Hammock: Release of full 2021 NIU football schedule signals return to normalcy

Normally a schedule release is a relatively low-key offseason activity, but after a crazy 2020 season during which the schedule was reduced to six games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NIU football coach Thomas Hammock said the release of a full 2021 schedule is a blast of optimism.

“Hopefully that means things are getting back to normal,” Hammock said. “We’re having a normal offseason and normal preparation. We start spring practice in a couple of weeks, which we didn’t get a chance to do last year. We can have normal summer conditioning, then a nice transition into the season.

“For our young men in the program, they’ve had an excellent postseason so far. It just gives them a schedule they can work toward. And that normalcy of having a full schedule in front of us with nonconference and obviously conference games makes things back to normal.”

After a shortened 2020 season during which the Huskies went 0-6 under the second-year head coach, the Mid-American Conference on Friday announced a full 2021 slate, which for NIU features nonconference games at Georgia Tech and Michigan.

After a 2020 season in which cancellations were a weekly occurrence, not only in the MAC but across college football – although NIU did play its full slate – Hammock said he feels things will be different by August, and a big reason for that is the vaccine for the coronavirus.

“The more we can continue to get the vaccine to people, I feel optimistic we can get back to some level of normalcy,” Hammock said. “I still think there will be protocols, but obviously I think the vaccine is huge. The quicker we can get it to people and get it to student-athletes, the better we’ll be long term.”

NIU begins its 119th season of intercollegiate football Sept. 4 at Georgia Tech in the first meeting between the teams, and the Huskies’ first game against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since 2018 (Florida State). On Sept. 11, NIU welcomes Wyoming to Huskie Stadium for the 2021 home opener to close out a home-and-home series. In 2016, NIU lost a triple-overtime thriller to the Cowboys in Laramie, 40-34, in the only previous meeting.

On Sept. 18, the Huskies will play Michigan for only the second time in school history. NIU lost the 2005 season opener to the Wolverines, 33-17, in a game that Hammock, then an assistant on head coach Joe Novak’s staff, remembers well.

“The last time we went to Michigan, I have a great memory of [Huskie Hall of Famer] Garrett Wolfe running down the sideline [for a 76-yard touchdown]; he had a fantastic day on a national stage,” Hammock said. “It’s great that our young players who didn’t have an opportunity to have that experience of playing in a place like Michigan Stadium in 2020 will have the chance to do that this year. Anytime you go on the road to play a team like Michigan or Georgia Tech, it’s going to be an extremely physical, tough game and you have to play your best football to come out with a win.”

NIU finishes its nonconference slate Sept. 25 at home vs. Maine, another first-time opponent, before opening MAC play by hosting Eastern Michigan on Oct. 2. The Huskies travel to Toledo to take on the Rockets on Oct. 9 and play host to Bowling Green a week later (Oct. 16). The game at Central Michigan on Oct. 23 is the final Saturday contest of the season before #MACtion gets underway in November.

“I think last year was the year guys got experience,” Hammock said. “That was big for us. The majority of our team has played in games. Now they’re going to have a new experience of what it means to play Power 5 type of opponents. It’s a different crowd. It’s a different intensity level.

“All those different things help prepare you for your conference schedule. And opening with Georgia Tech, Wyoming is going to be a tough opponent, and then Michigan – three great opportunities to go out there to play free, play loose and play your best football. Hopefully that builds momentum for your conference schedule.”

The Huskies play at Kent State for the first time since 2016 on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and return home to face Ball State on Wednesday, Nov. 10, in the annual Battle for the Bronze Stalk. NIU goes to Buffalo for a Nov. 17 contest against the Bulls and closes out the 2021 regular season at home on Tuesday, Nov. 23, when Western Michigan comes to town.

The slate features six home games, all in DeKalb, and six road games. Hammock said it will be great to play in front of fans, something his freshman-laden team hasn’t really experienced at the college level.

“We’re just looking forward to getting fans back in the stands,” Hammock said. “That would be a welcome sight, obviously, for our team and the university I think. The pride of NIU football and having fans in the stands is a big thing, I think. It was sorely missed last year.”

The Huskies open spring practices March 19. Fan attendance policies for spring will be announced before practices. Complete 2021 season ticket and Huskie Athletic Fund renewal information and deadlines will be communicated as soon as details are finalized.