It’s sort of like having a sequel to the movie Jaws without the shark.

When NIU and Fresno State meet on the football field Saturday in a rematch of last year’s blowout, there will be some familiar faces missing who played key roles in NIU’s 73-18 massacre of the Bulldogs.

The most notable person missing Saturday’s (9 p.m.) season-opener at Fresno State will be the man who did most of the damage for the Huskies.

Quarterback Stacey Robinson, who ran his way into the NCAA and NIU record books in the game at Huskie Stadium, was signed as a free agent after last season by the Philadelphia Eagles. Robinson, however, was released by the NFL team this summer and returned to his Danville, Il. home.

Robinson’s sister, Jill Robinson, said that the former Huskies’ QB was in Arkansas and had no immediate plans to pursue his football career or to come back to NIU to earn his degree.

Most of the faces on the offensive line that helped Robinson and Co. lead the nation in rushing in 1990 are also gone. Center Eric Wenckowski made the short trip to Chicago where he tried out as a free agent with the Bears. Wenckowski survived early cuts but was released shortly before the end of the preseason.

The 73-18 NIU win was made even more memorable because Fresno State was ranked 24th in the country coming into the game. But the coach who was on the victor’s sideline last October will have to earn his upsets while leading a different program.

Jerry Pettibone accepted the head coaching job at Oregon State at the end of the 1990 season after six NIU campaigns. Charlie Sadler, formerly the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma, took Pettibone’s place.

Fresno State (8-2-1 last season) has also been affected by big losses.

The most notable loss for the Bulldogs is running back Aaron Craver. Craver was touted as one of the best runners in the nation last season, but the Huskies’ defense held him to 27 yards rushing on 15 attempts.

Craver’s subpar performance against NIU didn’t stop the Miami Dolphins from making him their third-round draft choice. Craver has survived training camp and is on the Dolphin’s regular-season roster.

Veteran Fresno State coach Jim Sweeney, who will be back for Saturday’s rematch, feels that Craver’s departure won’t severely hamper his team.

“I really don’t believe replacing Craver will be a problem for us,” Sweeney said. “Craver had a better year for us as a junior (1989). His impact wasn’t as big last year.”

There, however, will be more than a few players missing from the rematch who definitely did have an impact last season.

All-time NIU leading scorer, kicker John Ivanic, and defensive end Cary Caliendo are two more of the 16 starters missing from last year’s NIU squad.

The Bulldogs will be missing nine starters from the 1990 roster.

But the changes in both programs shouldn’t diminish the intensity for Saturday’s season-opener. Both teams return players who made their mark in the 1990 game.

Three of the Huskies who added to NIU’s 73 points last year are back. Fullback Adam Dach, quarterback Rob Rugai, and tailback Tyrone Leverett get another shot against the Bulldogs.

Fresno State returns two players who tallied in last year’s game—quarterback Mark Barsotti and placekicker Derek Mahoney.