As a former Huskie football player and alumnus, I was thoroughly impressed with the robust attendance and enthusiasm of the NIU student body at the Ball State game.

They braved the cold weather rather than watch in the warmth of their dorm or apartment. I was also very impressed by the student body at the Orange Bowl, but never got around to writing the Northern Star back then.

This excitement is very helpful to the players. Your passion and enthusiasm is contagious, and the players do get energy and emotion from it. The Ball State coach even commented on the how the noise impacted his team negatively. The national TV audience witnessed a student body that is proud and supportive of their highly respected university.

It appears to me the student body has embraced the team motto: “the hard way.”

It is also good to see the community and the alumni come out in full force to support the hard working, dedicated and extremely gifted players and coaches in adverse weather conditions.

Lastly, I would like to give a shout out to the offensive line for the great work they are doing.

The offensive line is typically overlooked, underappreciated and rarely get their name in the paper: Ryan Brown, Jared Volk, Andrew Ness, Aidan Conlon, Matt Krempel and Tyler Loos.