Things were looking good for NIU sophomore Garrett Wolfe last spring.

The 5-foot-7, 172-pound running back moved to No. 2 in the depth chart and followed with a 71-yard performance in the 2003 NIU Spring Football Game.

Everything went downhill from there.

Wolfe found out on the day of his last final he was a credit short because he dropped a class, which cost him his eligibility. He later had surgery to repair an injury to his right ankle, which he injured in the spring game. The operation ended his season and kept him looking toward next year.

At the 2004 NIU Football Spring Game on Thursday, he will get a second chance to claim his spot in the NIU running back depth chart. This time will be different for Wolfe, who tries to fill the spot held by the nation’s second-leading rusher the past two seasons in Michael Turner.

“This game is most definitely very important because it can be a coming-out party for me,” Wolfe said. “It’s going to be great getting back out there.”

If Wolfe doesn’t win the job outright, he might wind up as part of a platoon-backfield, NIU running backs coach DeAndre Smith said.

“Of course, the selfish side of me wants all the balls,” Wolfe said. “But it is about being an adult and realizing that this is a team.”

Wolfe’s 40-yard dash time, the second-fastest among the running backs, has left his coaches talking highly of his playmaking ability.

“He’s picked up where he left off last spring,” Smith said. “He’s a playmaker – a guy who can take it the distance. I think the football community will really enjoy watching him play.”

Coach Joe Novak comments: He had a great spring last season and came up on a fluke thing with academics. He’s probably the biggest big-play guy of the group.