Two crashing shots from the cannon in the south end zone did more than ring a final note on a 35-23 NIU football loss. It signaled deja-vu.

After a 2005 season that ended in heartbreak, this was the year for NIU to finally win the MAC Championship.

Everyone was predicting it. And why not?

NIU has the nation’s leading returning rusher in Garrett Wolfe, Phil Horvath who led the nation in pass completion last year, and Chris Nendick who’s converted 96 consecutive extra points.

And on the other side of the ball, there’s a defense that has grown up compared to last season… or did I speak too soon?

Coming into the second week of the season, Ohio had only four third down conversions out of fourteen attempts and 144 yards of offense.

All of these came against a Division I-AA team.

Definitely an easier offense to handle than No. 1 Ohio State.

Yet the Bobcats ran wild with 509 yards of offense while converting 11 of 16 third downs.

Three of those conversions came in a fourth-quarter drive in which Ohio ate away at the clock for 6 minutes and 38 seconds — time that NIU could have desperately used.

That same Division I-AA team made Ohio quarterback Austen Everson get up close and personal with the ground as he was sacked twice in the first week.

Everson had enough time against NIU to watch water boil before he threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns.

Ohio’s receivers were so open that Everson completed 23 of 31 attempts, two of which flew over the Huskies’ heads for more than 50 yards.

Wherever the defense was, it sure wasn’t at Brigham Field.

To be fair, the NIU defense did win in one defensive aspect: turnovers.

The Huskies’ defense forced the Bobcats to lose the ball twice, letting the offense turn those turnovers into 10 points.

The 19,341 fans that semi-filled Huskie Stadium would have rather seen defensive stops on third downs than living and dying by turnovers.

It seemed it didn’t matter if it was third and one or third and eight. Whatever the situation was, NIU couldn’t stop Ohio from getting a first down.

Yet there is hope.

NIU started last year 1-3 with a loss in conference. The defense started horrendous.

But then a miracle: the defense woke up.

Let’s just hope this time around, the defense wakes up and doesn’t hit the snooze button with 10 seconds left in the championship game.

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