Riding the wave of momentum from victories over Maryland, Alabama, Iowa State and everyone else they faced, NIU looked unstoppable going into Bowling Green last season.

With its 7-0 start, the Huskies pounded their way to a No. 12 ranking in Division I-A college football.

True, the Huskies had squeaked by with some of their victories. A win against the No. 15 ranked Maryland came down to overtime, and one could argue that NIU just barely nabbed wins against Alabama and Ohio.

But still, the record stood. The Huskies were unbeaten.

After edging out other ranked teams, why would Bowling Green — a simple MAC opponent — be any problem? Sure, BG was ranked No. 23, but NIU had spoiled Bowling Green’s season the previous year by topping the 20th-ranked Falcons in DeKalb.

The stage was set for a matchup between two of the MAC’s biggest names: BG quarterback Josh Harris and NIU running back Michael Turner.

Every seat in the Falcon’s Doyt Perry Stadium was filled. A crowd of 31,007 looked on. The nation watched on ESPN’s GameDay.

After the first three minutes, Huskie fans lay stunned. The Falcons sprinted to a 14-0 lead. By the third quarter, NIU was down 27-3 and didn’t look like the No. 12 team in the nation.

Turner was shut down, totaling his second-lowest rushing performance of the season with 87 yards and the passing game wasn’t any better.

NIU quarterback Josh Haldi was sacked six times, and NIU gave up three interceptions.

On the other side of the ball, Bowling Green’s quarterback could do nothing but shine. Harris threw 27-of-43 passes for 438 yards with two touchdowns. To top that off, he rushed for 89 yards — more than Turner.

For Bowling Green, it was vengeance. NIU couldn’t find a way to stop Harris, and was handed a painful 34-18 loss.

It was tough to watch the analysis of the game the next day. People started to question how good NIU really was.

NIU ended up losing two games later, to Toledo, finishing 10-2 and missing the MAC West title to Bowling Green. The Falcons ended up topping Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl, while the Huskies sat at home to watch on TV and take claim to being the best team in Division I-A football without a bowl game.

For the last two years, each team has broken the other’s dream season, making Bowling Green one of NIU fans’ toughest opponents and biggest rivalries.

This time, both teams start their MAC season against each other. Both teams won’t have forgotten the agony of defeat; both teams will remember revenge.