If you listen to any opposing coaches midweek press conference before they are slated to face NIU, you will hear junior quarterback Jordan Lynch’s name.

While this is not without good reason, as Lynch is putting up numbers at an astonishing pace, other players have stepped up in key moments for the Huskies.

The most recent example was last week against Akron when redshirt sophomore Giorgio Bowers forced a fumble on a kick-off return to set up a touchdown scoring drive by Lynch and company.

Another example is against BCS squad Kansas, when junior defensive end Joe Windsor came up with two fourth quarter sacks, one of them aiding in turning the ball over on downs.

Even special teams players have excelled in roles when called upon, as NIU has successfully run two fake punts for first downs this season, one by the senior punter himself, Ryan Neir.

Place-kicker Matthew Sims has also found himself in on the trickery, converting a fake field goal for a touchdown.

When a team can get production from unlikely sources in addition to what’s expected, it not only gives them a statistical edge, but it also gives them a mental edge over opposing teams.

While NIU is not without it’s stars and big names, it’s a formula that has worked before in professional sports. The strength of an entire team working together and everyone doing their job is often capable of taking down those with much more star-power. Look to the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons, who with the likes of Lindsey Hunter, Corliss Williamson, Mehmet Okur and Elden Campbell coming off the bench defeated a Lakers squad with Hall of Famers Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

A more biased example would be the 2005 Chicago White Sox, who received huge plays from unlikely sources, such as Geoff Blum’s 14th inning game-winnng home run against the Houston Astros.

I’m not saying that NIU is in a position to take down premier colleges across the nation, but it is showing it they has enough team cohesiveness to make a legitimate run in repeating as MAC champions.

With a top-five ranked red zone defense and a quarterback who is second in the nation in rushing, NIU has all the skills necessary to be playing significant football come the end of November.