Lost in the shuffle of NIU’s 40-17 win over Eastern Michigan was the return of injured running back Michael Turner.

After missing last week’s game with an ankle injury, Turner returned to lead the Huskies in rushing and turned in a solid overall performance.

“I felt great,” Turner said of his first game back from injury. “I was a little worried at the beginning of the game. I didn’t expect to play well.”

Turner played better than most people would have expected, chipping in with 69 yards on 16 carries.

With Eastern Michigan constantly crowding the line of scrimmage, rushing yards were tough to come by. Turner was able to beat EMU’s tacklers to the corners, enabling him to gain good chunks of yardage to the outside of the defense. The sophomore ran hard all day, averaging 4.2 yards per carry.

With Thomas Hammock struggling to get in a rhythm, Turner provided a nice compliment to the Mid-American Conference leading rusher. The duo combined to gain 127 yards on 33 carries.

Turner now will be one of the many Huskies who will pack the locker room Tuesday night when Western Michigan faces Toledo at the Glass Bowl.

“All we can do is hope and wait,” Turner commented.

A Toledo win would severely dampen NIU’s postseason chances, but would still leave the door open for a share of the conference title.

When asked about a Toledo win, which would leave NIU at home for the holidays, Turner’s answer was short and sweet.

“We want to be champs,” he said.