Clapping, cheering, booing and screaming. Decked out in the Huskie cardinal and black, dozens of very vocal NIU fans made their way to Fatty’s Pub and Grille, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, Saturday afternoon.

Fans packed the pub for the chance to enjoy $2 drinks and what they hoped would be an NIU victory.

As the staff at Fatty’s turned up the sound, every big screen TV displayed the NIU game. Even though the video feed came through the Idaho State network, the NIU faithful were not deterred as they ordered another round. Fans wanted to make sure they were well-equipped for kickoff.

After each team went three-and-out on their first possessions, the bar erupted when NIU’s Patrick George plowed into Idaho’s punt returner before the ball had even arrived. Of course, NIU was docked 15 yards for a personal foul, but no Huskie had made a hit like that all year.

A collective sigh and echoes of an NIU blowout loss swept over the bar when Idaho marched down the field and scored the first touchdown. Some tried to flag down their server and order a quick beer, with fears that NIU would be in for a long day.

However, high-fives followed when Dan Nicholson hit Matt Simon for a 59-yard touchdown pass.

“We need more of that out of these receivers,” said Mark Roule of Belvidere, as he sipped on a Captain and Coke. “Nicholson hasn’t been great this season but the receivers gotta help out.”

Screams of “Go, Go, Go!” on Idaho’s very next possession came when NIU cornerback Chase Carter intercepted Nathan Enderle’s pass and returned it for another Huskie touchdown.

The NIU defense made one big play after another and pretty soon, NIU was out to a 35-7 lead. Some were sure that NIU would hang on while others were weary of the outcome, knowing how the past two Huskie games turned out.

“Hey, they got it clinched,” said senior finance major Ryan Seeden. “At this point, all I can really concentrate on are the waitresses.”

However, the guy at the table next to Seeden had a far different and more sober take on it.

“It’s still a little shaky,” said Dave Waltrip of Rochelle. “The second half hasn’t been good to us and we need to continue to play aggressive.”

A boring second half up until the final few minutes of the game left many talking about how bad Notre Dame is and whether or not the Cubs will hang on to win Central.

But attention soon turned back to the game and calls for a whole new NIU coaching staff fell over the bar when the Vandals recovered an onside kick with a chance to win.

With words slurring and glasses close to empty, a final cheer erupted when Enderle was sacked by NIU’s Larry English on fourth-and-10 to give NIU the victory.