Ask and you shall receive.

Coming into Saturday’s game against Idaho, NIU football head coach Joe Novak was looking for big plays from his team. The result: four sacks from defensive end Larry English and three defensive touchdowns en route to a 42-35 non-conference win.

But just as it has been all year long, the Huskies weren’t able to put away their opponent after jumping out to a big lead. NIU led 35-7 late into the second quarter but had to scratch and claw its way to a victory after scoring only one touchdown in the second half.

Idaho cut the NIU lead to 42-35 with one minute left in the game and then, deja vou: The Vandals recovered an on-side kick, putting themselves in position to tie the game or take the lead. A quarterback sack, however, by senior Adam Schroeder on fourth down gave the Huskies the ball and the win.

Early on, it looked as if the Vandals were poised to run all over the NIU defense as Idaho running back Deonte Jackson led the Vandals down the field and scored on a touchdown run to give Idaho a 7-0 lead.

Northern answered back as Dan Nicholson connected with Matt Simon on a 59-yard touchdown pass on third and five to tie the game.

Idaho was set to take the lead once again until cornerback Chase Carter intercepted a Nathan Enderle pass on first and goal and returned it for a touchdown late in the first quarter, giving NIU a 14-7 lead.

The Huskies built their lead to 21-7 in the second quarter when Nicholson found wide receiver Britt Davis in the back of the end zone.

Another big defensive play came when Jeff Fontana blocked and recovered an Idaho punt in the end zone, giving NIU a 28-7 lead.

They didn’t stop there. English sacked Enderle, causing him to fumble and English recovered the ball in the end zone with four minutes left in the second quarter, resulting in a 35-7 Huskie lead.

The Vandals cut the lead to 35-14 just before halftime on a punt return for a touchdown from Shiloh Keo.

NIU scored for the final time in the third quarter when running back Justin Anderson, who finished with 165 yards on 35 carries, plowed into the end zone, giving NIU 42 points, its highest point total of the season.