With names like LeShon Johnson, Michael Turner and Garrett Wolfe carrying the ball, the Huskies have made the running game their trademark attack.

But heading into its annual showdown with Toledo today, the injury-decimated NIU rushing corp will sprint into a Rocket defense that knows how to derail the game plan.

For six straight years, NIU has boasted a potent running attack that has produced a 1,000-yard rusher. Last season, junior running back Wolfe ran for 1,656 yards and led the nation in scoring.

Coach Joe Novak said on multiple occasions the Huskies are a running team, first and foremost.

But if there is one team that has solved the Huskie offense, it is Toledo. Prior to the 2004 meeting, the Huskies averaged 238 rush yards per game and 35 points per contest. But when Toledo came to DeKalb, the Huskies only managed 85 rush yards and one touchdown. In total, the NIU offense gained 180 yards to Toledo’s 512 and managed only 10 first downs.

Going into this year’s contest, the run game looks more vulnerable than ever. The Rocket defense is a formidable unit once again. It leads the MAC in scoring defense at 19 points per game, and is second in both passing and rush defense. Wolfe has missed three straight games with a knee sprain and backup senior running back A.J. Harris is battling shoulder and ankle injuries.

But Wolfe has practiced with the team and is listed as a game-time decision by Novak, despite the sprain that has caused him to limp noticeably ever since.

“He’s practiced the last couple days,” Novak said. “He’s not 100 percent. We’re going to play it by ear. He’s made good progress. But I got to see that he is 100 percent or we’d be crazy to put him out there.”

With Wolfe out of the lineup, the NIU running game has suffered. In the past two games, the Huskies managed only 72 rushing yards, bringing the season average down from 203 yards per game to 189.

“Not having Garrett is part of it,” Novak said. “People have put eight or nine people in the box and they’ve made us one dimensional. It’s been difficult. Plus [CMU] had a very good front. But we came out throwing and had success.”

To compensate for the drop in output, NIU took to the air last week at Central Michigan. Junior Phil Horvath and redshirt freshman Dan Nicholson combined to throw for 435 yards and three touchdowns, with senior wide receiver Sam Hurd accounting for all the scores. In order to beat Toledo, senior wideout Shatone Powers said the Huskies need the passing game to have a chance.

“A lot of teams are making us pass first and run second,” Powers said. “Luckily we have good quarterbacks. We need to keep playing our role as receivers. We got a good group of guys who give it their all. It’s showing how NIU is becoming a passing team.”