It was called the Fresno State massacre.

Although, in the grand scheme of things, it was just another college football game, one among the thousands played last fall across the country. What was different was the outcome.

The 24th ranked Bulldogs came to NIU to battle the Huskies, who were a disappointing 2-3, on NIU’s Homecoming day. The result was a record-setting 73-18 NIU rout that garnered national attention.

Charlie Sadler had his own concerns at the time—he was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma—but it’s Sadler who faces the unenviable task of leading his Huskies to Fresno for the rematch in NIU’s season opener on Sept. 7.

The new NIU coach won’t be the only new face wearing the Cardinal and Black. Quarterback Stacey Robinson, who grabbed a fistful of NCAA and NIU records during the game, is gone. So are most of the starters on offense and defense.

But as Sadler and his staff prepare for the coming season they find optimism in the faces that are back.

“We’ve gone back and studied our spring films to make sure we have the right people in the right positions,” Sadler said. “For the most part we’re happy with our talent. There are some spots where we have deficiencies—our (main) problem will be our depth. If we can stay healthy it’ll mean a lot to us.”

Sadler, however, feels his front line starters are in many cases as good as those at his old school, perennial national power Oklahoma.

“Our wide receiver position is as good, if not better, than at OU,” Sadler said. “And our defensive line is comparable to OU; We just don’t have the depth.”

Lack of depth in some positions and the burden of learning new offensive and defensive schemes are some of the main concerns for Sadler.

“Our offensive line will really have to jell and come on,” Sadler said. “We were really pleased with the way they picked up our offensive and defensive schemes and terminology. They’re continuing to learn what our terminologies mean—they already knew how to play football.”

The top gun in NIU’s attack figures to be fullback Adam Dach, who is the nation’s top returning rusher among fullbacks.

“Adam has had a lot of success and our schemes will allow him to have more success, but the bottom line is how good your quarterback is.”

There appear to be two finalists in the battle to replace Robinson. Stacey McKinney, who completed four of 13 passes and had 46 yards rushing during NIU’s spring intrasquad game, and Rob Rugai, who hit on 10 of 14 passes and 35 rushing yards during the game, are the co-favorites.

The Huskies 1991 schedule features road games with Florida and Iowa among other formidable challengers.