The Akron Zips’ offensive linemen might still be seeing yellow handkerchiefs in their sleep.

Crucial penalties, costly turnovers and NIU red-shirt freshman halfback Eugene Edmond were too much for the Zips to overcome Saturday night as the Huskie football team won its season opener 7-6 in DeKalb.

A Huskie Stadium crowd of 7,033 watched NIU dodge bullet after bullet as Akron self-destructed in the second half. The only Huskie points came on quarterback Marshall Taylor’s four-yard touchdown run with 1:26 remaining in the third quarter.

The Zips had posted a 3-0 first quarter lead and three times were foiled on touchdown opportunities deep in NIU territory.

Akron quarterback Mike Johnson, a junior college transfer playing in his first Division I-A game, said, “We were our own worst enemy tonight. We didn’t execute when we had to.”

NIU cornerback Brett Tucker kept the score 3-0 late in the first half when he intercepted a pass in the end zone, stepping in front of Akron wide receiver Tracy Ellerbe.

The Zips missed another chance to add six points to their 3-0 lead early in the third quarter, when tailback John Motton fumbled at the Huskie one-yard line. Pettibone called it “the turning point of the ballgame.”

Motton, who led all rushers with 130 yards, had just put Akron within a pace of the NIU goal line on a 59-yard run before cornerback Randall Townsel shoved Motton out of bounds on the play.

The importance of Townsel’s tackle revealed itself two plays later when linebacker Mike Manson stuck his helmet on the ball as Motton stretched his arms for the end zone. The ball popped loose, and Huskie tackle Ted Hennings made the recovery.

After NIU made it 7-3, an apparent Akron touchdown pass was nullified by a penalty. Zip tackle John Buddenberg was called for clipping when he shoved NIU end Phil Foley from behind as Foley pursued the AU quarterback. The Zips settled for a 22-yard Bob Dombroski field goal to cut NIU’s lead to 7-6 with 6:56 left in the game.

Akron’s final possesion ended on its own 22 when Johnson’s fourth-down pass was knocked away by a diving Manson. The previous play, Johnson’s completed pass was called back for holding by an AU lineman.

“I don’t think there was a holding call made on the other side,” AU coach Gerry Faust accurately pointed out, “and we had four or five.”

There were actually only three holding penalties called on the Zips, but one of them cost Dombroski a 41-yard field goal in the second quarter. The 10-yard walk off forced AU to punt.

While the Huskie defense took the “bend but don’t break” idea to an extreme Saturday, NIU’s vaunted Wishbone offense found itself in a “gain but don’t score” mode.

Edmond, playing his first collegiate game in place of injured starter Mike Strasser, typified the Huskie offense. He gained a team-high 118 yards on 15 carries but was kept out of the Akron end zone, despite runs of 38 and 32 yards.

On his second long dash, Edmond burst down the left sideline with his sights on a 38-yard touchdown, his eyes “as big as teacups.” But he stepped out of bounds at the AU six.

That fourth-quarter drive, which began one play earlier with a 39-yard pass from Taylor to sophomore Mark Clancy, resulted in a blocked field goal.

The Taylor-to-Clancy play also could have gone for six points, but the throw led Clancy out of bounds. It was Clancy’s longest career reception, but Taylor still felt bad that he hadn’t given his receiver a chance to score.

“I’d just like to say, Mark, I’m sorry,” Taylor said. “I just wanted to make sure he caught it.”

The NIU offense racked up 260 yards rushing, slightly down from its 295.2-yard average a year ago. Taylor was held to 34 ground yards by an Akron defense, which tried to make life miserable for the NIU quarterback.

“They had guys assigned to me. They wouldn’t let me run the ball,” Taylor said, who added that Akron players took shots at his ankle early in the game.

NIU coach Jerry Pettibone said, “There was a lot of hard hitting. I’m sure our guys are going to be sore.”

Taylor left the game for one play in the fourth quarter when Akron linebacker Curtis Williams “kind of gave me a cheap shot” that loosened a few of Taylor’s teeth.

That brought on junior college transfer James Darby, who carried for a first down on third-and-one. Darby’s carry enabled NIU to further run down the clock late in the game.

Pettibone said he was not worried about the inability of the Huskie offense to score more points as he credited the Akron defense.

“The most important thing is the 7-6 score,” he said.