Editor’s Note: The following stories developed from the minds of the Northern Star sports reporters. The likelihood of these events ever occurring range from plausible to extremely unlikely. However, if the events do happen, you heard it here first.

Being in need of a desperate lift, the Chicago Bears found one from the smallest and most unlikely of places.

Starting running back Adrian Peterson injured his knee on the first play of the game. The Bears then had to rely on rookie running back Garrett Wolfe.

Wolfe ran over the Green Bay Packers for an NFL record 367 yards and tied a league record with six touchdowns. But even more surprising was the result of the game, as the Bears lost 54-49 on a last second Hail Mary pass by quarterback Brett Favre.

Wolfe broke Viking Adrian Peterson’s record of 296 yards on just 27 rushes, averaging 13.6 yards per carry. The rookie had touchdown runs of seven, 24, 14, 18, 26 and 95 yards.

But despite Wolfe’s amazing performance, as characteristic of the current season, the Bears still found a way to lose the game. A pass interference penalty as time expired put the Packers on the Bears’ 46-yard line and set up Favre’s final heave to the end zone, caught by wide receiver Greg Jennings for the winning touchdown.

— Jon Levanich, staff writer

Huskie Stadium has long been known as the house that Joe Novak built.

But NIU made it official when it renamed the stadium after the recently retired head football coach.

Joe Novak Stadium is still the regular stadium, but with one additional feature: a 16-foot bronze Novak statue in his classic sideline pose. Tailgaters and students will flock to the statue and tell their best Novak story, with stories becoming taller and taller each year.

“I heard that in 1982, Novak was driving along the interstate when he came upon a car parked on the shoulder of the road. Ever the good samaritan, Novak stopped to see what what wrong, and inside the car was a pregnant woman alone. Novak helped the woman and eventually helped her give birth to a boy, and on a whim signed him to a letter of intent. That baby turned out to be Michael Turner,” a drunk college kid will say at the statue.

— Andrew Hansen, sports editor

NIU wasn’t sure who would be its next head coach after Joe Novak retired in 2007.

But nobody expected that former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer would be interested.

Schottenheimer and the Huskies finished the 2008 regular season 12-0. However, NIU fell to Kent State 52-0 in the MAC Championship game Saturday afternoon, costing it a shot at a BCS bowl game.

“We just didn’t execute,” Schottenheimer said after the game. “I don’t know what it is, but every time my teams are in a postseason game we just look flat.”

Saturday’s game marked the seventh consecutive postseason loss for Schottenheimer, dating back to his days in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. The coach’s last postseason win came in the 1993 AFC Divisional Playoff against the Houston Oilers.

— Steve Nitz, staff writer

After coaching NIU for the last three seasons, women’s basketball coach Carol Owens brought her jersey out of retirement.

Owens discovered in December that she had one year of collegiate eligibility left.

Despite not playing college basketball since 1990, Owens didn’t show any signs of rust. The forward dominated the MAC and ultimately won the Huskies a MAC championship.

Owens averaged a triple-double during the MAC tournament, going for 18 points, 15 boards and 10 blocks a game.

The super senior, however, saved her best for the MAC championship game. Owens carried NIU to a 147-16 victory over Bowling Green, as she scored a MAC record 72 points in just 12 minutes of play.

She wasn’t done there however, as after halftime Owens switched into her work clothes and coached the Huskies during the second half.

— Andy Pruski, staff writer

Sophomore Demetrius Jones changed his mind again.

He announced his decision to finally enroll at NIU, but he will not play football for the Huskies.

Jones lost his starting job as quarterback for Notre Dame after a dismal performance in a loss to Georgia Tech in the opening game of the season. Jones then decided to leave the Fighting Irish to play for the Huskies, but reneged and enrolled at Cincinnati.

Upon arrival at Cincinnati, Jones discovered he did not like the food available on campus. He heard from friends that NIU had top-notch dining facilities, and that played a huge factor in his decision to enroll at NIU.

“Their food sucked,” Jones said. “The pizza tastes like cardboard and there are little bugs floating in the orange juice.”

Jones, however, will not play a down for the Huskies, as he suffered a career-ending injury. The quarterback fell down the steps in the Lincoln dining hall while heading to get a Lincoln Philly.

“Well, at least the sandwich was good,” Jones said.

The former quarterback will now live with his final decision to work as a ball boy for NIU.

“Football is my life,” Jones said. “It kind of sucks that I won’t be able to play in a game, but at least I can still be a part of the action and touch the game balls.”

— Derrick Smith, staff writer