Senior wide receiver Sam Hurd and junior offensive tackle Doug Free jumped up for high-fives along the student section sideline. Freshman linebacker Tim McCarthy threw his playing gloves into the stands. And with 18 seconds left, senior strong safety Ray Smith led the team charge onto the field as the Huskies clinched a trip to Detroit with a 42-7 victory over Western Michigan.

On a bitter, windy day before Thanksgiving, junior running back Garrett Wolfe ran wild for five touchdowns as NIU (7-4 overall, 6-2 MAC) won the MAC West Division in front of 18,361 fans. With the win over the Broncos (7-4, 5-2), the Huskies will travel to the MAC Championship game on Thursday at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.

Western Michigan struck first on its first possession with an 80-yard touchdown drive capped by third-string quarterback Robbie Haas. Haas entered the game after freshman quarterback Tim Hiller was carted off the field with a right knee injury and threw a 19-yard touchdown to tight end Tony Scheffler.

But the Broncos would not sniff the end zone the rest of the game as the Huskie run attack took over thanks to 277 yards from Wolfe.

In his second game back from a knee sprain, Wolfe dispelled any doubts about his health with runs of 16 and 35 yards on the game’s first drive. Wolfe compiled 156 yards and three touchdowns in the first half thanks to a dominating performance by his offensive line. The Broncos’ front four effectively were neutralized as the Huskies sealed off defensive ends and opened up huge holes for Wolfe on the edge.

“Once you’re out on the field and you get in a groove, you can feel it,” said senior center Brian Van Acker. “You feel like you can’t be stopped. It’s a great feeling. Plus with a back like Garrett, it’s hard not to have confidence and be successful.”

With Wolfe drawing seven to eight defenders into the box every play, redshirt freshman quarterback Dan Nicholson ran a limited and effective play-action passing attack. While only completing eight of 13 passes for 160 yards, frequently Nicholson found Hurd down field. The receiver hauled in four catches for 119 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown catch between two defenders to make the score 21-7 in the second quarter.

Hurd could have had two scores, but he tripped at the WMU two yard line while hauling in a 42-yard pass from Nicholson with no defender within 15 yards of him.

“Everything worked out,” Hurd said. “Garrett scored two plays later. But I felt like the most worthless athlete ever. I couldn’t pick up the ball. It was coming down like a plane crash. I was about to fair catch it.”

While the NIU offense staked the team to a sizable lead, the Huskie defense dominated Haas and limited running back Trovon Riley to only 47 yards. With senior defensive tackle Quince Holman stuffing the run inside and junior defensive end Ken West registering two sacks, WMU was held to 289 total yards. Junior free safety Dustin Utschig also picked up his third interception in the last two games and registered seven tackles.

“You look at that group from back in September and where they’re playing now, and they’ve gotten a lot better,” NIU coach Joe Novak said. “The last couple weeks they have played with a lot of emotion and confidence. If you’re going to be a good football team, you need four or five surprises every year, kids like Dustin. And he has really played well.”

With the constant quarterback pressure being applied, the NIU secondary picked off Haas twice and held senior wide receiver Greg Jennings in check the entire game. Jennings, the nation’s second-leading receiver in total receiving yards, was limited to 51 and could not get past the constant double teams and cover-two coverage.

“We didn’t match their intensity,” Jennings said. “They smacked us in the mouth and we didn’t smack back.”

The Huskies closed out the scoring in the third quarter with two more touchdown runs from Wolfe to extend the lead to 42-7. As NIU rushed the field at the end of the game, Wolfe ran up and down the sidelines with an enormous smile and a sign that said “Detroit.”

“I don’t even think words can really grasp the way we feel as a team,” Wolfe said. “I think the last time we’ve been to a MAC championship, I wasn’t even a thought. It’s great to celebrate with your teammates, but after we leave here today, it’s done with.”

The Huskies will meet Akron in the MAC Championship game on December 1. With a win, NIU will go to either the Motor City or GMAC bowl games.

“Detroit is beautiful in December,” Novak said with a grin on his face. “I can’t wait.”