KALAMAZOO, Mich.—This week, 30-plus points was enough to secure a win for the NIU football team—thanks to the killer wishbone and a defense with a flair for the dramatic.

The Huskies took their first 1987 win Saturday with a 34-14 drubbing of the Western Michigan Broncos in front of 12,005 fans at Waldo Stadium. The win moved NIU to 1-1 on the young season, while Western Michigan dropped to 1-2. It was the fourth consecutive time the Huskies have beaten Western Michigan.

The NIU wishbone offense clicked for the second straight week, piling up 432 rushing yards as part of a 508-yard offensive display. Quarterback Marshall Taylor, who once again shared time with Pete Genatempo, led all comers with a career-high 163 yards on 16 carries.

But the difference between the heartbreaking loss to Lamar and Saturday’s convincing win was a big-play defense, featuring four interceptions—all of which killed scoring threats.

ead coach Jerry Pettibone said he had told his players before the game the tale would be told by making the breaks.

“I was extremely pleased with the play of the defense,” said Pettibone, his voice customarily hoarse. “Going into the game we had told our players that there was going to be some situations—invariably there is in every game—where we were going to have to rise up, we were going to have to make the big play to overcome adversity.”

Pettibone said two Huskie interceptions ending first-half Bronco drives were “very important, especially to our defense, as far as changing momentum.”

The first break came in the second quarter when WMU quarterback Dave Kruse tried to fire one in to Jamie Hence on a quick post from the NIU 8-yard line. NIU linebacker Tony Savegnago tipped the pass in the air, and safety Brett Tucker hauled it in, returning it 52 yards and killing a six-play, 60-yard Bronco drive.

Then, with 20 seconds left in the half, Kruse tried once again to hit Hence, this time from the NIU 20. Linebacker Mike Manson picked it off at the 9-yard line, allowing the Huskies to hit halftime with a 21-0 lead.

Two later interceptions came by Randall Townsel on a bomb to Hence at the NIU 16 and by Rufus Taylor at the Huskie 8, a break made possible by blitzing linebackers Savegnago and Ron Delisi.

The 21 first-half points were all products of lengthy drives. The Huskies set the tone on their first possesion, a nine-play, 71-yard drive that led to a Rodney Taylor cakewalk from the three to make it 7-0.

On the Huskies’ very first play, Marshall Taylor—whose efforts included a 55-yard run in the third quarter—used a pitch fake to spring him for a 32-yard gain. The play exposed the Broncos’ difficulty in reading the wishbone options. The Huskies marched down the field time and again, meeting with only token resistance along the way.

“Obviously,” Bronco coach Al Molde said, “Northern is a great offensive football team.”

Tony Davis and Keith Hurley each notched touchdowns in the second quarter, ending drives of 11 and eight plays, respectively. Davis and Hurley followed Marshall Taylor on the game’s rushing list, with Davis netting 77 yards and Hurley 52. Although the Bronco defense was ineffectual, their vaunted passing game did put up some numbers. In between his gaffes, Kruse set three WMU passing records—attempts (41), completions (26) and yards (325).

“I don’t give a damn about the records,” said Kruse, who took responsibility for his team’s defeat. “Each time we got down to the 30 or so, we self-destructed. I made some bad plays and underthrew Jamie a few times.”

The Broncos were shut out through three quarters, and not only due to the turnovers. The Bronco ground game managed only 30 yards on 26 carries, and the team converted just 4 of 13 third-down conversions.

“Shoot—he (Kruse) can set all the records he wants,” said NIU assistant Mike Sabock, who pointed out WMU scored their two fourth-quarter touchdowns on Huskie reserves. “How many interceptions did we have? And how many return yards did we get off of them? I thought our black shirts (starters) did a great job.”

Defensive coordinator Tim McGuire said other than occasionally blitzing inside linebackers Savegnago and Delisi, his sqaud didn’t do too much differently than against Lamar.

“We played Lamar about as well, but they (Lamar) had better field position,” McGuire said. “And today we had the turnovers. That’s the name of the game.”