NIU safety Akil Grant watched helplessly from the sidelines last Saturday when the play against Toledo happened.

With the Huskies down by four points, Toledo scored a 60-yard touchdown on third-and-33. Grant yelled to his teammates to change their coverage, but his voice wasn’t heard.

“It made me want to be out there,” said Grant, who missed the last three games with a left knee sprain. “You always feel like you could’ve made a difference and you think the outcome could’ve changed.”

Senior cornerback Randee Drew thinks having his teammate out there could have helped as well.

“He’s an impact player,” Drew said. “Everyone in our conference knows about him. His presence alone would’ve had an effect.”

On Saturday, the culmination of four years of hard work and preparation will come to an end for Grant and the 18 other Huskies seniors.

Grant plans on playing, but NIU coach Joe Novak said the senior safety will play if he’s able to be productive.

“One of my goals was to play every game,” Grant said. “When the injury first happened, I felt like I was letting my teammates down. I’m going to play Saturday, I just don’t know how much.”

The Kankakee native had played in all 42 games of his career until the injury, and started in 31 straight games.

Grant was on his way to his third straight 100-tackle season before getting hurt the week before the Nov. 1 Ball State game.

In only eight games, he has 93 tackles, ranking third on the team.

Grant dreams of going pro and said he has heard good things from scouts about his chances.

Drew thinks Grant will play at the next level.

“He’s a tough player and a great athlete,” Drew said. “He benches damn near 400 pounds and has a 40-inch vertical. He’s been nothing but productive.”

Novak said Grant has what NFL scouts look for.

“He’s a tough guy,” Novak said. “In the NFL, they always look for that. He looks attractive to them. It’s going to be tough to come in and play at defensive back, so it helps that he’s played on special teams.”

Grant was named one of five captains for his senior season and takes pride that his teammates respect him.

“I want to be looked at as a guy who always did whatever was needed for the team,” Grant said.

The 5-foot-11 safety is looked at by his teammates and coaches as a soft-spoken guy who lets his play do the talking.

If Grant had ben on the field against Toledo, maybe his play would have been louder than his voice.