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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Northern Illinois

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11/04/19 - Matt Ference, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

NOV 4 MAC WEST DIVISION SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Northern Illinois P Matt Ference,...Northern Illinois junior punter Matt Ference (St. Louis, Mo.) punted seven times for a 45.0 average in a 48-10 loss at Central Michigan. He had a long punt of 53 yards with one that forced the Chippewas to start inside their 20-yard line. Three of his seven punts were returned for a total of just 14 yards and two were fair caught as the team recorded a net punting average of 43.0 yards per punt. As a junior, Ference already ranks fifth at NIU all-time in career punts (220) and is fourth in punting yards (9,035) and second in career punting average (41.07). - MAC Football

rSr/2022

P Matt Ference, Northern Illinois
News Source: MAC Football
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11/02/19 - Clint Ratkovich, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

Clint Ratkovich scored on a 9-yard run with 34 seconds left and Western Illinois won for the first time in 364 days with a 38-34 victory over South Dakota on Saturday. Ratkovich's touchdown was the fifth lead change of the fourth quarter, capping a five-play, 59-yard drive that took 45 seconds. Eric Carrera sealed the victory for the Leathernecks (1-8, 1-4 Missouri Valley) intercepting Austin Simmons' pass near the goal line with 4 seconds left. The Coyotes (3-6, 2-3) took a 34-31 lead on Caleb Vander Esch's 3-yard TD reception with 1:24 left in the game. Connor Sampson completed 31 of 50 passes for 368 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for Western Illinois. Ratkovich had 116 yards from scrimmage and two total TDs, and Tony Tate caught six passes for 100 yards and a score. Simmons passed for 274 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for South Dakota. Kai Henry rushed for a career-high 145 yards. The Leathernecks' last win came against Southern Illinois on Nov. 3, 2018. - AP College Football

rSr/2022

FB Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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10/22/19 - Antonio Jones-Davis, rSr/2020, Northern Illinois + More +

Northern Illinois football coach Thomas Hammock confirmed Tuesday at his weekly press conference that redshirt senior outside linebacker Antonio Jones-Davis and sophomore cornerback Antwain Walker both will miss the remainder of the season with injuries suffered in the Ohio game. - Daily Chronicle

rSr/2020

ILB Antonio Jones-Davis, Northern Illinois
News Source: Daily Chronicle
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10/14/19 - John Richardson, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

OCT 14/WEEK 7 MAC WEST DIVISION SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Northern Illinois K John Richardson,...Northern Illinois redshirt freshman kicker John Richardson (Orland Park, Ill.) drilled a game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expiring for a 39-36 win at Ohio Saturday to snap the Huskies' four-game losing streak. Richardson also hit a career long 51-yard field goal in the first quarter which tied as the sixth longest field goal in NIU history and was the longest since 2015. He scored nine total points in the game with three extra points added to the two field goals and averaged 61.6 yards on seven kickoffs. - MAC Football

rSr/2024

K John Richardson, Northern Illinois
News Source: MAC Football
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09/24/19 - Kacper Rutkiewicz, rSr/2024, Northern Illinois + More +

SEPT 23/WEEK 4 MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE: WR Kacper Rutkiewicz, Illinois State,...Freshman Kacper Rutkiewicz made the quite the impression in ISU's 40-27 victory over NAU. The Mount Prospect, Illinois, native recorded a career-best 105 yards on four receptions against the Lumberjacks to record his first career 100-plus yard receiving effort. Rutkiewicz hauled in a career-long pass of 42 yards from Davis to help put him over the century mark. - Missouri Valley Conference Football

rSr/2024

WR Kacper Rutkiewicz, Northern Illinois
News Source: Missouri Valley Conference Football
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08/31/19 - Ross Bowers, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

Ross Bowers threw a pair of touchdown passes to Tyrice Ritchie, including a 66-yard fourth-quarter bomb to put the Huskies on top for good, and Thomas Hammock won his coaching debut at his alma mater as Northern Illinois knocked off Illinois State, 24-10 in a season opener Saturday night. The game marked the 57th meeting between the in-state rivals, but the first since September 9, 2000 when the Huskies pummeled the Redbirds 52-0. Hammock made his first career start at tailback for NIU in that game, rushing for 140 yards on 29 carries. The teams traded first-half field goals and neither team managed to get into the end zone until Bowers found Ritchie from 22-yards out with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

Illinois State answered on its next series when Brady Davis found Taylor Grimes with a 42-yard touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter. On the first play of the Huskies' next possession, Bowers hit Ritchie on a short pass that turned into a 68-yard go-ahead score. Jalen McKee added a 32-yard interception return of a Davis pass with 2:31 left to set the final score. Bowers was 20 of 33 for 299 passing yards with an interception. Ritchie finished with three catches for 102 yards. Tre Harbison carried 23 times for 99 yards. Northern Illinois held the Redbirds to just 51 yards rushing. Davis was 14 of 32 for 187 yards. - AP College Football

rSr/2022

QB Ross Bowers, Northern Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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08/12/19 - Clint Ratkovich, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

2019 PRESEASON PHIL STEELE/DRAFT SCOUT ALL-FCS FIRST TEAM: Clint Ratkovich, Western Illinois, Jr.,...A 2017 MVFC All-Newcomer honoree at the end of his freshman season, Ratkovich earned first-team recognition a year ago and is the only WIU first teamer to return this season. Last year, the Crete, Ill., native finished second on the team with 616 receiving yards and chipped in with 39 rushing. Ratkovich was voted team captain at the start of his sophomore slate and also finished it with three touchdowns. - Western Illinois Football

rSr/2022

FB Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
News Source: Western Illinois Football
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07/31/19 - Clint Ratkovich, rSr/2022, Northern Illinois + More +

2019 PRESEASON ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: FB Clint Ratkovich, Western Illinois,...A 2017 MVFC All-Newcomer honoree at the end of his freshman season, Ratkovich earned first-team recognition a year ago and is the only WIU first teamer to return this season. Last year, the Crete, Ill., native finished second on the team with 616 receiving yards and chipped in with 39 rushing. Ratkovich was voted team captain at the start of his sophomore slate and also finished it with three touchdowns. - Western Illinois Football

rSr/2022

FB Clint Ratkovich, Northern Illinois
News Source: Western Illinois Football
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07/24/19 - Antonio Jones-Davis, rSr/2020, Northern Illinois + More +

2019 PRESEASON BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY WATCH LIST: LB Antonio Jones-Davis, NIU,...Jones-Davis, who was selected to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List last week, is the Huskies' leading tackler from last year, amassing a career-high 130 tackles to rank sixth in the league. The Huskie linebacker was second on the team in tackles for loss with 14.5 and fumble recoveries with two. His six pass break ups in 2018 also ranked second on the squad.

A first team All-MAC selection, Jones-Davis is one of three players from the conference on the watch list. The Vero Beach, Fla. native tallied six double-digit tackling efforts last year, including a career-high 16, against Central Michigan and at Ball State. He amassed a career-high 12 solo tackles in NIU's 24-16 victory over the Cardinals. - Northern Illinois Football

rSr/2020

ILB Antonio Jones-Davis, Northern Illinois
News Source: Northern Illinois Football
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07/18/19 - Antonio Jones-Davis, rSr/2020, Northern Illinois + More +

2019 PRESEASON BEDNARIK AWARD CANDIDATE: LB Antonio Jones-Davis, NIU,...The Huskies leading tackler last year, Jones-Davis amassed a career-high 130 tackles, which ranked sixth in the league. The Huskie linebacker was second on the team in tackles for loss with 14.5 and fumble recoveries with two. His six pass break ups in 2018 also ranked second on the squad.

A first team All-MAC selection in 2019, the Vero Beach, Fla. native tallied six double-digit tackling efforts last year, including a career-high 16 against Central Michigan and again at Ball State. He amassed a career-high 12 solo tackles in NIU's 24-16 victory over the Cardinals. - Northern Illinois Football

rSr/2020