Harnish questionable for Saturday's game against Miami (Ohio)
By JOHN SAHLY
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jsahly@daily-chronicle.com
For more NIU coverage, visit HuskieWire.com
DeKALB – Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish is questionable for Saturday's game at Miami (Ohio) with a knee injury, coach Jerry Kill said after Tuesday's practice.
"He went to the doctor today and he'll be questionable for Saturday," Kill said. "We've just got to wait and see how the situation is going to work out. He's got a knee situation and how bad and how critical, time will tell over the next two or three days."
Kill left open all possibilities for who his quarterback will be, which includes Harnish, sophomore DeMarcus Grady and senior Ryan Morris, on Saturday when NIU (3-3, 1-1 Mid-American Conference West) plays at Miami (0-7, 0-3 MAC East).
"I never count anybody out," Kill said. "We'll just have to see."
Harnish injured the knee against Toledo this past Saturday in a 20-19 loss, although it's unclear on which play it happened. Harnish took a hard hit and a possibly late hit on NIU's final drive of the fourth quarter when he scrambled for two-yard run and was hit by Toledo's Derrick Summers and then safety Barry Church. Church's hit disoriented Harnish for the next few plays but Harnish said after the game his head was fine.
"If Chandler's not where he needs to be and is not able to practice by Thursday or get moving around by Thursday then we're certainly not going to take a risk or anything of that nature," Kill said. "I think we'll know a lot more in the next two or three days."
In the meantime, Grady and Morris received extra repetitions at Tuesday's practice.
"That's what we're working on with [Grady] and Ryan Morris, the crafty veteran that's been here through the years," Kill said.
Grady and Morris have experience as starters. Coincidentally, Grady's one career start came last season at home against Miami on Oct. 11, 2008, while an injured Harnish saw action in the game despite a foot injury. Grady was 7 of 12 for 63 yards and a touchdown and had six rushes for 43 yards in NIU's 17-13 victory against the RedHawks.
Grady, largely considered a faster runner than Harnish, finished last season with 188 yards on the ground. He took strides in the passing game in the spring and throughout fall camp, as well. He has played two games this season, completing one of four passes for eight yards and rushing the ball nine times for 45 yards.
"We've done a good job of repping him throughout this time and we haven't changed anything we're doing or anything like that," Kill said.
Morris started three games in 2007 and has two rushes for minus-7 yards this season.
As for sending a report to the MAC office about any questionable calls or non-calls from Saturday's game, Kill said he sends one every week regardless of what happens.
Schepler returns: While the Huskies are figuring out their quarterback situation for Saturday, tight end Jason Schepler returned to practice after missing the past month with a dislocated left elbow.
"We were going to try last week but he wasn't ready," Kill said during his weekly news conference Tuesday afternoon. "He's seeing the doctor today but I'm pretty sure that they're going to let him go."
Schepler is one of NIU's better blocking tight ends and the Huskies struggled to run the ball in two of the three games the Sycamore graduate has been sidelined.
"That injury certainly hurt us," Kill said. "He's a guy that we have missed physically."
Respect for Miami: Miami is 0-7, but Kill said that record is deceiving based on some of the opponents Miami has played. In its non-conference schedule, the RedHawks took losses to Kentucky, Boise State, Cincinnati and Northwestern.
Boise State is No. 4 and Cincinnati is No. 5 in this week's BCS standings.
"They're fundamentally sound," Kill said. "They're doing all the right things, they've just played a difficult schedule. We certainly have a lot of respect for them."
