*Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part story examining life on the road with the NIU football team.

As game time between NIU and Miami (Ohio) got closer, the noise in the locker room at Yager Stadium started to rise.

Random shouts of bravado were heard, including one by offensive tackle Tim Vincent that suggested the RedHawks didn’t have the most pleasant relationships with their mothers.

Next, the Huskies went through their pregame drills and came back to the locker room, awaiting Huskie coach Joe Novak’s pregame speech. Then an odd thing started to happen.

While the Huskies a half hour earlier couldn’t have been farther from quiet, it was a different scene now. If it wasn’t for a deafening fan cooling down the locker room, one could have heard a pin drop in there. Some players stared straight ahead. Others had their heads in their hands and burned a hole in the ground with their eyes.

That all changed when Novak gave his pregame speech and even this reporter wanted to suit up and punch a RedHawk in the mouth.

“We gotta do the little things. O-line, you gotta finish! Backs, you gotta pass protect and break tackles! Wide receivers, you gotta block! Quarterbacks, you gotta be smart! Defense has gotta play with discipline! And we gotta tackle ’em. We gotta tackle ’em! If they catch it or they try to run it, you pound them! Be physical, it’s our football! And for 60 minutes, you gotta play with a hell of a lot of emotion! It is time we join the big people in this conference!”

Halftime

The first half was one of good and bad news for the Huskies. They didn’t exactly set the world on fire, allowing Miami (Ohio) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to pass for 223 yards. NIU quarterback Josh Haldi missed a wide-open Michael Turner for a likely touchdown. The Huskies put up less than 100 yards of offense.

Despite this, the Huskies went into the locker down only one touchdown, 14-7.

Novak’s halftime speech was much more subdued than his pregame one.

“We didn’t play very well that half. But we’re still in the football game. We need to play a lot better. We have to make plays when they present themselves. We gotta get it back for the offense. When we get it back, we gotta move it, people. We gotta make completions, we gotta run, we gotta do it … The football game is there to be won. It is there to be won. We need to make some adjustments and we need to make some plays.”

After the coaches got together for halftime meetings, defensive coordinator Scott Shafer came out like a raging bull.

“You guys want it bad enough? Do you want this thing bad enough? It’s not a want, it’s a need! We need to beat these guys! We need to beat ’em! I’m sick and tired of hearing about Miami!”

Shafer went on to talk about Roethlisberger.

“We gotta get after him. We gotta beat him down for 30 more minutes! Win this thing with what we are! Toughness and attitude and discipline! That’s all Joe talks about! Let’s win this thing, men!”

Second-half comeback

The second half did not start off well for NIU as Miami scored two quick touchdowns to go up 27-7.

But the Huskies made a comeback for the ages, scoring a school-record 34 points in the fourth quarter to beat the RedHawks. Michael Turner ran for 222 yards and five touchdowns.

As the outcome of the game became more and more apparent to the RedHawk fans, they let out their true feelings regarding two Huskies.

“You’re hot, but your team still sucks,” a female fan said to safety Justin Dole.

“No. 56 [Travis Moore], I’d still name my first child after you,” said another who was dressed in an odd-looking purple dress that made her look like a large grape.

As he ran off the field after exchanging the obligatory pleasantries with the RedHawks, Vincent slapped this reporter so hard on the back in celebration the reporter suffered a minor case of whiplash. All the reporter did was congratulate Vincent on his effort.

Guard Matt McGhghy said about all that needed to be said to that same reporter as he walked into the victorious team’s locker room: “Best game ever,” he said.

Postgame speech

In the victorious locker room, pandemonium ensued. The Huskies laughed. They sang. They danced. Even Novak busted a move before talking to the winners.

“Listen to me! Listen to me! They know who we are now. I’m going to tell you something; don’t any of you ever not believe. That didn’t look very good, did it? But it’s a long game.”

After a couple shouts of “Why the hell not?” from the Huskies, Novak went with it.

“I’ll say it again, why the hell not? We got bigger and better goals. Why the hell not? Why the hell not?

“This is a great win, but get ready to go back to work, knowing that nothing but a great effort will do again next week. Let me say this. Tremendous, tremendous victory in a lot of ways, men, as far as this program and this league goes. Let’s enjoy it for a night and come back next week.”

Going home

Halfway back to DeKalb the buses stopped for a restroom and vending machine break.

Duffy, who had five tackles against Miami, was feeling the effects of all of them.

“I’m sore as hell,” Duffy said. “I got my ass beat up today.”

Duffy lost that battle, but the Huskies won the war.