Head coach Joe Novak knew the Huskies needed to make big plays in order to beat Idaho over the weekend. That’s exactly what he got and then some.

Not only was junior defensive end Larry English named MAC Defensive Player of the Week, but English was also named the Football Writers Association of America/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.

The Marmion Academy product became the first Huskie to receive the award after setting a school record with five sacks and five quarterback pressures along with a career-high 12 tackles in NIU’s 42-35 win over Idaho on Saturday. English also caused and recovered a fumble in the end zone for his first career touchdown.

The junior now leads the MAC in sacks with six and is ranked second nationally.

“He made a lot of big plays for us at Idaho,” Novak said. “Sometimes you can have five sacks and they might be at garbage time, but Larry’s were all big and at key times. It was an outstanding game for him.”

Jersey mix up

Some may have been confused during Saturday’s game as No. 43 got the bulk of the carries for NIU. Thanks to a mix up in sizes for the away jerseys, Justin Anderson wasn’t wearing his familiar No. 21 jersey. Whatever the number, the sophomore rushed for 167 yards on 35 carries, vaulting him to third in the MAC with 416 yards.

Simon says

Junior wide receiver Matt Simon recorded his first 100-yard receiving game at Idaho as he caught four passes for 115 yards. Simon now leads all Huskie receivers with 198 yards. The Minnesota native also came through with his first blocked punt against Idaho. The block came in the second quarter and Jeff Fontana recovered it in the end zone to put NIU up 28-7.

Game of firsts

Thanks to injuries affecting a total of nine starters, some underclassmen have gotten more playing time than expected. True freshmen John Hopkins and D.J. Pirkle saw their first action at the college level against Idaho and fellow true freshman Ron Newcomb is on the two-deep list.

Punting away

NIU punter Andy Dittbenner had a day to remember at Idaho as he punted eight times for an average of 47.8 yards per kick, his highest single game average. The junior also had a career-long 60 yard kick in the third quarter.

Game of firsts

Four games into the season, cornerback Chase Carter tallied the first interception of the year for the Huskies when he returned a Nathan Enderle pass 95 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. The interception return was the longest scoring play for NIU since Sept. 30, 2000.