TOLEDO, Ohio – Even before last night’s game started, all eyes were looking for No. 1.

Rumors had been swirling for days prior to the game about whether Garrett Wolfe would play. Having missed three games in a row due to a knee strain, coaches said it would be a game-time decision.

But there he was.

Standing in at 5-foot-7, who knew confidence could come in such a small package? But when that frame belongs to Wolfe, you understand why.

Since his injury, NIU’s running attack had been in a decline. And with the injury to A.J. Harris, the Huskies were looking to go into their biggest game of the year with an unproven backfield.

But just when NIU needed him most, Wolfe was there.

The junior rushed for 177 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns, including a 64-yarder in the fourth quarter to seal NIU’s first victory over Toledo since 1989.

But Wolfe wasn’t just bringing a boost to his teammates; he was also making it up to them.

Last season, when NIU needed him most, Wolfe wasn’t even in the stadium.

A punch to the eye the night before the game left him out of the game, and left NIU without its top weapon. NIU would go on to lose the game and rush for only 85 yards.

“I felt like I let the team down last year,” Wolfe said. “Missing that game makes [the win] that much more important. And it allows me to get back what I lost last year.”

A year later, Wolfe more than made up for him missing in action. The boost he brought to his teammates was incredible, and the presence he brought with him was something NIU needed, said NIU coach Joe Novak.

Wolfe was quarterback Dan Nicholson’s security blanket, his offensive line’s motivation and in the end, Toledo’s nightmare.

And while NIU finally got the load of Toledo off its back, Wolfe got last year’s guilt off his.