Vanderbilt football at Northern Illinois: Scouting report, score prediction
Vanderbilt football faces a bounce-back opportunity after suffering its first loss of the season to Wake Forest. The Commodores (2-1) are playing Northern Illinois (1-1) in DeKalb on Saturday (TV: 2:30 p.m. CT, CBS Sports Network) before beginning the SEC slate.
Here's what to know about the matchup:
Some key contributors still missing
According to Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea on Thursday, wide receiver Quincy Skinner Jr. is doubtful and running back Rocko Griffin is questionable. If the two can't go, that would be a brutal hit to the offensive depth again.
The good news is that center Julian Hernandez should be back and so should defensive lineman Devin Lee, who has not yet played this season. Lee will be on a snap count, according to Lea, as he returns from a long-term injury, but his return adds some much-needed depth to the defensive line.
NIU has Big Ten experience
Northern Illinois quarterback is Rocky Lombardi, who spent four seasons at Michigan State before heading to the MAC. He served as the Spartans' starting quarterback in the shortened 2020 season and led them to wins over Michigan and Northwestern.
Top defensive end Izayah Green-May also has Big Ten experience, having played five years as a reserve at Wisconsin.
The Huskies won't be intimidated facing an SEC squad. They play Big Ten teams regularly and having Big Ten transfers means there's even more experience facing teams of this caliber.
MAILBAGShould Mike Wright or AJ Swann start against Northern Illinois?
QUARTERBACK BATTLEShould Mike Wright or AJ Swann be QB1? Here are the arguments.
STILL THE STARTERMike Wright will start at QB vs. Northern Illinois
NIU is a conference champion
In the ever-unpredictable MAC, the Huskies came away with a conference championship in 2021, albeit with a 9-5 record. Many predictive metrics disliked Northern Illinois due to a 7-3 record in one-score games, especially considering the Huskies, like Vanderbilt, went winless in 2020.
Northern Illinois has a potent offense, scoring at least 30 points in nine of 13 games in 2021, but the defense has been an issue both last year and early in the 2022 season. The Huskies gave up 27 points to FCS Eastern Illinois, a team that only scored that many once last season, and 38 points to Tulsa. The key for the Commodores will be scoring enough to keep up.
Prediction
Vanderbilt 35, Northern Illinois 28: This wouldn't be the first time under Lea that the Commodores have gone on the road and bounced back following a tough loss, and Saturday they do just that.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football vs. Northern Illinois scouting report, prediction
