When the Huskies run onto the football field before Saturday’s game with East Carolina, they will be feeling something they haven’t felt before or during a game all season—grass under their feet.

“When you’re used to playing on artificial turf and you play a game on grass, it slows the game down,” NIU head coach Jerry Pettibone said. “They’re used to playing on grass and we’re not. As far as that’s concerned that gives them an edge.”

The Pirates (4-6) will likely show a defensive scheme similar to that of last week’s opponent, Akron.

“Some of the things we did against Akron will be good against what they do,” NIU offensive coordinator Mike Summers said. “They’ve got a really great linebacker, Robert Jones (155 tackles), and they’ve got good team speed which concerns us.”

Summers also might feel strange knowing his offense will be running up against an ECU defense which is led by an old friend, Mike Cassity.

“This is a really weird game for me because their defensive coordinator is my best friend,” he said. “We both coached together at the University of Kentucky (1980-81). That’s all got to be put aside. We’ve got to approach this game like we do all the others.”

The Pirates’ record, said Pettibone, does not really show the quality of their program.

“Their 4-6 record is very deceiving. They’ve played Florida State, South Carolina and they played Georgia close,” he said. “They’ve played a very difficult schedule. They are a highly respected independent team in the Southeast.”

The Huskies, who nearly fumbled away last week’s game, have lost 17 fumbles this season—five more than all of last year when they led the nation in fewest turnovers.

“Any player that was on the team against Akron knows that we did not play well,” Pettibone said. “We played well at times, but we made a lot of mistakes that allowed Akron to get back into the game. For us to respond the way that we did is a tremendous confidence builder.”

The Huskies also returned to the top of the national charts in team rushing, with their 365-yard performance against Akron.

“It’s a great feeling to be on top,” Summers said. “We’re playing at our highest level of concentration right now.”