When Garrett Wolfe had started at running back, the NIU football team had never lost a MAC game. That was until NIU met Akron Sept. 24.

The lone blemish on an otherwise sterling conference record for the junior tailback was the 48-42 overtime loss at Akron two months ago. The Zips’ front four stymied Wolfe into a career-low 52 rushing yards, a fact that the Huskies’ No. 7 all-time rushing leader has not quickly forgotten.

“I think we all have a sweet spot for Akron,” Wolfe said. “The thing that Akron did was they moved around a lot and created a lot of havoc. But I think it was more we beat ourselves than they beat us. We weren’t communicating.”

The effort was almost 112 yards off Wolfe’s season average, and with the junior effectively neutralized, the Zips’ passing game took over. Led by 406 yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Luke Getsy, Akron was able to build a 21-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Only a furious aerial rally by junior quarterback Phil Horvath in the fourth quarter sent the game into overtime, but it was not enough for a victory.

But NIU redshirt freshman quarterback Dan Nicholson did not play in that game, and he is expecting the Huskies to be much better prepared for the tricky Akron defensive line.

“We know they did a real good job against our run game last time,” Nicholson said. “They’re really good up front. I don’t think we looked passed them. We’re really working hard to not let that happen again.”

While the running game was canceled out and Horvath was sacked five times by the Zips, the NIU offensive line looks to be back to its old reliable form. After facing four straight blitzing defenses to end the season, the offensive line looks more prepared than ever for Akron. Against Western Michigan last week, Wolfe ran for a season-high 277 yards and five touchdowns, while Nicholson wasn’t touched by WMU’s defenders.

“Our offense has adjusted real well,” senior wide receiver Sam Hurd said. “We’ve been practicing picking up the blitz a lot. And as receivers, we are calling out blitzes when we see them.”

Hurd was the main recipient of the Huskies’ passing game in the two teams’ last meeting, as he had 14 catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Now with Wolfe at full health, the offensive line clicking and Nicholson yet to lose a game in his young career, Hurd feels confident in predicting a big offensive output.

“We expect our run game to be there,” Hurd said. “We expect 400 passing yards and 300 rushing yards. The stats [Wolfe] put up last week, he’ll duplicate them. It’s not even a revenge game. We want that ring.”