The question of rather or not Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones is playing football for NIU next fall is a distraction, but not of much concern to the team.

“I’m not using it as an excuse, but it’s a distraction and I want to get it solved,” said head coach Joe Novak. “It’s not a factor of us winning or losing and it’s not going to be a factor on this year’s football team.”

Novak said that he hasn’t addressed the team about the issue because he doesn’t know enough about it. The team, however, will try to prevent it from affecting their play.

“It’s not really relevant to our team right now,” said defensive end Larry English.

Going on the defensive

Injuries have been piling up for the Huskies and the whole team is starting to feel the strain.

Aside from the loss of running back Montell Clanton, the Huskies have lost five of their top six defensive tackles, including Craig Rusch this past weekend. As a result, offensive guard Dan Keller has been moved to defensive tackle.

“Many of these knee injuries were non-contact and it’s a freak of nature,” Novak said. “The football gods have not been on our side.”

Hoping for the best

An 0-3 is enough to cause a team to hang its head, but the Huskies will try and stay optimistic.

“We have to start playing with a sense of urgency. We‘re not panicking but our back is against the wall a little bit,” said wide receiver Matt Simon. “We are three or four plays away from being 3-0, and there are still a lot of high hopes for us.”