Head football coach Joe Novak is retired and the program is in transition. With all that’s going on, it’s up to the players to make sure focus remains on next year.

Like a big brother looking after his younger siblings when the parents go on vacation, the captains of the NIU football team – Britt Davis, Larry English, Tim McCarthy and Dan Nicholson – are responsible for keeping everyone in line.

“The captains met and went over things to keep guys focused and locked in,” Davis said. “We don’t want guys to deter away from the main thing that’s going on and cause ruckus to hurt this program. With the head coach stepping down, some guys can tend to get involved in things they shouldn’t be doing just because there’s not a head coach around.”

Davis stressed that the transition period won’t last.

“That’s one thing we put emphasis on. Just because we don’t have a guy now, somebody is going to be in here soon and get this going in the right direction to how it was years ago.”

Even with Saturday’s loss capping off a disappointing 2-10 season, the worst since 1997, captains and players don’t think they’ll see the end of the Novak era.

“I think he did a good job. If he was hiding something, I couldn’t tell,” Davis said. “I thought his passion was still there for the game and that’s just a credit to him and what he wants to do with this football team.”

Players have added comfort knowing Novak will help Athletic Director Jim Phillips and President John Peters to look for a replacement.

“I feel very comfortable with that because [Novak] knows what the team needs and what type of guys we need in this program,” said Justin Anderson, the last 1,000-yard rusher of the Novak era. “With a new guy coming in, I have to meet a new man and be myself. I feel I’m very personable and the team is as a whole. So whoever comes in should have an easy adjustment to adapt to the team.”