Football: Loos earns all-conference notice at NIU

Loos, a 2010 Sterling High School graduate, was named to the Mid-American Conference second-team offensive unit Wednesday morning. Voting was conducted by the league’s coaches.

The 6-foot-5, 282-pounder manned the all-important left tackle position for a prolific NIU offense that is averaging 40.5 points through 12 games.

Loos was one of five new starters
across the line that helped pave the way for junior quarterback Jordan Lynch’s 3,861 yards of total offense, with 39 TDs. Lynch is the subject of a school-driven
Heisman Trophy campaign.

“It was my goal to get some kind of mention on the all-conference team, whether it was first team, second team or third team,” Loos said. “To get on the second team, that was pretty cool.”

Loos got a call from his offensive line coach, Rod Carey, at about 9:30 Wednesday morning. Messages from his high school coach, Greg King, and father, Breck, followed.

The Huskies (11-1), champions of the MAC West Division, are preparing for the league championship game Friday against East champ Kent State (11-1) at Ford Field in Detroit. Unfortunately for Loos, he won’t be making the trip.

In the final minute of the team’s West Division-clinching 31-24 win over Toledo on Nov. 14 in DeKalb, Loos suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his right leg. He underwent surgery at 4 a.m. the next morning.

A redshirt as a freshman in 2010, Loos missed the entire 2011 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee suffered the first week of fall camp. He had started the first 10 games this season before going down against Toledo.

Loos anticipates being able to walk without crutches in about 6 weeks. Then he’ll begin preparations for the 2013 season. His time with the team now is spent in occasional meetings and in the training room.

He does see three of his teammates every day. He rooms with Lynch and two of his fellow offensive linemen, Jared Volk and Matt Krempel, in a house just off the NIU campus.