NIU football head coach Joe Novak has had the same goals since he took over the program in 1996: win a Mid-American Conference championship and a bowl game.

The MAC championship trophy has proved to be an elusive goal for the Huskies, however. NIU has tied for first or second in the MAC West standings for four-straight seasons, but never won its division outright.

Last season the second part of Novak’s yearly goal was realized. After posting an 8-3 regular-season record, NIU went on to beat Troy University 34-21 in the Silicon Valley Football Classic, the Huskies first postseason appearance since 1983, when the team won the California Bowl.

“We’re coming off a bowl game – better yet, a bowl game victory,” Novak said. “I can’t tell you what that did for morale. We had a great time and it’s really been a motivator for our first two non-conference games.”

OFFENSE

Novak uses a single-back offense that relies on a strong, steady running game. Novak has produced running backs who have rushed for 1,000 or more yards for the last six seasons, including returning junior tailback Garrett Wolfe.

Running backs – Wolfe was the mainstay of the Huskies offense last season, rushing for 1,656 net yards. The 5-foot, 7-inch, 174-pound Chicago native is a speedy, elusive back. Given that Wolfe is the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s No. 2 returning scorer (11.5 points per game in 2004) and No. 3 returning rusher (150.5 yards per game in 2004), NIU will likely rely on him for much of its predominantly run-based offense.

Wolfe is backed up by senior A.J. Harris, who at 6 feet, 1 inch and 221 pounds provides the size and strength to balance Wolfe’s agility. Harris ran for 822 yards last season while battling an ankle injury, and started 2004 as No. 1 on the depth chart.

“I’d like to think we have one of the best running tandems in the country,” Novak said. “You’re going to see A.J. more this year, and you’ll see both he and Garrett on the field at the same time.”

Quarterback – NIU will rely on junior quarterback Phil Horvath to run the offense this season. When third-year starter Josh Haldi suffered a stress fracture in his right foot last season, Horvath took over and produced mixed results. In his third game against Iowa State University last season, Horvath threw four interceptions, two of which were returned for defensive touchdowns in NIU’s 48-41 loss to the Cyclones. In the following game against Bowling Green State University, Horvath redeemed himself, completing 16 of 23 passes for 191 yards in NIU’s 34-17 victory.

The Huskies had four players battling for No. 1 quarterback spot in the off-season, but Novak named Horvath the starter based upon his experience last season.

Offensive Line – Harris attributed the Huskies running success in 2004 to a strong and experienced O-line.

“Our line is absolutely unbelievable,” Harris said. “We ask them to do things most linemen don’t and they do it all.”

This year’s offensive line will not be much different from 2004’s. The Huskies will lose the presence of graduated seniors Jake VerStraete and Matt McGhghy, who both went on to NFL camps, but will return a wealth of talent in left tackle Doug Free, left guard Ben Lueck and center Brian Van Acker, who started last season; right tackle Matt Rogers and right guard Jake Ebenhoch both have starting experience from years prior.

Tight End – While junior tight end Jake Nordin may have played understudy to last year’s starter, Brad Cieslak, Nordin still played in all 12 of NIU’s games last season, often as an “R” – a hybrid of running back and tight end. The 6-foot, 4-inch 253-pounder was predicted as a third-team All-MAC player and should provide enough experience to fill the void Cieslak’s graduation left in the lineup. For Novak the problem will not be Nordin’s ability, but the position’s depth.

Receivers – The Huskies lost last year’s top receiver Dan Sheldon to graduation, but return two athletic receivers in Shatone Powers and Sam Hurd. Both combined for 546 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season. Novak said he expects both to have breakout years.

DEFENSE

NIU’s attack 4-3 will be led by a strong defensive line, but the Huskies may falter if opposing quarterbacks can escape being sacked. Novak will be forced to play freshmen in at linebacker and secondary positions, and called both positions “real question marks” for the upcoming season.

Defensive Line – The Huskies return the core of their defensive line in left end Ken West, defensive tackle Eric Pittman, Zach Holycross, nose tackle Marty Wilson and right end Quince Holman. Larry English, who was sidelined with a left ankle sprain last season, will also contribute.

Linebackers – Perhaps the biggest void NIU will have to fill will be at the linebacker position. The team graduated 2004 starters Jason Hawkins and Brian Atkinson, a First-Team All-MAC selection – and will play without its top returner, Javan Lee, also a First-Team All-MAC player. Lee will sit out the season for academic reasons.

“We’re very weak at linebacker, and we may have to start two freshmen,” Novak said.

Senior Jason Hutton will start at middle linebacker and will likely play alongside freshmen T.J. Griffin and athletic North Chicago prep standout, Josh Allen.

Secondary – Senior strong safety Ray Smith’s 83 solo tackles were the most from an NIU defensive back since 2002. Smith will be Novak’s “coach on the field,” as the most experienced returnee. Smith will be flanked by junior free safety Dustin Utschig, who played in all of the Huskies’ 12 games in the 2003 season and only missed two games in the middle of the 2004 season due to a right hand fracture. NIU will likely shuffle twins Adriel Hansbro and Alvah Hansbro at cornerback, both of whom are returning juniors.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Placekicker – The Huskies were faced with the daunting task of replacing the best kicker in school history before the beginning of last season. NIU got its replacement in the form of freshman Chris Nendick, who finished his first season a Third-Team All-MAC selection. Nendick, now a sophomore, has an excellent range, easily capable of a 55-yard kick in practice, and good accuracy – but was often deterred by nail-biting situations and winds last season.

Punter – The Huskies will rely on All-State kicker Andy Dittbenner as punter. The freshman out of Bloomington was a team captain and offensive MVP in high school, but his success will depend on his ability to adjust quickly to big-game settings.

Kick returners – NIU will have a fearful returning duo in kick returners Wolfe and Harris. Wolfe finished No. 2 in kickoff return yards last season for the Huskies with 231 yards on 11 carries. Harris returned 57 yards in three carries.

SEASON OUTLOOK

The Huskies are an athletic team that will pressure other teams with an aggressive and talented offense, but their inexperienced linebacker corps and secondary will struggle against teams with a pass-oriented offense.

The Huskies had a strong offseason and arguably the best recruitment class in the MAC, but it could take several games for new additions to adapt, especially against its first two Big Ten opponents, No. 4 Michigan Saturday and Northwestern University Sept. 10.

Inexperience will be the main weakness of the young Huskie team. While talented, NIU will likely have to work out kinks in its defense, and may have to deal with interception problems from Horvath. If teams can shut down the Wolfe and Harris running combination, the Huskies will be in trouble.

Novak’s goal will again be to gain NIU’s first MAC championship trophy, but the team will need to beat conference rival and 2004 champion University of Toledo. The Rockets have beaten the Huskies 11 consecutive times.

MATCH AGAINST MICHIGAN

Novak is confident that his team can play to the level of the Wolverines, but NIU will be forced to get rid of the first-game jitters early if they want to compete with No. 4 Michigan at the “Big House” in Ann Arbor.

“I look forward to Michigan. They’re obviously a great football team,” Novak said. “But we’re going there to play, not just for a payday.”

The Huskies have knocked-off top opponents such as the University of Maryland, Wake Forest University and the University of Alabama in recent seasons, so an upset is not outside NIU’s boundaries, but the real test for the Huskies will be staying in the game and not allowing the Wolverines to pulverize their inexperienced defense.