2024 Fall NIU Weekly (Episode 2)

[Music] hello hello and welcome to episode number two here in the 2024 series of NIU weekly thanks for joining us here on the YouTube channel my name is Terry badana week one out of the way so hopefully you're getting a little bit more used to me now I'll be with you every week throughout the football season the NIU Huskies are coming off of a big season opener it really was a great one on Saturday they got a big win in the opener against Western Illinois we had a great crowd out it was just an absolutely gorgeous day hopefully you were there with me if not hopefully you were tuning in one way or another uh and you will have more opportunities later in the season to check out NIU they are off to a great start this season with a 39-point victory over Western Illinois in the opener we'll be talking a little bit later on today with head coach Thomas hammock about that game and also of course looking ahead to the big one this Saturday at Notre Dame first matchup in program history against the Fighting Irish they're not the only team off to a good start they're not the only team facing Notre Dame this week the women's soccer program will also be headed to Notre Dame on Thursday night they're also playing some great soccer right now three wins one draw among their first four matchups this season and we'll be talking to their head coach Michael O'Neal about that today as well so very excited about that very excited about a lot of the Fall sports that are getting going at NIU over the last few weeks don't forget basketball season is just around the corner as well coming up uh in less than two months now start of college basketball season so uh be ready for that both team schedules uh have been released this week so you can call 815 753 pack 815 753 Pac or go online to NIU huskies.com tickets to check out all of the ticket prices for this upcoming season season tickets of course always provide the best value uh they are available and there are also great opportunities to take advantage of Premium seating plus you can sign your children ages 13 and under up for the NIU pup club for just $20 and they'll receive free admission to every basketball game and volleyball match throughout this season check that out on the website as well again that's NIU huskies.com all right we're about ready to go so let us welcome in our first guest of the day the head coach of the NIU football squad Thomas hammock head coach of the huskys football team Thomas hammock joining us now coach good to see you again thanks for joining the show hey glad to be on coming off of a big win big in in terms of the amount you won by and big just because it's the first one of the season it's always great to get that first one out of the way what are your general thoughts about the first game of the year against Western Illinois what did you learn about the team in that game well I just like um how our guys played I think they played um each snap for what it was they show competitive maturity uh we talk about you know fighting for a standard of play I thought they did that uh we were able to get a lot of guys in the game uh get a lot of guys experience uh that's going to serve us well throughout the season Yeah you mentioned a lot of guys in the game I have 73 players here overall who showed up on the stat sheet on Saturday um was that something that you were hoping to be able to do in that game is that something you generally want to be able to see early in the season you know I think you know for us like I told our players the night before the game you know we're not going to assume anything we have to go out there and play um and then we'll figure out what happens as the game unfold um but I I didn't talk to my staff about uh playing other guys we we talked about doing whatever we needed to do uh to win the game and to play well and to put our players in position to be successful now as the game unfolded obviously you know we started to have you know conversations on the sideline of you know what's the next move we need to make as far as getting guys involved and getting guys game experience um but it was good for those kids especially for a home game I'm sure they had a lot of families in uh in attendance and uh something we can build on yeah and obviously against a team like Western Illinois they're a team in transition we talked about that last week new coaching staff a lot of new players over there still looking for their first win in the last couple of years you don't know exactly what you're going to get coming into that game you know that your players are going to have some level of confidence going into it but they still have to actually go out there and make the plays which they did how impressed were you that you were able to execute in that game no I think you know always the first game you look for execution we've had a lot of practices to get prepared uh for for that game obviously they could have thrown some different things at us uh that we might not have been prepared for but uh I love the way our players responded on the sideline the technology uh gave us an opportunity to make adjustments quicker uh to to see things uh to put guys in better position to be successful and I thought in all three phases they they showed um you know uh significant improvement over the way we've been playing Ethan Hampton was named the Mac player of the week for his performance you know going into that first game of the season there were a few questions as to who was going to be playing quarterback Ethan Hampton is a guy who's been with the program for a couple of years now but has not had the opportunity to step in to be that number one guy how impressed for you with his performance no I think he showed a level of um focus I think he showed a level of understanding of our offense uh getting guys in the right spots um getting the ball to the right people understanding coverages it's hard to go 18 of 20 I don't care who you're playing um but he was able to do that and distribute the ball and throw the Deep ball uh and that's only going to help our offense as the season progresses where we can have the ability to uh run it when we need to but throw it when we have to and I think that's going to make us a more Dynamic offense how big is it to have a performance like that going into this next one you've got Notre Dame coming up and of course they're going to present a lot more challenges defensively top 10 team in the country to know at least that you've been able to to put a performance like this under your belt how big is that confidence-wise well I think it's it's good for the individual players um it gives you something to build on uh it gives you more momentum and practice to work harder uh to have a better understand of the game plan and the opponent um but we've always had confidence in Ethan Hampton uh in his ability uh he was able to display that uh the first game of the season now we got to continue to find ways uh to Showcase what he does really really well uh and to get people the bone you played well offensively in that first quarter against Western Illinois ended up losing the ball a couple of times uh pulled away in the second quarter it's a very dominant second quarter went into halftime with a big four touchdown lead what were the keys to putting the foot on the gas pedal and going in that second quarter well I just think it was a next play mentality um you know when Gavin Williams fumbled there wasn't Panic on the sideline there was like okay we'll we'll get it back and we'll execute uh and we know we have to be better with ball security uh and then in the second quarter I thought you know um the play calling was very very aggressive uh I thought we managed to clock well uh to get two scores in the last couple minutes of the first half plus get the ball back so we was able to score you know 21 points uh in probably six minutes of game time so uh you know we're going to continue to find ways uh from an aggressive standpoint with the new two-minute warning and how that affects timeouts and and and getting the ball back to second half where that middle six minutes of the game is critical uh to to having a chance to win let's talk about the defensive side of the ball a little bit and get your general Impressions on how that unit performed on Saturday you really set the tone on that first drive getting a sack on the first play the three and out and then uh Western Illinois moved the ball a little bit but they had trouble scoring in that first half and really didn't move it very much at all against the starters beyond the first quarter how did you feel about the way your defense performed I thought our defense played well I thought they settled in uh obviously first game uh they went Tempo um you know just from a conditioning standpoint I think we can continue to work uh in that in that aspect uh I thought we missed some tackles early because of you know maybe being a little bit tired um but I thought they settled into the game uh took what the offense gave them you know we had a lot more opportunities to get sacks we didn't finish them so that's something we've been working on this week but I thought we we we knocked out the Run game uh made in onedimensional and when you our defense need to understand if we play like we can play on offense and and grab a lead people are going to throw the ball more so we have to make sure uh we get to the quarterback we affect the quarterback but the backend of our coverage you know uh when there's an opportunity to make a pick that that that becomes a game-changing play looking not only at the defense but the offense the Special Teams the team in total you had a 39o win week one so obviously a really impressive game but going into week two now and beyond that there are always little things that you need to work on what specifically have you been focusing on in practice this week that needs to improve going forward well I think on offense ball security uh at all positions you know I was really our first time getting tackled uh with some of those guys uh on defense uh tackling uh making sure we run our feet on contact making sure we can knock people back at the point of contact and then special teams obviously work working on the field goal unit uh working on you know being 100% in that area uh punching the ball we got to make sure we can flip the field uh when we have that opportunity knowing that every yard uh decreases their chances of scoring so uh there's a lot of things we can work on as a team we've been working on this week and uh I'm anxious to watch him play this weekend yeah let's look ahead to this weekend we'll talk about Notre Dame a little bit this is a game that people have been looking forward to for a long time it's not only one of the top programs in the country a top 10 team right now but it's also right here in the Midwest just a few hour drive away from dcal and I know for a lot of kids who grow up in Chicago and around the Midwest Notre Dame is kind of looked at as the gold standard and so you go into this game now and in in one on one hand it's a great opportunity for guys to get that exposure on National Television in front of a huge crowd on the other hand it's just another game how do you balance that no I think I I want guys to be excited about the opportunity um you know you don't get a chance to play these games often and and when you do you want to have a chance to play your best football as on national TV against the top 10 opponent uh and so we'll be excited to play and what a great opportunity to try to go in there and play our best football let's look specifically at Notre Dame I'm sure you got a chance to see a little bit of the game film from Texas A&M the other day what kind of challenges do you think they're going to pose well I think um you know they're good in all three phases they're a very physical football team uh with Dynamic playmaker they got some really good skill at the running back position the quarterback is a dual threat guy uh the tight ends can uh make contested catches and they got big receivers and the offensive line is is big and physical uh so that presents a challenge and then defensively uh they have erasers uh they have a a a defensive front that's very experienced they got linebackers that play downhill uh the safety number zero is obviously an All-American number 20 the corner is an All-American so uh they make it very very tough for you and then their special teams are very very explosive and dynamic uh so we cannot take a break on special teams because they'll they'll change the game uh with their special teams units so uh a tremendous challenge but also a great opportunity and our guys would be excited about that what do you think the key is for your team going into Saturday knowing the situation that you're in against the a tough team in a tough environment although I'm sure there will be a lot of Northern Illinois fans making the trip out to South Bend as well but what do you need to see from your team to make sure that Saturday is a success I think we got to handle the environment early and then we got to handle the level of physicality it's going to be a phys physical ball game uh and we got to make sure we we can stand uh Toe to Toe for four quarters so uh we've been working on that um our kids are excited uh and and obviously um they can't wait to play coach Thomas am I thank you as always for the time and thanks for joining us here on NIU weekly thank you and go Huskies our next guest here on ni weekly is Michael O'Neal now in his third season as the head women's soccer coach at NIU coach thanks for stopping by thanks having me you are in your third season now as a coach I think that's generally in college athletics about the time that it takes to really start to feel like you've made the program your own how have you felt about building the team this year yeah year three is a lot of excitement in the air not only just from me and the staff but from the group as a whole I think seeing some success from year one to two just increases that level of excitement naturally um obviously it's a long process by no means are we to finish article in year three there's a lot of work that we're currently doing there's a lot of work to be done um but you know it would be a lie for me to sit here and say that you know uh we don't feel confident in our growth and and and the journey so far and you know as most coaches would would tell you you know year three is is is a year for for me and the program to to push on and really cement ourselves with the conference you're off to a great start this year four matches in no losses yet you've won three in a row and they really haven't been close matches you've been winning by a lot early on in the season what's been the key to your early success yeah it's it's it's been nice to see um some goals go in the back of the net I think I speak on behalf of all the attackers um and Defenders to be fair that you know to say that you know scoring goals is is is a um is a is a great reward for all the hard work that we put in I think um we've definitely got some attacking fire fire power in our team this year I think um some of the some of the younger forwards from last year um Tyreek King for example um you know her growth from year two to year one is is already pretty evident to see so that experience that she had playing a ton of minutes for us as a center forward as a as a 17y old freshman believe it or not um you can tell that you know she's she's using that experience um and you know obviously to score three goals in the first uh three weekends is is is is a great start to the season I think adding uh Kelsey mcin to the team from Illinois State um she's chipped in with a couple of goals and an assist again uh gives us some some some some great options down the middle and out in wide so uh Personnel wise we feel like we've got you know good pieces uh good depth in those areas and you know when they're scoring goals forwards are are confidence players if ever there are any so when they're scoring goals and seeing the ball hit the net you know they're feeling good about themselves um and and and you know lastly I would say they're putting in a lot of work you know after practice in their own time um to to to work on their craft and and try and put themselves in positions where you know they feel confident in front of goal and and that's paying off so far so you know it's it's a Comin of different things but I feel like you know the hard work and the confidence are two big factors that are allowing us to score goals here in in the first three four games yeah you talk a little bit about that confidence we're early in the season obviously things are going to pick up considerably when you get into conference play that's when the games count for a little something extra but when you're able to score goals early in the season like this when you're able to get the offense rolling the way that you want it to what does that mean for just the mentality of the players going into the the rest of the season yeah I think um for the first two years we've been a team that's been very organized very defensively sound um High work ethic from you know forwards all the way through to Defenders we're extremely um energetic and intense defensively so uh we've always relied on you know clean sheets and shutouts and winning tight games by one goal here or there so uh for us to see you know some goals go in it takes the pressure off the Defenders somewhat now don't get me wrong we they still hold themselves to a really high standard and you know they're annoyed when we don't get shut outs I think couple of games we won 4-1 and 61 you know whilst great victories they were actually quite upset at the fact that we conceded a goal in those games so um you know the the reward um for for scoring goals impact so many different areas um and we know that we have some different dimensions to use and and you know if if we are on our game then we won't rely so heavily on our defensive work ethic and energy to get us over the line we can create some daylight and you know enjoy the games and as a coach I want to enjoy some games I've enjoyed the the four ones and the six ones because it's it's given us a chance to you know see some other players come on and and get some reps but also you know it's it's it's not as stressful now on the flip side to that we know that the conference is going to provide some some dog fights and we have to be ready for that and this past Sunday we had a close game against Oakland so whilst we want to score goals and we you know we want to win convincingly of course as any team would we also know that we've got to be prepared for the close typ games that you know are going to be the the margins between winning championships or not um so yep we we're we're definitely looking to to continue to score more goals but don't get us wrong we're not going to change our identity of who we are and make sure that defensive energy intensity is is is at the Forefront of our of who we are Tyra King is a player that you mentioned earlier off to a sensational start with three goals already this season and you talked about just her growth and development from year one in the program to year two in the program what does that mean for you in terms of what you're doing with this team being able to recognize that you know you you've got some newcomers which we'll talk about a little bit later but also just the fact that you have been able to develop players like this yeah I mean as a coach I've learned pretty early on in my career that you can't coach experience you know and you know whilst you want freshman to come in and be ready and do well in some cases they do a lot of the time they have to go through some tough times they have to go through the acclamation phase for them to be ready uh for the college College college game and um you know I'm looking at Ty right now I'm looking at her her mindset I'm looking at her hunger and desire defensively as well as offensively and and I see someone that you know this time last year you know as a freshman she may have gone through some tough times and you know maybe reflected on it in a different manner but because she's gone through through that process you know she's backing herself more in those positions I'm I keep reinforcing the fact that she keeps doing the right things defensively working hard getting herself on the right position those those those good things will come last year she would have listened to that those those sentences and said you know I need to score goals whatever you know put pressure on herself now I think she understands the concept of you keep doing the right things you put yourself in the right position and the goals will come so um you know having her lead the line for us this year is is going to be a a huge asset her as a sophomore only get to work with her for another three years is is is great for me you know I'm looking forward to that but I will always tell Ty the same thing again keep working hard keep being you um and you know good things will happen Kelsey McLaughlin is a player that you mentioned specifically a little bit earlier on but she's one of several newcomers who have made a big impact early on in this season how have all of those newcomers jelled with the new team yeah it's difficult for new players to come in with our you know getting up to speed with our game model obviously Kelsey has a transfers not only got to got to learn new new new traits but she's got to unlearn some old ones so um that process can sometimes be be difficult but Kelsey again is someone that we knew fit our identity because of her work ethic her drive like I can't I can't say it enough but our forwards are players that work for the team they don't they're not luxury players they're not players that you know okay they're going to score goals and and and win games for us of course we'd love that from them and they they're stepping up in those moments but Kelsey embodies who we are defensively um she's tough she's tenacious she's extremely d IC and she's fit in well with with who we are as a team so um I think she's got a couple of goals and an assist to start the season and you know she she's off to a great start um and you know we've got some other freshman coming in Alysa Stevenson's coming in and great gave given us great balance on that right hand side another extremely Dynamic another extremely hardworking forward I think every forward that we have is is is of that mold um and you know maybe she hasn't got the stats that the other two have but again just just fantastic outlet for us someone who we can rely on and that in those wide areas to create chances and work for the team so you know we've got some great options in in in in in in the front um couple others come to mind are um a couple of returners in in Amber best who's coming back from injury who's slowly but surely getting into I mean freshman team of the year A couple of years ago missed the whole Max season pretty much last year she's getting up to speed and will be a huge asset for us in the mac and then Reagan King pong someone who you know is a fifth year senior gives us a completely different dimension with her quality in possession and uh her technical ability so I'm really excited about attacking options really excited about uh what we have in that front line and um you know hopefully they continue to to to work hard and back themselves and you know the goals keep coming there's been a lot of talk around to kelp this week about the football team going to Notre Dame but you get the first crack at the Irish uh Thursday night matchup against Notre Dame and the women's soccer program's top 10 nationally ranked team as well so it's certainly going to be a big challenge for you what are you looking to see out of your players I want them to compete you know I want them to to remain who they are I think not Dame would be considered a Powerhouse in every sport it's just who they are um it's what it's what their institution represents but um we're going there to compete you know it may it may appear like David and Goliath you know and and and you know probably anyone who follows college soccer is not giving little oldu a chance but it's an opportunity for us to go to the National stage under the lights and you know showcase that we can compete we can compete you know and we've got nothing to lose again they're they're nationally ranked top 10 um they're always there or there abouts at the end of the season but you know we're doing some good things as well we're working hard we're um grinding out results scoring goals as well so you know whilst it's a challenge I I'm telling the team to embrace this challenge enjoy this opportunity and who knows you know it's a game of soccer it's not a math test you know rankings and the numbers don't mean anything it's about on the day who's willing to do what to get over the line and you know if we turn up and do the things that we're supposed to do who knows Michael O'Neal the head soccer coach for the women's team here at NIU thanks for joining me on NIU weekly good luck this week with your games I appreciate it it's another big week around NIU this week in terms of the entire fall sports schedule we've been talking to women's soccer of course they've got the matchup Thursday night at Notre Dame they continue to play this weekend as well on Sunday they'll be in Charleston Illinois to take on Eastern Illinois as they continue a road trip for four games before returning home later in the month men's soccer team is in action this week as well as is volleyball as is football as is golf as is cross country so a big week of sports as I mentioned Thursday night in addition to women's soccer volleyball is taking on Val perzo at the St Thomas Invitational that's in St Paul Minnesota volleyball remains in action in Minnesota on Friday this time they take on Tarlton State as they continue that Invitational Saturday they take on the host of the event it's St Thomas at St Thomas cross country gets their season underway on Friday it's the a home opener the NIU husky opener is coming up Friday evening that's a 5:30 start time for that one men's soccer is in action on Friday night as well they take on Kansas City at 7 o'clock and that is a home match for the soccer team Saturday already mentioned volleyball taking on St Thomas football is in action on Saturday as well we've been preparing for that game it's going to be a big one as NIU takes on Notre Dame for the first time in school history at South Bend so we'll certainly be looking forward to that game uh Sunday the schedule continues for men's and women's golf both in action men's golf team is at the Gopher Invitational in Minnesota and the women's golf team is at the Redbird Invitational and that's here in state in normal down at Illinois State finally Monday golf is uh continuing their events go for Invitational and the redb Invitational finish ups it's a Sunday Monday event for golf so a lot of action coming up for Northern Ora a lot of it on the road this week which gives you a chance to check in in a few different ways uh I will tell you about some of those ways in just a moment as we get set to wrap things up here on the second 2024 edition of NIU weekly we'll be back each week throughout this fall to get a lineup of guests throughout NIU athletic department every week uh with Thomas hammock as well as today we talked to Michael O'Neal and we'll be talking to other coaches and other members of the the athletic department throughout the week as well please like And subscribe to this channel uh and make sure that you get all of your updates for future not just NIU weekly shows but everything else released through the NIU YouTube channel as well including post game and weekly football press conferences volleyball basketball football game highlights and a whole lot more as well we are going to be on the air on Saturday 2 o'clock start time for a 230 game against Notre Dame in South Bend for the football team so make sure you join the Husky Sports network broadcast of NIU versus Notre Dame you can listen in on 949 FM wdkb in decal you can also find that station on the TuneIn app or go online 949 wdkb domcom that does it for another edition of NIU weekly thanks once again to Thomas hammock and to Michael O'Neal our guests on today's show I'm Terry bonad I'll talk to you again next week a [Music]