Skip to content
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

Catch ’em if you can.

Spring practice is complete for the Northern Illinois football team and one thing is clear as the Huskies prepare for 2015 and what they hope will be a sixth straight MAC West title. The passing game looks to be in very good hands.

Let’s count the reasons why:

Redshirt junior quarterback Drew Hare will be back for his second season at the controls.

Hockey-tough senior Tommylee Lewis, who led the team in receiving two years ago, will be back from what was termed a “lower body injury” after missing all but the first two games to injury last season.

Da’Ron Brown, who had 68 catches for 1,065 yards has graduated, but four targets who accounted for another 1,000-plus yards — WR Aregeros Turner (37-398), WR Juwan Brescasin (31-445), WR Chad Beebe (21-219) and RB Joel Bouagnon (13-70) — all return.

And then there’s the new guy on the receiving corps — FCS North Dakota transfer Kenny Golladay. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound St. Rita product impressed his teammates working with the scout team last season during his time off from game action and has people buzzing in anticipation.

“He’s gotta keep learning, keep coming, but he’s a threat,” NIU coach Rod Carey said following his team’s spring game. “He’s a difference maker.”

Golladay was on the Cardinal team that lost 21-0 to the Black squad featuring No. 1 and 2 QBs Hare and Anthony Maddie. The Cardinal was led by 3 and 4 QBs, senior Matt McIntosh and RS freshman Ryan Graham. He had a team-high four receptions for 36 yards.

“Golladay definitely can make an impact,” Beebe said. “He’s a big-play guy. You can throw it up anywhere, he’ll come down with it. I think he’s got the right attitude about it. I think fans are gonna love to watch Ken Golladay, for sure.”

The former Mustang caught 30 passes for 429 years his freshman year at North Dakota, then led the team with 69 receptions for 884 yards and eight TDs as a sophomore, adding a 64-yard punt return for a score against Valparaiso.

He decided to transfer after coach Chris Mussman and his staff were fired following a 3-8 season.

“I wanted to come back home to Illinois and I just wanted to come to a winning program,” Golladay said. “And this makes it easy for my family to come to games.

“I was more of a guy who flew under the radar (in high school). People didn’t know too much about me. St. Rita is a running team. We kind of opened up the passing game my senior year but you pretty much need that film from your junior year (for recruiting). That’s how that went down.”

It was difficult practicing but not getting to play last season.

“I just had to stay focused on the task at hand and concentrate on my (long-term) goal,” he said. “That was my time to get to know the playbook and give guys a break now and then (in practice).

“Now, it’s spring time again and I’m waiting for the fall. It’s my turn. Everyone notices my height, but I’ve got sneaky speed. I just want to build myself into an all-around receiver.”

He said he’s developing good rapport with Hare and the other NIU quarterbacks

“You want to be able to do things without even thinking about them,” he said. “That’s how we want it to be. You’re gonna know where I’m at, I know where you’re gonna put (the ball).”

rarmstrong@tribune.com

Twitter: @RickArmstrong28