Under new defensive coordinator, York grad Rob Harley, NIU focusing on creating turnovers this spring

DeKALB – Forget forcing turnovers.

Under new defensive coordinator Rob Harley, Northern Illinois University is looking to bring the HEAT and grab some takebacks.

As good as the defense was for the Huskies last season, they struggled getting interceptions and forcing fumbles.

The team once again is focusing on increasing productivity in that department. Harley said it’s mostly a mindset thing, so one thing he’s doing is changing how they think about and refer to turnovers.

“Instead of takeaways or turnovers we’re calling them takebacks,” Harley said. “It’s our ball, so you take back what’s yours, and you take away what’s somebody else’s. So the ball is already ours, so we’re taking it back.”

The other thing to help with the mindset is the acronym HEAT – Hunt the ball, Effort, Assignment, Toughness.

The coaching staff is handing out helmet decals of flames to reward turnovers, which have been plentiful through the first week-plus of practice. Harley said Xs and Os aren’t as important as mentality.

“We’ve stressed it, we’re rewarding it,” Harley said. “We have these little fire stickers. They get a takeback, they score a touchdown. Right now, I think we’ve got nine through four practices, five for touchdowns. It’s been about the ball, their minds on the ball and through four practices I think we’re doing that.”

Harley comes to NIU from Arkansas State. He arrived in 2021 and faced the Huskies in the 2023 Camellia Bowl, a 21-19 NIU win.

The Elmhurst native and York grad also has had stops at Pitt, Michigan State and Ohio Dominican. He earned three letters in his playing days at Ohio State from 2001 until 2005 and was on the 2002 national championship team.

“They’ve done everything we’ve asked,” Harley said. “It starts with being willing, and as coaches, that’s me first. It starts with the ability to take that stuff not as a negative or not as criticism but as constructive. They’ve done that, and they’ve done everything we’ve asked and try to come together and bond together.”

Schematically, Harley said, things won’t be too much different. Coach Thomas Hammock said some minor things like blitz packages have changed but not much else will be different from last year.

NIU forced 14 turnovers in 13 games last season, 98th in FBS out of 133 teams. This was from a defense that ranked in the top 20 in total defense (fourth, 284.6), rushing defense (17th, 112.2), pass efficiency defense (12th, 112.86) passing yards allowed (fifth, 172.5), scoring defense (14th, 18.54) first downs allowed (eighth, 213), sacks (18th, 2.77) and third-down conversion percentage allowed (second, 26.7%).

“We had a good defense that didn’t take the ball away,” Hammock said. “You get what you emphasize. We still want to be good on defense, but it’s nice to get the ball back every once in a while where we can create some momentum and some separation as a team.”

NIU went 8-5 last year and won the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, making Hammock the first head coach to lead the Huskies to two FBS bowl wins.

Defensive ends Jalonie Williams and Roy Williams return for the Huskies, the only players who started more than six games last season.

In addition to Harley, the team also has three new defensive position coordinators – Cory Connolly (linebackers and special teams), Justin Robinson (defensive tackles) and Kai Ross (safeties).

But Hammock, in his seventh year as NIU’s head coach, said it’s the most fun he’s had in an offseason thanks to the 100% buy-in.

“The way I look at it is, it’s like taking over a new job, but the culture is already in place,” Hammock said. “I think it’s easier because now all these new players, you can’t tell who is new and who has been here. They understand this is how we work. Same with the coaches. You have the buy-in. When you have people who are motivated and want to prove themselves, and there’s no entitlement, the sky becomes the limit.”