DeKALB | After coaching Nebraska to a 10-3 record in 2003, Ohio University football coach Frank Solich was fired.

After taking a year off, Solich returned to coaching last fall, leading Ohio to a 4-7 record.

Solich and the Bobcats will bring a 1-0 mark to Huskie Stadium at 2 p.m. Saturday against an NIU team that lost 35-12 to No. 1 Ohio State last week.

“I’d like to think we’ll be hungry as heck to play Saturday,” said coach Joe Novak. “I don’t think we felt we played like we’re capable of against Ohio State.”

But how hungry NIU will be is hard to say. Running back Garrett Wolfe ran for 171 yards against OSU, or 27 more yards than Ohio’s offense produced in its 29-3 win over Division I-AA Tennessee-Martin last week.

“We’re expecting a typical MAC game,” said NIU senior safety Dustin Utschig. “Everyone seems to change their attitude because everyone is going for that ring.”

Novak said he realizes Wolfe, the MAC West Offensive Player of the Week, can’t be a one-man offensive show.

The 5-foot-7 Chicago native accounted for 285 of NIU’s 343 yards on offense against OSU.

Defensively, the Huskies’ secondary was torched for three passing touchdowns in the first quarter by OSU quarterback Troy Smith and his receiving corps.

NIU quarterback Phil Horvath didn’t get his first touchdown toss until 10:27 left in the game last week. That pass was to Wolfe, who also had five catches for 114 yards in addition to scoring the Huskies lone touchdown.

Horvath admitted in the OSU post-game conference that he didn’t play his best game, but Novak assured everyone that No. 3 will start for NIU come Saturday.

“Did Phil play great? No,” Novak said. “Phil’s a fifth-year senior, not a rookie. If we didn’t have a second quarterback like Dan, we don’t have this problem. Phil can, and we expect him to play better.

“Our kids got a lot of hype in the preseason. A slap in the face may not have hurt us here.”

Sean Connor is an NIU football beat reporter for the Northern Star.