2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies were led by second-year head coach Thomas Hammock and played their home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois. They competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). In a season shorted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 0–6 in MAC play to finish in last place in the West Division.
| 2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football | |
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| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| West Division | |
| 2020 record | 0–6 (0–6 MAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Eric Eidsness (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Derrick Jackson (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Huskie Stadium (Capacity: 23,595) |
| 2020 Mid-American Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Buffalo xy | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 2 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 2 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Ball State xy$ | 5 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 4 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 4 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 3 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 2 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Ball State 38, Buffalo 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
The Huskies finished the 2019 season 5–7, 4–4 in MAC play to finish in a tie for third place in the West Division.
COVID-19 effects on season
On August 8, 2020, the MAC announced that it was postponing the 2020 football season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The conference announced it would explore playing a season in the Spring of 2021. It was the first major football conference to announce the postponement of the season.[3]
On September 25, the conference voted to reinstate the football season beginning on November 4. The conference was the last major conference to reinstate football.[4]
Schedule
Northern Illinois had games scheduled against Iowa, Maryland, and Rhode Island, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] As a result, the school played a conference-only schedule.[4]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Buffalo | ESPN2 | L 30–49 | 449 | |
| November 11 | 8:00 p.m. | Central Michigan |
| ESPNU | L 10–40 | 419 |
| November 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at Ball State | ESPNews | L 25–31 | 0 | |
| November 28 | 11:00 a.m. | at Western Michigan | ESPN+ | L 27–30 | 0 | |
| December 5 | 11:00 a.m. | at Toledo |
| ESPN3 | L 24–41 | 0 |
| December 12 | 11:00 a.m. | at Eastern Michigan | ESPN3 | L 33–41 | 300 | |
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Source[7]
References
- Wells, Adam (September 25, 2020). "MAC Approves 6-Game College Football Schedule Beginning November 4". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- "MAC cancels football: What it means for the Power 5 and more". ESPN.com. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
- West, Jenna. "MAC Cancels Fall Sports Seasons, Including Football". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
- "MAC votes to play college football this fall with a six-game season starting Nov. 4". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
- Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- Singelais, Mark (16 July 2020). "Reports: CAA football won't play this fall". Times Union. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- "2020 Northern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.