*Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part story examining life on the road with the NIU football team. Part two will run in Thursday’s paper.

The NIU football team defeated Miami (Ohio) on Saturday 48-41 in Oxford, Ohio.

That much is known. What is not known to the general public is what went on behind the scenes and in the locker room prior to, during and after the game.With coach Joe Novak’s permission, the Northern Star was able to tag along with the Huskies as they recorded one of their biggest wins in recent years.

Road trip

The seven-hour journey from DeKalb to Oxford started Friday morning at 10:58 when three buses took off from Huskie Stadium. The first bus consisted of assorted support staff while the other two contained offensive and defensive players.

Halfway to Oxford, the convoy stopped somewhere in the heartland of Indiana. There’s nothing quite like the sight of 60 Division I football players dressed up in suits and waiting in line to use the washroom.

For offensive tackle Tim Vincent, long road trips end up being both a nuisance and a good bonding experience.

“We get kind of annoyed; we’re hot, we’re cramped in there, but you get to know the guys on the team pretty well,” said Vincent, one of NIU’s three offensive captains along with the sidelined Thomas Hammock and P.J. Fleck. “You pretty much have to, you’re so cramped in there.”

After going through countless small southern towns and seemingly taking the scenic route, the trio of buses finally made its way to downtown Oxford and the Miami campus.

The buses got no less than five thumbs down from RedHawk fans as they made their way through the beautiful campus to Yager Stadium.

When the players stepped off the buses at the stadium, their jovial attitude witnessed earlier in the trip was gone. In its place was what can only be described as intense concentration.

After the Huskies milled around for a few minutes, they gathered at midfield as linebacker Larry Williams contributed some rubber pellets from Huskie Stadium’s FieldTurf to Yager’s natural grass.

“Let’s have a big one tomorrow, boys,” Novak said before the players went back to the buses.

The walk-through at Yager was to get the Huskies familiar with their surroundings.

“The main reason for that is you just kind of want to see your environment,” Vincent said. “See where the fans are going to be and how the turf is. It’s just to get a feel for what’s going on tomorrow.”

Hotel time

The sky was dark when at last the buses pulled into the NIU team hotel, the Hamiltonian in Hamilton, Ohio.

Thankfully, dinner was the first thing on the agenda at the hotel. As the Huskies filed into the dining room, their look of singular purpose (to eat) was almost frightening.

They didn’t disappoint, either, as many of them proceeded to eat gargantuan amounts of food.

As he chowed down, starting center Todd Ghilani lamented the fact that Wisconsin didn’t recruit him as much as he thought they should have. The Huskies’ 24-21 loss to Wisconsin on Sept. 14 was particularly tough for the Elkhorn, Wis., native.

“We went up there and … almost beat ‘em,” Ghilani sighed.

After the Huskies finished their evening meal, they had a little downtime before a 9:30 p.m. special teams meeting. Linebacker Nick Duffy was in no mood for downtime.

“What’s the forecast tomorrow?” Duffy was asked by strength coach Matt Mangum.

“Pain,” was Duffy’s response. “Lots of pain.”

Vincent was gracious enough to talk about what’s going through his mind the night before game day.

“The night before, I’m just kind of winding down, trying to get focused,” Vincent said. “The closer it gets to game time, the more you get focused. Right now I’m still pretty loose, but I’m visualizing what I have to do tomorrow.

“It’s just kind of a slow countdown to getting ready.”

Special meeting

The special teams meeting was a community effort, as coaches Mike Sabock, Greg Bower and Darrell Funk all took turns addressing the team.

First up was Sabock, who in watching game film of the RedHawks, had noticed something about their punt blocking tendencies.

“They like to take chances underneath the wing,” Sabock said. “Make sure you’re making them go outside. Don’t get lazy.”

Next up was Bower, who told the Huskies to watch out for the pooch punt when the RedHawks are in between field goal and punting territory.

He also talked about the proper technique in trying to block a field goal.

“Get underneath their pads and drive them back,” Bower said. “Get some penetration and get your hands up. Come hard and go get it.”

Funk stressed to the assembled Huskies that special teams can win or lose a ball game.

“Be tough bastards,” Funk said. “We’re going to create some things. Every opportunity is a chance to score some points.”

After the special teams spiel was over, Novak took the floor. He compared the upcoming game to the Central Florida game in 2000.

In that game, the Huskies held the high-powered Golden Knights’ offense to 20 points. NIU also caused and recovered six UCF fumbles.

“Our defense was punishing that day,” Novak said. “We had some big-time hits. Their receivers had short arms as the game wore on.”

Novak then made another analogy.

“It’s going to be like a heavyweight fight,” he said. “Get yourself ready because there’s going to be some punches. They’ll get some, we’ll get some.

“This is what it’s all about. We’re playing games with a lot of meaning.”

Chapel service

The next morning, the Huskies woke up at 9 o’clock for a 9:30 chapel service.

Running back coach DeAndre Smith, who bears at least a passing resemblance to NBA commentator Kenny Smith, filled in as chapel speaker.

He discussed the importance of all aspects of the team working together as one.

As the Huskies waited in line for breakfast after Smith’s 15-minute sermon, Hammock good-naturedly ribbed Smith.

“You seemed like you were nervous up there,” Hammock told Smith. “But you did all right.”

Game time

Breakfast was much the same as dinner the night before as unnatural large quantities of food were eaten.

Offensive and defensive meetings were then held, and defensive coordinator Scott Shafer suggested to his troops that maybe Miami isn’t as good as they’re made out to be.

“Stop the pass and force the run,” Shafer said. “We’re going to beat them up. They’re the most overrated team in the MAC. Always have been. Can anyone tell me the last time they won a MAC championship? 1986.”

Shafer also emphasized how important executing the blitz on Miami quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would be.

“If your number’s called on that blitz, make sure you get home,” Shafer said. “Put that logo right under his chin.”

If the Huskies still were not motivated for the day’s game, the next event changed that.

Highlights from the six prior 2002 games were shown. There were many, but the play that got the biggest reaction from the Huskies was Randee Drew’s 76-yard interception return against Ball State.

On the play, Drew, who runs a 4.42 40-yard dash, was caught from behind by Cardinal quarterback Talmadge Hill. That part wasn’t shown.

Something else was shown, however. It was the look in the Huskies’ eyes. The night before they looked much the same as any college-aged person would.

Now it was a different story. Many of them had the ‘thousand-yard stare’ going. Those eyes had no idea what they were going to witness later at Yager Stadium.