Note to MAC teams: Don’t make Sam Hurd angry. You won’t like him when he’s angry.

Don’t believe me? Ask Miami-Ohio.

All week Hurd had to hear about how good the RedHawk receivers were. How they were supposed to be the best receiving corps in the MAC.

Let’s just say Hurd took it personally. And all week he made it his business to make Miami eat its words.

And as the game kicked off, Hurd already figured on turning the RedHawks into sparrows.

Then Miami’s cornerbacks decided to harass him.

Bad move.

Hurd decided burning them wasn’t bad enough. Embarrassment was much better. The senior went off for 223 yards on seven catches and two touchdowns.

On a third-and-12 play, Hurd caught a 60-yard touchdown pass. Then in the second quarter, Hurd dragged one of those cornerbacks 30 yards for a 58-yard gain.

Not bad for a guy who said he was “a little steamed.”

Imagine if he was enraged. What’s he going to do; 350 yards and five touchdowns?

So far this season Hurd has caught 33 passes for 533 yards and eight touchdowns.

Or in other words, six catches, 235 yards, and five touchdowns more than all of last season. Where did this come from?

“I always told myself that I was real good,” Hurd said. “Now I’m starting to believe it.”

Starting to? Believe it, bud.

Before this season I didn’t know if NIU had a go-to receiver. I’m officially eating my words.

Hurd has been everything and more. Every time the Huskies have needed a big play, Hurd always seems to be in the picture.

With all the hype around Garrett Wolfe and the running game, Hurd is having the season fans should be talking about.

Without his 14 catches, NIU would never have been able to come back against Akron.

And wasn’t it No. 84 who made three big catches against Northwestern on the final drive?

Yes, the Huskies are a running team and always will be. But let’s give credit where credit is due.

Maybe Hurd has been an underachiever through three seasons, or maybe he’s just been lost in the shadows of previous receivers.

But whatever it was, the current Hurd is nothing like the Hurd of old. And No. 84 is making sure every team he faces realizes that.

And if they don’t, he’ll make sure they regret it.