DeKALB | Rodney Dangerfield used to make a career by telling his fans, “I tell ya, I get no respect.”

The same could be said for the NIU football team as it gets ready to face Indiana State at 2:05 p.m. in Huskie Stadium on Saturday.

This team, picked to win the MAC, has been picked apart in past weeks.

NIU fans are starting to ask questions about a defense ranked eighth in the MAC, about which quarterback should start and about whether or not they still have a shot at the MAC championship.

But the player who has perhaps been questioned the most is Garrett Wolfe.

With Heisman Trophy aspirations, Wolfe has become the media’s center of attention, and why not?

He’s done everything except throw a 30-yard pass down the field and catch it for a touchdown.

The 5-foot-7 back leads the nation with 210.0 yards per game. That’s over 38 yards better than second place Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma.

Yet Wolfe is ranked seventh in the Heisman watch by ESPN. Five spots below Peterson.

That still hasn’t stopped the senior from being bombarded daily with questions about the trophy. But his answer to every question carries the same theme.

“I’m not in the business of trying to win a Heisman,” Wolfe said. “I’m in the business of trying to win a championship.”

Some may question his modesty, but it doesn’t matter. Perception is what matters.

There’s a perception that a 177-pound running back from a mid-major can’t win the Heisman.

It’s that perception Wolfe and the Huskies have to break to be successful.

“It’s still going to boil down to what Garrett does on the field,” NIU coach Joe Novak said. “And what the competition’s doing.”

Only when those actions speak louder than words will the Huskies finally get their respect.

Ben Gross is a NIU football beat reporter for the Northern Star.