The NIU football team’s 27-24 victory over Illinois State Saturday received as warm a welcome in Huskie-land as a fat turkey does on Thanksgiving.

The win provided fine dining for the Huskies’ 15 seniors making their final appearance at Huskie Stadium. And it made head coach Charlie Sadler’s day as well.

“It was (a win) which we really needed for a lot of reasons,” Sadler said.

“Number one … it allowed our seniors, who have enjoyed so many successes here at Huskie Stadium, to walk away with a victory. The second thing is, as the season ends, this team needs some positive experiences to go through the rigors of off-season programs … the other thing is we just needed a win.”

Fullback Adam Dach capped his home career with 135 yards and a touchdown, including a 55-yard run that was the second longest of his stellar career.

“I haven’t had too many of those runs this year,” said Dach, who is the Huskies No. 3 all-time ground gainer and added a 34-yard scamper that set up another NIU touchdown Saturday.

Senior defensive lineman Scott Van Bellinger notched 16 tackles and tied a school record with five stops for loss and linebacker Steve Henriksen recorded 20 stops.

Also closing their home careers were: Darin Buchanan, Steve Christian, Jeff Geary, Matt Golden, Dave Gulley, Dave Jensen, Nick Jones, Ken Kanger, Mike McShane, Willy Roy Jr., Mike Westrick and Eric White.