the shotgun and hands off to Spann for 4 yards. Trulon Henry made the tackle after Martez Wilson came with the initial hit. 2nd and 6 NIU from its own 24: Spann runs for 1 yard, with Martez Wilson there for the tackle, along with cornerback Ashante Williams. 3rd and 5 NIU from its own 25 with 54 seconds to go: Harnish rolls out and hits Landon Cox for a first down at the NIU 38-yard line.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 38: Harnish hits Moore for 12 yards with 24 seconds left in the half.

1st and 10 NIU from the 50-yard line: Harnish rolls and hits Moore out of bounds. No catch. Moore did not get his foot in on the catch. 2nd and 10 NIU from midfield: With 14 seconds left in the half, NIU takes a timeout with the play clock down. After the timeout, Harnish hits Spann fort 11 yards on a screen pass. NIU takes its last timeout.

1st and 10 NIU from the Illinois 39: NIU will bypass a 57-yard field goal try into the wind. Harnish fires a ball near the end zone but the wind takes it out before the pass drops incomplete.

Illinois leads 18-12 at the half, outscoring the Huskies 11-0 in the second quarter. Illinois hasn’t played great, committing some bad penalties, but is surviving on the running game. The Huskies have proved to be a formidable foe, as expected. Scheelhaase and Harnish led their teams in first-half rushing. NIU won the time of possession game by roughly 1 minute in the first half. Illinois had 6 penalties for 60 yards in the first half.

Illinois receives the ball to start the second half.

Former Illini kicker and current NIU kicker Michael Cklamovski kicks the ball deep into the Illinois end zone.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 20: Scheelhaase pitches to Leshoure for a couple of yards. A nice tackle by NIU defensive end Jake Coffman, who spent two tours of duty in Iraq. 2nd and 8 Illinois from its own 22: Scheelhaase fires a wobbly pass to Darius Millines. That incomplete pass may have been tipped. Scheelhaase didn’t step into that throw. 3rd and 8 Illinois from its 22: Scheelhaase is in the gun with 4 receivers and overshoots an open Jarred Fayson. Bad throw there. 4th and 8 Illinois from its own 22: Anthony Santella averaged 52 yards on two punts in the first half and lines one to the NIU 40, where Tommy Davis is tackled immediately by Aaron Gress.

Illinois comes out on offense with a quick three and out to start the second half as Scheelhaase looked shaky on two passes.

1st and 10 Northern Illinois from its own 41: Harnish lines up in the gun and is hammered on a blitz by Travon Bellamy. I don’t know how Harnish hung onto that football. 2nd and 19 NIU from its own 32: Harnish hands off to Spann for about 2 yards, with Bellamy and Clay Nurse there on the tackle. 3rd and 16 NIU from its own 35: Spann runs outside on a conservative call and is pursued by Trulon Henry before getting tackled for a one-yard loss by Ian Thomas. 4th and 17 NIU from its own 34: Josh Wilbur punts the ball inside the Illini 20, where it rolls to the 10-yard line.

The Illini defense forces a three-and-out, with defensive coordinator Vic Koenning sending a smart blitz on first down. Illinois has the ball at its own 10, leading 18-12 with 12:27 to go.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 10: Mikel Leshoure runs for 12 yards on first down.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 22: Scheelhaase is in the gun and hands off to Leshoure for three yards. There is a penalty – a holding call on Illini center Graham Pocic. 1st and 20 Illinois from its own 12: Jason Ford gets 8 yards back on a nice first-down run. 2nd and 12 Illinois from its own 20: Scheelhaase is in the gun and runs his way into a 2-yard sack. 3rd and 14 Illinois from its own 18: Scheelhaase rolls to the far sideline and gets the ball to Jarred Fayson for a 4-yard gain just before getting drilled. 4th and 10 Illinois from its own 22: Santella punts the ball to the NIU 38, where Tommy Davis calls a fair catch.

The Illini offense has another short drive, this time only going four plays due to a holding call. Anthony Santella is the MVP thus far in the second half with his punting. NIU will have the ball at its own 38.

1st and 10 NIU from its own 38 with 9:28 to go: Harnish fakes an end-around and is hit for no gain by Corey Liuget and Whitney Mercilus. 2nd and 10 NIU from its own 38: Harnish hits Jack Marks for two yards before a nice tackle by Martez Wilson. 3rd and 8 NIU from its own 40: Harnish is sacked on the play by Corey Liuget, who got there first, and then Martez Wilson, who finished off the play. 4th and 15 NIU from its own 33: Wilbur punts the ball to the Illinois 12, where Jack Ramsey makes an over-the-shoulder catch and steps out of bounds at the 12 with 7:22 to go.

The Illinois defense gets its second sack and three-and-out in two possessions of the second half.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 11: Evan Wilson is in motion and provides a nice block as Mikel Leshoure runs for 15 yards.

1st and 10 Illinois from its own 26: Scheelhaase pitches to Leshoure in the open field for a gain of about 6 or 7 yards. 2nd and 3 from the Illinois 34: Out of the gun, Scheelhaase keeps the ball up the gut for two yards. 3rd and 1 from the 36: Leshoure runs for a first down as Hugh Thornton is down on the play.

Note: The rest of the NIU-UI game was covered during live blogging that can be found on page one.