Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey and Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher.
MIAMI, Fla. (FOX 32 News) -
Huskies like the snow. But the NIU Huskies took in the Florida sun Thursday morning as they began preparations for the Orange Bowl, where they'll face the Florida State Seminoles on New Year's Day.
It's an exciting time to be a Northern Illinois Huskies fan. This is a big game, and a huge opportunity. It will be just one month since Rod Carey was named head coach, and he'll be leading the Huskies to what they hope will be a victory over Florida State.
Northern has bowl experience. They have been to seven games, most recently the International Bowl, The Independence Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl and the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
They don't exactly have the same ring as the Orange Bowl, which they began to realize even more when they arrived in Miami Wednesday afternoon. When they left Chicago, it was 28 degrees. It was 82 when they landed on Wednesday.
That certainly is a major difference for them, but they know what they need to do. The team also knows they are a heavy underdog, so players are trying to stay focused on what they have to do, and proving they belong in this game.
They will take to the practice field for the first time Thursday afternoon. The team has a very busy schedule while they are in Florida, including charity appearances and a beach party later Thursday afternoon.
The excitement in the air is palpable. Head coach Rod Carey spoke with FOX 32 News about how the team is feeling.
"It just became real. So far it's been this way off in the distance thing," Carey said. "Now we're at the Orange Bowl. We're excited."
Tuesday, May 21 2013 12:09 AM EDT2013-05-21 04:09:03 GMT
Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart midway through the second period and Pavel Datsyuk restored a two-goal lead in the third to help the Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks.
Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart midway through the second period and Pavel Datsyuk restored a two-goal lead in the third to help the Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 12:07 AM EDT2013-05-21 04:07:58 GMT
Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer in the first inning and the Chicago White Sox handed Jon Lester his first loss of the season with a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.
Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer in the first inning and the Chicago White Sox handed Jon Lester his first loss of the season with a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.
Sunday, May 19 2013 10:19 PM EDT2013-05-20 02:19:31 GMT
Jake Peavy gave up four runs and four hits over six innings and walked five -- two with the bases loaded -- in a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Jake Peavy gave up four runs and four hits over six innings and walked five -- two with the bases loaded -- in a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Sunday, May 19 2013 10:15 PM EDT2013-05-20 02:15:36 GMT
Daniel Murphy hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday for their first series win at Wrigley Field since 2007.
Daniel Murphy hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday for their first series win at Wrigley Field since 2007.
Saturday, May 18 2013 11:08 PM EDT2013-05-19 03:08:37 GMT
Scott Feldman pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and drove in two runs with a big two-out double, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 8-2 on Saturday.
Scott Feldman pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and drove in two runs with a big two-out double, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 8-2 on Saturday.
Saturday, May 18 2013 11:05 PM EDT2013-05-19 03:05:01 GMT
Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run homer in Los Angeles' five-run seventh inning, and the Angels beat the White Sox 12-9 on Saturday to end Chicago's four-game winning streak.
Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run homer in Los Angeles' five-run seventh inning, and the Angels beat the White Sox 12-9 on Saturday to end Chicago's four-game winning streak.
Thursday, May 16 2013 9:49 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:49:53 GMT
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
Monday, February 25 2013 1:41 PM EST2013-02-25 18:41:37 GMT
Just as Oscar host Seth MacFarlane set his sights on a variety of targets with a mixture of hits and misses, the motion picture academy spread the gold around to a varied slate of films.
Just as Oscar host Seth MacFarlane set his sights on a variety of targets with a mixture of hits and misses, the motion picture academy spread the gold around to a varied slate of films.
Tuesday, February 5 2013 3:09 PM EST2013-02-05 20:09:54 GMT
Millions and millions of people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl, and including our friends serving overseas. Thousands of Chicago-style pizzas were sent overseas Tuesday.
Millions and millions of people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl, and including our friends serving overseas. Thousands of Chicago-style pizzas were sent overseas Tuesday.
Monday, January 21 2013 7:44 PM EST2013-01-22 00:44:21 GMT
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Monday emerged twice from their limousine to respond to wildly cheering crowds along the inaugural parade route.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Monday emerged twice from their limousine to respond to wildly cheering crowds along the inaugural parade route.
Monday, January 21 2013 6:08 PM EST2013-01-21 23:08:16 GMT
Declaring "our journey is not complete," President Barack Obama took the oath of office for his second term before a crowd of hundreds of thousands Monday.
Declaring "our journey is not complete," President Barack Obama took the oath of office for his second term before a crowd of hundreds of thousands Monday.
Friday, January 4 2013 4:51 PM EST2013-01-04 21:51:23 GMT
A Soyuz capsule packed with three astronauts successfully docked Friday with the International Space Station, taking the size of the full crew at the orbiting laboratory to six.
A Soyuz capsule packed with three astronauts successfully docked Friday with the International Space Station, taking the size of the full crew at the orbiting laboratory to six.
Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey and Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher.
