Larry English didn’t even realize it.

He had just sacked Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman, his second sack of the game, and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Craig Rusch and returned for a touchdown.

He didn’t know he had just broken NIU’s career sacks record.

“I didn’t know exactly how many I had to get,” English said.

English’s two sacks pushed his total to eight on the season and 31.5 for his career.

“It’s definitely a great honor to accomplish something like that,” English said. “With that said, those individuals don’t come alone; I didn’t do that all by myself. It took a team effort.”

English’s eight sacks come after a 2007 season in which he recorded 10.5 sacks and was named the MAC MVP. The Aurora native was also a first team All-MAC selection in 2006 when he recorded 12 sacks and had four forced fumbles.

“It’s a thing where Larry’s played very hard and played very well,” said NIU head coach Jerry Kill. “When you work as hard as he does and play as well, you get a lot of rewards for it. It’s great for him and it’s a tribute to his work ethic.”

English will play his final game at Huskie Stadium tonight and possibly his final collegiate game should the Huskies fail to receive a bowl bid.

“I don’t think the thought of it being my last game at Huskie Stadium has really hit me yet,” English said. “I can’t really suspect what I’ll be feeling exactly.”

After his career is over, English will head to the NFL. Draft Countdown ranks English as the No. 6 defensive end in this year’s draft class.