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NIU Football Position By Position: Tight Ends Showing Consistency

Huskie tight ends look to make impact as a group, not as individuals



NIU junior tight end Reed Cunningham has tallied 18 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown in his career.

Aug. 18, 2008

DeKalb, Ill. - As NIU head coach Jerry Kill's system is near fully in place, tight ends coach Brian Anderson has stressed two keys to the tight ends group. First, be consistent. Second, he is looking for results from the group rather than from individuals.

"I look forward to this group being consistent, catching balls, making plays and getting on people in the running game," Anderson said. "We have some really good tailbacks, so we want to be consistent in the running game. We want to be consistent every day, every play."

The 2008 NIU tight ends group consists of senior Brandon Beal (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney), junior Reed Cunningham (Cambria, Wis./Pardeeville), sophomore Bryan Beckner (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) and freshmen Dan Edem (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview), Jason Schepler (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) and Jack Marks (Orland Park, Ill./Marist).

"They all have their strengths," said Anderson. "Reed Cunningham is a guy who has played in a lot of games. Brandon Beal has also played in some games. We also have two freshmen who have showed ability. As a group we are pretty consistent. It's not about having a superstar, it's about having a good group. We have depth built so that if someone gets hurt, another guy can step in."

 

 

Cunningham enters the 2008 season with the most receptions from the group, catching 18 passes for 166 yards in his career with one touchdown in seven games, while Beal has played in the most games, seeing action in 10 games throughout his career, netting four catches for 27 yards. However, experience hasn't been the biggest obstacle thus far, it has been learning the new system and the role that accompanies it.

"They have progressed well everyday and they are learning a lot," said Anderson. "For the guys that have been here, the offense is new to them. The freshmen don't know any better, everything is new to them. They are probably catching on faster because they don't have habits to break, but the guys that have been here have habits to break. They are progressing, doing a good job and getting better every day. That's our motto, `get better every day.'

"The biggest thing is that we are a two-back team a lot of times, so our tight ends are counted on a lot for blocking," Anderson said. "They also have to be able to catch the ball in open space and run good routes. They are asked to do a lot. With what we've been doing with our tight ends over the last seven years, if they continue to progress, they can be a very good group for us."

Kill was satisfied by the team's effort in today's morning and evening practices, which were highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown scamper by freshman Me'co Brown (Moss Point, Miss./Moss Point) and a 12-yard touchdown run in which junior Justin Anderson (Chicago, Ill./Steinmetz) shed a pair of tackles before reaching the end-zone, both coming during an 11-on-11 third down drill.

"The team did a good job today," Kill said. "Doing two practices and trying to get everything in are tough. The biggest thing we have to do is get some things evaluated personnel-wise. By Thursday, we need to start gearing towards Minnesota. We still have some questions marks and some things that need to be taken care of."

The Huskies open the 2008 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Minnesota with the home opener set for Sept. 20 versus Indiana State.

-NIU-