Running out of time

By Steve Brown

COLLEGE PARK, MD – As the final seconds counted down with the Huskies trailing, NIU football coach Joe Novak would have given anything for another timeout.

After Huskies quarterback Phil Horvath, who stepped in for the injured Josh Haldi, completed a pass to tight end Brad Cieslak, 17 seconds remained on the clock. The officials spotted the ball on the 33-yard line, but with only four seconds left, Horvath tried to throw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock.

After coming back from a 17-2 deficit, the Huskies looked as if they could pull off another upset against a Maryland team that held a 19-1 record at home over the last three seasons.

But the clock ran out as No. 22 Maryland won 23-20.

“I don’t want to complain about officiating, but I thought we had time for two plays,” said Novak, whose Huskies beat Maryland 20-13 to begin last season. “At least we would have had a chance at the field goal.”

NIU freshman Chris Nendick made a 21-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter, but a final attempt would have been 53 yards.

Horvath said he thought there would be time for another play, so he threw the ball out of bounds, hoping to stop the clock.

The entire game was a frustrating one for the Huskies. It began with Haldi playing only the first offensive drive. After a 5-yard Haldi run, he limped off the field.

“As soon as I saw that, of course, I grabbed him,” Novak said.

Haldi received doctor’s permission to play in Saturday’s game, but said the running hurt his foot. Haldi was in a cam-walker last week and said the pain first occurred over the summer.

Horvath’s nervousness showed as he played his first collegiate minutes. The 6-foot-3-inch sophomore threw 7-of-16 in the first half with two interceptions. Horvath looked more relaxed in the second half, leading the late NIU charge and finishing 19-of-36 for 219 yards with one touchdown.

“Everything’s a lot faster in the game than practice,” Horvath said. “They ease off the quarterbacks at practice, but I took some big hits. I hadn’t done that since high school, but it helped me get more comfortable.”

NIU took an early lead when the Terrapins fumbled a toss in the end zone for a safety. Maryland responded with 17 unanswered points.

The Huskies remained scoreless until the third quarter, when Horvath connected with running back Garrett Wolfe for a 4-yard touchdown pass.

Tailbacks Wolfe and A.J. Harris led the running game for the Huskies with 24 and 94 yards, respectively.

“It works out well,” Harris said. “Whenever I get tired, Garrett comes right in, and the same with him. We’re both two different running backs, so it kept them guessing.”

After Nick Novak kicked his third field goal of the night, Maryland got the ball back after forcing NIU to punt. Down 23-12 with 5:34 left and Maryland within field-goal range, all hopes for a Huskie comeback looked to be finished.

NIU senior Jason Hawkins recovered a fumble by Maryland quarterback Joel Statham and ran the ball 85 yards for a touchdown, making the score 23-20.

Maryland was forced to punt on its next drive, but managed to shave time off the clock while burning two NIU timeouts. NIU got the ball on Maryland’s 20-yard line looking for an upset.

“I think we were fortunate to win this game,” Terrapin coach Ralph Friedgen said. “It was a tough win against a good football team.”