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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Northern Illinois

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10/09/21 - John Richardson, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

John Richardson kicked five field goals, including a 29-yarder with 26 seconds remaining in the game, and Northern Illinois rallied last in a 22-20 victory over Toledo in Mid-American Conference play on Saturday. In a game that saw six lead changes, Toledo (3-3, 1-1) used Dequan Finn's 11-yard TD toss to Devin Maddox to grab a 20-19 lead with 3:35 left to play. The Rockets were stopped on their two-point try. Rocky Lombardi took over from there, directing a nine-play, 60-yard game-winning drive. A pass interference penalty and Lombardi's 34-yard strike to Tyrice Richie on back-to-back plays gave the Huskies (4-2, 2-0) the ball at the Rockets' 7-yard line, setting the stage for Richardson.

Richardson's field goals covered 43, 26 and 43, respectively, in the first half. He kicked a 47-yarder with 6:19 left to play. Northern Illinois' lone touchdown was a 37-yard run by Antario Brown with 36 seconds left in the first half, giving the Huskies a 16-14 lead. Brown finished with 93 yards on 24 carries. Richie had eight catches for 98 yards. Lombardi was 14-of-24 passing for 154 yards with one interception. Bryant Koback's 40-yard TD run gave Toledo a 7-6 lead with 4:55 left in the second quarter. Finn's 75-yard scoring strike to Koback put the Rockets up 14-9 with 2:25 left before halftime. Koback ran for 91 yards on 12 carries and caught two passes for 85 yards. Finn completed 10 of 17 passes for 186 yards. - Northern Illinois/AP College Football

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K John Richardson, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois/AP College Football
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10/03/21 - Antario Brown, Sr/2025, Northern Illinois + More +

Antario Brown rushed for 101 yards and Northern Illinois scored the game's first 17 points then held on to defeat Eastern Michigan 27-20 on Saturday in a game delayed by lightning between the first and second quarters. The Huskies (3-2, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) built their lead on a 5-yard run by quarterback Rocky Lombardi, a 28-yard field goal from John Richardson and Jaden Dolphin's 59-yard interception return.

The Huskies led 17-3 at halftime and did not give up the lead although Eastern Michigan's Ben Bryant threw touchdown passes of 42 yards to Bryson Cannon and 17 yards to Dylan Drummond in the third quarter. Clint Ratkovich's 2-yard run in the third helped Northern Illinois maintain the lead at 24-17 and the teams traded field goals late in the fourth quarter. Bryant completed 27 of 40 passes for 338 yards with the two touchdowns and the interception. Hassan Beydoun caught 14 passes for 167 yards, but the Eagles (3-2, 0-1) had only 38 yards rushing. The Huskies rushed for 242 yards and Lombardi was only 9-of-20 passing for 84 yards. - Northern Illinois/AP College Football

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RB Antario Brown, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois/AP College Football
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09/27/21 - Rocky Lombardi, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

SEPT 27 MAC WEST DIVISION CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rocky Lombardi, NIU, Quarterback , Jr.-R, Clive, Iowa (Valley),...NIU quarterback Rocky Lombardi accounted for 401 yards of total offense with a season high 282 yards on 17-of-24 passing with a touchdown and 119 yards rushing on just 10 carries with three rushing touchdowns. Lombardi ran for touchdowns of 7, 64 and 18 yards to account for the first rushing TDs in his career, including his years at Michigan State prior to coming to NIU. Lombardi had a season-long 66-yard completion to Cole Tucker in the game. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 173 yards in the first half. - MAC Football

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QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois
News Source: MAC Football
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09/25/21 - Rocky Lombardi, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

Rocky Lombardi rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another, and Northern Illinois scored 27 unanswered points to beat Maine 41-14 on Saturday. Lombardi was 17 of 24 passing for 282 yards with an interception. He carried it 10 times for 119 yards, including scoring runs of 64 and 18 yards in the fourth quarter. Lombardi's earlier 7-yard run gave Northern Illinois a 21-14 halftime lead. Harrison Waylee added 130 yards on the ground with a touchdown for Northern Illinois (2-2). Cole Tucker caught four passes for 114 yards, and Tyrice Richie had seven catches for 76 yards. John Richardson kicked two short field goals to make it 27-14 early in the fourth. Freddie Brock and Elijah Barnwell each had a rushing touchdown for Maine (1-3). Brock had 85 yards rushing. - Northern Illinois/AP College Football

rSr/2024

QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois/AP College Football
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09/06/21 - Matt Ference, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

SEPT 6 MAC WEST DIVISION SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Matt Ference, NIU, Punter, Senior, St. Louis, Mo. (Lafayette),...Ference punted seven times for a 41.0 yard average in NIU's upset win over Georgia Tech, with two punts downed inside the 10, including at the three- and seven- yard lines. Ference effectively flipped the field on multiple occasions to help the NIU defensive effort. - MAC Football

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P Matt Ference, Northern Illinois
News Source: MAC Football
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09/06/21 - Lance Deveaux Jr., rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

SEPT 6 MAC WEST DIVISION DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lance Deveaux Jr., NIU, LB, Senior, Pompano Beach, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas),...After playing just one game over the last two seasons due to injury, Lance Deveaux Jr. came back in a big way with a career night to lead the Huskie defense. Deveaux made a career high 12 tackles with eight solo stops to lead a stellar defensive effort by NIU in its 22-21 upset win over Georgia Tech. At one point, Deveaux looked to have a fumble recovery touchdown but the runner was ruled down and the play overturned on review. - MAC Football

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OLB Lance Deveaux Jr., Northern Illinois
News Source: MAC Football
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09/05/21 - Clint Ratkovich, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

Thomas Hammock had no interest in his underdog Northern Illinois team settling for an overtime against Georgia Tech. Once Rocky Lombardi's second touchdown pass in the final minute brought the Huskies to within one point, Hammock didn't hesitate to keep his offense on the field. The coach ordered a 2-point play for the win. Lombardi's 2-point pass to Tyrice Richie with 38 seconds remaining survived an officials review and lifted Northern Illinois to a stunning 22-21 upset win over Georgia Tech on Saturday night. Hammock said a potential tying kick wasn't an appealing option after Lombardi's 3-yard touchdown pass to Clint Ratkovich cut Georgia Tech's lead to 21-20. "Easy decision," Hammock said. "We came here to win and we expected to win and that's what we got done." Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference was favored by 18 1/2 points over Northern Illinois, of the Mid-American Conference. - Northern Illinois/AP College Football

rSr/2022

FB Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois/AP College Football
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08/06/21 - Clint Ratkovich, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

Redshirt senior running back Clint Ratkovich has already made a large impression on NIU since transferring from Western Illinois University. Ratkovich was twice named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First-Team and averaged 53.3 yards from scrimmage over the course of three seasons with the Leathernecks. The Louisville Sports Commission has named him to the 2021 Paul Hornung Award Watch List, an award given to the most "versatile" playing in FBS football. The versatility is what drew Head Coach Thomas Hammock to bring on Ratkovich during the offseason. "What stands out is his versatility," Hammock said in a Jan. 16 Northern Star article. "Western Illinois used him in a lot of different ways. He's a great runner, great receiver and great blocker. That allows him to be used in many different formations, and it's great to have chess pieces you can move around like him." - NIU Northern Star

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FB Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
News Source: NIU Northern Star
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01/18/21 - Clint Ratkovich, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

Two new football players have joined NIU via the transfer portal, just in time for the start of offseason workouts. Junior quarterback Rocky Lombardi and junior running back Clint Ratkovich both enrolled at NIU for the spring semester and participated in team workouts that started this week after the Huskies finished their season winless. Ratkovich joins NIU from the not-so-distant Western Illinois University, where he was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team twice. On 97 collegiate rushing attempts, the Crete native has 429 yards and three touchdowns.

While he plays running back, Ratkovich might be at his most dangerous when lined up as a receiver. Ratkovich has been the Leathernecks leader in receptions the past two seasons, amassing 128 catches for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns over his time with WIU. Hammock describes the superback Ratkovich as a chess piece that can be used in many different ways for his offense. "What stands out is his versatility," Hammock said. "Western Illinois used him in a lot of different ways. He's a great runner, great receiver and great blocker. That allows him to be used in many different formations, and it's great to have chess pieces you can move around like him." - NIU Northern Star

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FB Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
News Source: NIU Northern Star
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01/14/21 - Rocky Lombardi, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

Graduate transfers Rocky Lombardi and Clint Ratkovich have joined the Northern Illinois University football program, while a quartet of 2021 freshmen signees are also on campus for the 2021 spring semester, NIU head coach Thomas Hammock announced Wednesday. Lombardi made the announcement on Dec. 27, but the school made it official with a statement on Wednesday. - DeKalb Daily Chronicle

rSr/2024

QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois
News Source: DeKalb Daily Chronicle
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12/29/20 - Rocky Lombardi, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

Former Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi has found a new home. Lombardi, who entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 18 after starting six of Michigan State's seven games in 2020, announced Sunday on Twitter that he has committed to Northern Illinois. Lombardi had a heck of a start to the season, throwing for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns in each of the first two games, including the upset victory over Michigan. However, he struggled with interceptions, and by the time he was knocked out of the Ohio State game in the second quarter with an injury, he had thrown nine interceptions against just eight touchdowns. - Detroit News

rSr/2024

QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois
News Source: Detroit News
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12/27/20 - Rocky Lombardi, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

Calling it "one of the hardest decisions I've ever made," quarterback Rocky Lombardi said farewell to Michigan State fans Friday. Lombardi entered the transfer portal last week, and confirmed his decision in a lengthy Twitter statement. A backup the last two seasons, Lombardi emerged as the start this year under first-year head coach Mel Tucker. He showed flashes at times, leading the Spartans to victories over Michigan and Northwestern, but also was inconsistent. His last game was a 52-12 loss to Ohio State, against whom he exited early with an injury. He then didn't play in the season finale, a loss to Penn State, replaced by Payton Thorne. - Detroit News

rSr/2024

QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois
News Source: Detroit News
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12/21/20 - Rocky Lombardi, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

Rocky Lombardi is leaving Michigan State football. The junior quarterback, who started the Spartans' first six games this season, confirmed to the Free Press he told his teammates Friday afternoon he plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. His name officially appeared in the portal shortly after his confirmation. Lombardi is the fourth MSU player to enter the portal Friday and the ninth to do so since coach Mel Tucker took over Feb. 12. Lombardi leaves after starting nine games in his four seasons, including three in 2018.

He threw for 1,901 yards with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 22 career appearances at MSU. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of Clive, Iowa, completed 84 of 157 passes for 1,090 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions this season, adding 39 rushing yards on 32 carries. This season, his first as the full-time starter, was up and down. He threw for 319 yards in the opening-game loss to Rutgers with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He then orchestrated a 27-24 win at Michigan, passing for 323 yards with three TDs and no picks. - Lansing State Journal

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QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois
News Source: Lansing State Journal
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12/20/20 - Kyle Pugh, rSr/2023, Northern Illinois + More +

2020 ALL-MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Inside Linebacker - Kyle Pugh, Northern Illinois,...Pugh, who missed 10 games last season, returned to the field in 2020 and to the All-MAC team. A second-team selection 2018, Pugh was solid in five games totaling 36 tackles, three-and-a-half tackles for loss and one-and-a-half sacks. - Northern Illinois Football

rSr/2023

ILB Kyle Pugh, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois Football
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12/20/20 - Brayden Patton, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

2020 ALL-MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Offensive Lineman - Brayden Patton, Northern Illinois,...Patton, who started all six games for NIU at center, garnered his first all-conference selection. The anchor on the Huskie offensive line, Patton made the move to center the final two games of 2019. He helped pave the way for Huskie offense that saw Harrison Waylee reach the 100-yard mark in each of the final two games of 2020 and Richie's four 100-yard receiving contests. - Northern Illinois Football

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