NIU’s football season took a roller coaster ride through the season, basically ending back where it started, with a .500 record.

The Huskies had one two-game winning streak and one two-game losing streak while alternating the rest of the time to compile a 5-5-1 mark.

Lamar 39, NIU 35

The Huskies fell behind early, a trend that would follow them throughout the season, but battled back to lead 35-21 with 14:53 left in the game. The Cardinals then scored 18 unanswered points. NIU, with Pete Genatempo at quarterback, drove to the Lamar 28 where Genatempo threw an interception on the game’s final play.

Genatempo led the Huskies with 104 yards rushing on 14 carries.

NIU 34, Western Michigan 14

The Huskies jumped out to 21-0 lead on the way to their first victory of the season. Marshall Taylor took over the rushing honors this game, gaining 163 yards on 16 carries. Four different running backs (Rodney Taylor, Antonio Davis, Keith Hurley and Mike Strasser) scored touchdowns.

The Huskie defense intercepted four David Kruse passes at critical points to prevent the Broncos from getting back in the game.

NIU 16, Northwestern 16

A moral victory for the Huskies as it was the first time an NIU football team had played a Big Ten squad without losing. John Ivanic was the hero as he connected on a 36-yard field goal with six seconds to go in the game.

Marshall Taylor, who scored the first Huskie touchdown, hit Keith Hurley with a 77-yard touchdown pass to give NIU a brief 13-9 lead with 7:57 remaining.

Eastern Michigan 32, NIU 31

Huron halfback Gary Patton hit Mark Ziegler with a two-point conversion pass following a delay of game penalty with under a minute to go. Ziegler’s only other two receptions on the day were for touchdowns.

Tim Peshek led the NIU rushing attack with 92 yards and Marshall Taylor ran for three scores.

NIU 41, Toledo 5

“This is the most complete game we’ve played since I have been at Northern Illinois,” Pettibone said after the blowout. The Huskies outgained the Rockets 457 yards to 189. Big plays came on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Marshall Taylor to tight end Kent Iwema and a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Rodney Taylor.

NIU’s defense had a pseudo-shutout as the only Toledo scores came on a Darren Monnett punt blocked out of the end zone and a five-yard drive to set up the field goal after another miscue in the punting game.

NIU 27, SW Missouri St. 21

The Bears’ flight was delayed the morning of the game, forcing the contest to be moved back two hours. When the battle between the two option offenses finally got under way, the Division I-AA team gave the Huskies a fight, grabbing a 21-17 lead late in the third quarter. NIU responded with a touchdown and field goal in the fourth quarter to raise its record to 3-2-1.

Cal State-Fullerton 21, NIU 20

The second of the two-point heartbreaking plays for the Huskies. This time it was NIU that scored late—on the final play of the game—but Keith Hurley was pushed out of bounds short of the goal line. Kent Iwema, moved to fullback, scored two touchdowns, including the last one after the Huskies had driven 61 yards in 54 seconds to pull within one point.

Ball State 42, NIU 17

NIU was flat out beaten in this contest as the Cardinals scored 21 points in the first quarter. The Huskies had a chance to get back in the game late in the first half. Trailing 28-10, NIU was unable to stop Ball State on a 3rd-and-7 play as BSU halfback Bernie Parmalee broke an 82-yard run to set up another Cardinal touchdown.

NIU 29, Western Illinois 14

An interception in the end zone by Randall Townsel (who led NIU with five on the season) late in the third quarter preserved a 20-14 Huskie lead.

Iwema led the Huskies with 106 yards rushing as he became the first non-quarterback of the year to eclipse the 100-yard barrier.

Akron 27, NIU 21

Gerry Faust brought his Zips into DeKalb and left with a victory when Marshall Taylor threw an interception in the final minute. However, Taylor did score two touchdowns to help the Huskies battle back from a 21-7 halftime deficit. The junior quarterback also moved into the No. 2 position in NIU total offense.

Zip defensive back Chris Frowner made 14 tackles, intercepted a pass and caused two fumbles to help spoil the NIU seniors’ final home game.

NIU 34, Nev-Las Vegas 31

The Huskies ended the year on ESPN and grabbed a 31-10 lead early in the third quarter, mainly behind the rushing of Taylor, who ran for a career-high 209 yards before leaving the game with a broken ankle.

Elbert “Ickey” Woods, who led the nation in rushing, ran for three touchdowns to tie the game. But this time—as opposed to the Lamar, Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, Cal State-Fullerton and Akron games—the Huskies pulled out a close victory when Ivanic booted a 35-yard field goal with 1:40 remaining in the game and season.